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Maharashtra Chief Secretary Sujata Saunik has issued a directive to all departments mandating that any new proposals presented to the state cabinet must clearly outline the potential increase in expenditure beyond their allocated budget. The directive, issued on Friday, comes amid signs of the state's financial constraints. It has called for transparency in identifying the potential increases in expenditure for any new proposal, thus holding departments accountable for their financial commitments. The directive stresses that no proposals should be submitted to the cabinet without specifying how much the department's expenditure may exceed its original allocation. To rein in the unnecessary spending, departments have also been instructed to limit unproductive expenditure, consolidate redundant government schemes, and curb free-of-cost services wherever possible, an official said. The directive encourages reducing non-productive spending, merging redundant schemes and focusing on ..
The Union Budget 2025-26 has allocated Rs 1,024.30 crore for expenses incurred by the Council of Ministers, the Cabinet Secretariat and the Prime Minister's Office, and for hospitality and entertainment of state guests. The allocated amount is a bit more than the Rs 1,021.83 crore earmarked in 2024-25. In the Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Lok Sabha on Saturday, a total of Rs 619.04 crore has been allotted for the expenses of council of ministers in the coming fiscal. It was Rs 540.95 crore in 2024-25. This allocation is for expenditure on salaries, sumptuary and other allowances and travel by Cabinet ministers, ministers of state, and former prime ministers. It also includes a provision for special extra session flight operations for VVIPs. The National Security Council Secretariat has been allocated Rs 182.75 crore, against Rs 270.08 crore allotted in 2024-25. The provision is for meeting the administrative expenses and space programme of the Nationa
West Bengal's fiscal performance in the first half of the 2024-25 fiscal reflects a growing imbalance between revenue and capital expenditure, aligning with broader trends observed across major Indian states, according to rating agency CareEdge. While the state recorded a 13.5-per cent year-on-year increase in revenue expenditure, its capital expenditure grew by only 7.7 per cent, significantly falling short of its budgeted targets, the agency's latest report on state and central finances said. Amit Mitra, principal chief advisor to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the state's finance department, had recently said Bengal's capital spending had increased from Rs 2,226 crore in 2010-11 to a budgeted amount of Rs 35,865.55 crore in 2024-25. "Revenue expenditure of states remained strong in H1 FY25. In aggregate, the top 20 states in our sample utilised 41.5 per cent of their budgeted revenue expenditure in H1 FY25, slightly higher than the 40 per cent utilisation in H1 FY24," the ...