Crude import to fuel 12% increase in subsidy bill

The government has factored in over Rs 2.96 lakh crore expenditure on account of subsidies in 2019-20, which is 12% higher than the revised estimate for the current fiscal. This increase is estimated in the Budget primarily because of 50% increase in the government outgo on petroleum subsidies, from Rs 24,833 crore in the current financial year to Rs 37,478 crore in the next.