The cabinet had earlier this week deferred a decision on the much-discussed issue on this ground.
The government's food subsidy, borne due to buying grain at a higher price and selling it at cheaper rates, is projected to swell from the Rs 60,000 crore (Rs 600 billion) in the 2011-2012 budget to Rs 95,000 crore (Rs 950 billion), a jump of 59 per cent, on this head. This is in addition to Rs 32,000 crore (Rs 320 billion) of extra expenditure needed to sustain this programme.
The annual extra expenditure is for ancillary programmes like the allowance of Rs 1,000 per month for six months to pregnant women and lactating mothers, and also for the cost of the expanded operation.
Also, with increase in the Minimum Support Price for a crop, the subsidy burden will keep up.
"As the cost of production of crops is rising, MSP can't be kept frozen. Our estimate is that it should rise by at least 40-50 per cent in the next two-three years, which means the food
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