Cabinet approves merging of Rail budget with Union Budget

Ending a 92-year-old tradition, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday decided to merge the Railway budget with the General budget and agreed in-principle to advance the date of its presentation in Parliament from the usual February end.

The actual date for presentation of the General budget for 2017-18 will be decided by the government after taking into account the coming Assembly elections, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told reporters.

The Cabinet has also decided to do away with the Plan/ Non-Plan expenditure classification in Budget 2017-18 and replace with ‘capital and receipt’.

The government, Mr. Jaitley said, was in favour of advancing the budgetary exercise so that it could be completed before March 31 and expenditure on public-funded schemes started from April 1.

He said, “While we, in-principle, are in favour of advancing the budget date and finishing the entire financial business before March 31... the actual dates will be decided after consultations depending on calendar of the State elections.”

The government was keeping itself in a “state of readiness” to advance the budget presentation.

As per tradition, budget is presented on the last working day of February. The separate railway budget was started by the British in 1924.

Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das said the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) will provide provisional Advance Estimates of national income or GDP by January 7, so that the data could be incorporated in preparation of the budget.

The provisional advance estimates, he hoped, would be in line with the one normally released by February 7.

Mr. Das said the government would issue budget circular in a day or two.

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said the merger of railway and general budgets would not impact the functional autonomy of the railways, but help in enhancing capital expenditure.

“One single budget will mean railway and general budget will work in harmony,” Mr. Prabhu said, adding railways will not have to pay dividend to the government. #casansaar (PTI)