Budget advanced by a month: PM

New Delhi, October 26

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that the Union Budget was being advanced by a month to “speedier implementation of schemes”.

He referred to the issue during his monthly meeting of PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation), an ICT-based platform in which interacts directly with top officials of states to discuss implementation of programmes and schemes.

"The Prime Minister mentioned that the Union Budget presentation is being advanced by about a month to ensure speedier implementation of projects and schemes," a PMO statement said.

Modi urged all states to "align their plans with this advancement, so that they could take maximum advantage of this move," it added.

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Traditionally, the Union Budget has been presented in Parliament on the last day of February.

The Cabinet has decided to advance it by a month with a view to get all the legislative approvals for the annual spending and tax proposals before the beginning of the new financial year on April 1.

Accordingly, the Budget session of Parliament, which is usually convened in the last week of February, will now be called in January.

Early presentation of Budget would mean that the entire exercise is over by March 31, and expenditure as well as tax proposals come into effect right from the beginning of new fiscal, thereby ensuring better implementation.

Until now, the Budgetary exercise had been completed only by mid-May and with the monsoon arriving in June, most of the schemes and spending by states do not take off until October, leaving just half a year for their implementation. — PTI