Supplementary demands will be limited to a few items: Sources

NEW DELHI: With a view to containing fiscal deficit, government is unlikely to seek any additional amount towards food, fertiliser and oil subsidy in the supplementary demands for grants during the ongoing session of Parliament.

The demands, however, will include Rs 1,000 crore for the Bhartiya Mahila Bank and demands for some other items.

"There will be a limited supplementary for few items in the first batch ... Efforts will be made to present the supplementary within the week itself in Parliament," a source said.

The government will restrict its supplementary grants in the monsoon session ending August 30 to smaller levels in view of the urgency to keep the fiscal deficit within the budgeted level of 4.8 per cent of GDP.

"The government will not seek any additional amount towards food, fertiliser and oil subsidy in the ongoing Parliament session," the source added

The Budget for 2013-14 has projected the total expenditure at Rs 16.65 lakh crore, up 18 per cent from a year-ago.

Finance Minister P Chidambaram had earlier said that 4.8 per cent fiscal deficit is a 'red line' and will not be breached under any circumstances.

Government intends to bring down the fiscal deficit from 4.9 per cent of GDP in 2012-13 to 4.8 per cent in the current fiscal.

The Cabinet had last week approved setting up of the Bhartiya Mahila Bank with an initial capital of Rs 1,000 crore and will start with 6 branches, one each in North, South, West, Central, East and North Eastern part of the country.

The bank is expected to become profitable in five years of its operation.