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Subsidies Bill to be further cut down

By Moazzem Hossain
The Subsidies Bill.met out of the government's revenue budget,will be further cut down in 1991-92 to trim the overall non-development recurring expenditures. • The •mount will be Taka 86.50 crore lower, under the pro posed budget for the coming fiscal year, than what would be spent under the revised bud get for 1990-91.
Notwithstanding the proposed reduction, the subsidies, amounting to Taka 683.51 crore, will still then be about 8.2 per cent of the total rev enue expenditure of Taka 8083.25 crore in 1991-92.
Under the revised budget for 1990-92. the subsidies bill stood at Taka 770.01 crore which was Taka 228 43 crore lower than the original budget estimate at Taka 988.44 crore about the same for the year. The curtailment tn subsidies in the outgoing fiscal year was made possible mainly by slashing the original allocation for foodgrain subsidies. The government effected hikes tn open market sale and ration prices for foodgrains to plug the gap between its procure ment cost and recoveries
through distribution under monetised sales and to reduce thus the bill on account of food subsidies.
The government spent Taka 791.60 crore, out of Its revenue expenditure, for footing the overall subsidies bill In 1989-90.
The overall subsidies bill Includes cash subsidies for the monetised food distribution channels under Ministry of food, snd the subsidjes^glven poratlona. Food subsidies for defence and police personnel are however- accounted for by the separate budgetary alioca tlons for defence (Head of Account 135)and police (Head of Account 123). Such subsidies will be about Taka 12.60 crore for defence personnel under the proposed budget for 1991-92, the amount being the same as under the revised budget for 1990-91. Likewise.food subsidies for police personnel have been proposed for 1991-92 at the same unchanged level of Taka 4.69 crore as that under the revised budget for 1990-91.
Total food subsidies, involving supplies made through monetised channel* under Public Food Distribution System (PFDS) operated by Ministiy of Food and also those meant for defence and police personnel will be about Taka 380 crore under the proposed budget for 1991 92 against Taka 390 crore under the revised budget for 1990 91
The revised budget for 1990-91 showed expenditures on account of food subsidies for supplies made through PFDS at Taka 372.71 crore compared with Taka 586.14 crore allocated for the same under the original budget for the year. The subsidies for PFDS stood at Taka 590.96 crore in 1989 90.
Under the proposed budget for 1991-92. subsidies on account of state trading of foodstuff or PFDS are estimated at Taka 362.71 crore. Distribution of foodgrains through monetised channels under PFDS by Ministry of Food la targeted at 16.50 lakh tons in 1991 92 against 15.50 lakh tons under the revised budget for 1990-91. This does not Include distribution operations through non-monetised channels (Food for works Programme. Vulnerable Group Development, Test Relief and Gratuity Relief) by Ministry of Relief and Rehabilitation.
The government raised upwards the open market sales and ration prices for distribution of foodgrains through monetised channels under PFDS in 1990-91 to bring the prices "close to the market prices". This enabled it to reduce the food subsidies bill. The ration price of rice and wheat after the latest revision stand now at Taka 373 24 and Taka 253.80 a maund respec lively, showing hardly any difference from the market prices of the same. This is indicated by Bangladesh Economic Survey (1990-91). a publication of ministry of Finance.
Besides the subsidies on account of state trading of food stuff.a substantial an amount of the aggregate subsidies bill, borne out of the revenue budget Is accounted, for by the au-
tions. In 1991-92, such autonomous bodies or corporations have been proposed an allocation of Taka 320.80 crore as subsidies. The amount was Taka 397.30 crore under the revised budget for 1990-91 and Taka 200.64 crore under the budgetary accounts for 1989 90 for the same bodies or organisations. This is indicated by the Demands for Grants and Appropriations (Non-Development) 1991-92, now under consideration by the Jatiya Sangshad.
The break-down of subsidies for autonomous bodies and corporations and other non-food operations Is as follows: