Expenditure panel to review sops on cards

NEW DELHI: Another expenditure commission is expected to be set up by the government to handle the politically sensitive issue of rationalising subsidies.

The announcement may be made in the Budget, as a follow up of the Expenditure Reforms Commission, which had been set up in 2000-01.
The commission is expected to explore the chances of eliminating the huge subsidies built into the anti-poverty programmes, and instead release the same for the development of rural infrastructure.

This is a radically different approach which moves away from targetting the usual subsidy bills for food, fertiliser and petroleum. Despite the government’s best efforts, it has not been able to make any major cut back in these subsidies.