Be precise in assessment of projected expenditure: Parl committee to NITI Aayog

A parliamentary committee has asked NITI Aayog to be more precise and accurate in assessment of their projected expenditure and targets and criticised the government policy think tanks for “amateur planning”.

The parliamentary standing committee on finance, headed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker Bhartruhari Mahtab, in its report tabled in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, asked the NITI Aayog to be more fiscally prudent in allocating and utilising the available resources in future.

“The scrutiny of estimates, allocations, and use of budget grants reveals a trend of amateur planning where the Ministry of Planning (NITI Aayog) has not been able to apply adequate foresight in planning and projecting their probable expenditures with due accuracy,” the report said.

The report pointed out that Niti Aayog sought ₹1,006.60 crore as budget estimates (BE) for 2025-26, a 16.77% jump from the previous financial year’s allocation of ₹837.26 crore.

The panel, however, highlighted a disturbing trend in past fiscal years, noting discrepancies in the actual spending.

Also Read:India open to rationalising agriculture sector tariffs: Officials

“The Actuals for FY23 were ₹849.10 crore against a BE of ₹321.42 crore, and the Actuals for FY24 stood at ₹290.82 crore, against a BE of ₹824.39 crore,” it said.

“The scrutiny further reveals that the Actuals for FY25 are to the tune of ₹197.49 crore in the first three quarters, which is 23.58% of the BE”, it said.

In its report, the committee has asked the NITI Aayog to avoid “spillovers and parking of large funds under unnecessary heads or sub-heads” and become more fiscally prudent in its future allocation and utilisation of resources.

The panel stressed the need for more realistic assessments citing the limited fiscal resources of the country.