(PTI)
The government’s expenditure went up 27 per cent in April-June of the current fiscal to over Rs 6.50 lakh crore as a result of Budget advancement by a month, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said today. In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, he said the advancement of the Budget by a month to February 1 was intended to utilise the full working season, including the first quarter (April-June of 2017-18), to step up expenditure. Previously when the budget got approved in mid-May, the spending would start only in the second quarter. This year, the Budget was presented on February 1 and Parliament approved it before the start of the fiscal year on April 1.
