A coalition of civil society activits has criticized the Union Budget 2023-24 for reducing government spending on the social sector by a massive amount. The economic crisis induced by the Covid-19 pandemic was borne disproportionately by those at the bottom of the pyramid and in this context spending on social protection schemes such as the Public Distribution System, anganwadis, pensions and MGNREGA is especially important. But the Government of India has...
More »SEARCH RESULT
Costly wheat and the cloud over our daily bread - Sayantan Bera
Wheat prices have stayed stubborny high in India, despite several steps by the government including an export ban and announcing open market prices. - Mint Official figures show that daily retail wheat flour (atta) prices as on 1 February were 22% higher year on year, while wholesale prices were 31% higher. Wheat prices have been inching up through 2022 after a heat wave cut production and pushed the government to ban exports...
More »Budget 2023-24: NREGA, Food Subsidy, Mid day MEAl allocations cut drastically
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), National Food Security Act (NFSA) are schemes whose allocations have been cut drastically in Budget 2023-24, while the Mid-Day MEAls budget has also seen a sharp drop. An analysis by the Accountability Initiative (AI) at the Centre for Policy Research reveals that in the case of NREGA and NFSA, the reduction has been over 30 percent! The budget for Mid-Day MEAls...
More »Economic Survey 2022-23 Highlights inflation risks and Rupee depreciation pressure on Indian Economy
The Economic Survey 2022-23, released today, has flagged threats to the Indian economy, even as it forecasts a GDP growth rate of 6.5% for the next fiscal year. The survey has said that the challenge of the Indian rupee depreciating remains. "However, the challenge of the depreciating rupee, although better performing than most other currencies, persists with the likelihood of further increases in policy rates by the US Fed". What...
More »Budget Briefs: Food Subsidy in FY 2022-23 lower by 28%, 12.3 crore excluded - Jenny Susan John, Avani Kapur, Ria Kasliwal
Accountability Initiative, Centre for Policy Research Budget 2023-24 will be unveiled on February 1. As part of laying the context this brief, prepared by the Accountability Initiative, examines the allocation and expenditure trends for India's food subsidy. At the start of the current Financial Year (FY) 2022-23, Government of India allocations for Food Subsidy stood at Rs. 2,06,831 crore, which was 28 percent lower than the previous year's Revised Estimates (REs)....
More »