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Budgetary allocations: Government spends Rs 1.26L crore in last fiscal

The spending by the State Government surpassed its original budgetary allocations in fiscal 2022–23. However, spending by the government stands at 80 percent of the total budgetary allocations when the allocations in the supplementary budgets are also taken into account.

Sentinel Digital Desk

Published:7th May, 2023 at 1:30 AM

GUWAHATI: The spending by the State Government surpassed its original budgetary allocations in fiscal 2022–23. However, spending by the government stands at 80 percent of the total budgetary allocations when the allocations in the supplementary budgets are also taken into account. Normally, the State Government spends around 60–80 percent of the original budgetary allocations.

The original allocation in the 2022–23 state Budget was Rs 1.19 lakh crore, and for the first time, the State government could spend Rs 1.26 lakh crore during the fiscal. The total budgetary allocations in 2022–23 were Rs 1.56 lakh crore, including the allocations in the supplementary budgets.

According to sources, the trend of expenditure has been in ascending order on the budgetary allocations, and that signifies prudent fiscal management and meticulous planning of expenditure, including large-scale procurement reforms in the state.

The sources also said that the increase in capital expenditure in sync with the rise in budgetary expenditure in the state is a good sign, as capital expenditure creates assets for the state. The capital expenditure in 2015-16 was Rs 4,919 crore, increased to Rs 14,630 crore in 2020-21, and around Rs 20,000 crore in fiscal 2022–23. This apart, the share of the government for centrally sponsored schemes was around Rs 30,000 crore, and the expenditure of other grants-in-aid was over Rs 4,000 crore.

According to sources, the government collected more than its estimated Rs 29,000 crore in tax and non-tax revenue from its own sources. The collection of state GST has also increased, surpassing the collection of the previous fiscal year. All these positive developments in fiscal management made the government spend more than the original budgetary allocations in fiscal 2022–23.

While presenting the 2022–23 annual budget, Finance Minister Ajanta Neog said, "The biggest responsibility of our government is to usher in a new horizon, ensuring holistic development of the state and removing people’s agonies."