INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
its fertiliser subsidy bill for this financial year by Rs 30,000 crore ($4.2 billion), three sources with direct knowledge of matter said,
and government could tap state banks to fund extra spending
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government budgeted Rs 70,080 crore for fertiliser subsidies for 2018/19 year ending March 31, but sources
said nearly half of money was used to settle dues from previous year.A rise in fertiliser prices overseas and a fall in rupee also made
imported fertilisers more expensive, lifting total subsidy requirement for year to Rs 1 lakh crore, highest ever, sources said.Since
Ministry of Finance denied extra money to Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers for this year, government is considering a "special banking
arrangement" for local fertiliser companies, two of sources said.Such a move would be in keeping with other recent financially-draining
measure taken by PM Modi's government to win support of farmers, small business owners and less well-off, after ruling party suffered
setbacks in state elections and with a general election due in months.The bank route could also help government meet its decade-low headline
fiscal deficit target of 3.3 per cent of gross domestic product.The Comptroller and Auditor General of India, which has authority to review
state and national budgets, last week criticised government for increasingly resorting to "off-budget financing" - such as asking banks to
fund subsidy gaps - and said such arrangements had "fiscal implications".A spokesman for Ministry of Finance declined to comment
The fertiliser ministry did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.In past, too, government has rolled over subsidy
requirements by using special arrangements with banks such as State Bank of India or by delaying payments to companies."Considering poor tax
collections, we don't think government would pay entire subsidy this year," said a senior official with a co-operative fertiliser company,
declining to be named or to identify his employer."Like last year, it will be rolled over to next year."Monthly goods and services tax
collection has been averaging below expectation at Rs 96,780 crore since April, compared with an average target of over Rs 1.2 lakh
crore.For next fiscal year fertiliser ministry has asked for Rs 1 lakh crore in subsidies from finance ministry, which will present an
interim budget for next fiscal year on February 1, ahead of a general election due by May.The government compensates state and private
fertiliser companies such as Coromandel International, Chambal Fertilisers and Chemicals, Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers Chemicals Ltd
and Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers for selling crop nutrients to country's millions of farmers at discounted rates.
