Revealed Allocation Priorities in the Budget

Looking at some aspects of the Union Budget for 2013-14 that have implications for the social sector, this article points out that there is a disturbingly large gap between budget estimates and actual expenditure on social services and rural development in several years. The trends in expenditure on these two sectors also imply that rural development has had to compete directly with social services to raise its share in allocation. In addition, the projected public expenditure on health indicates that there is a disconnect between the wishes of the Planning Commission and what is refl ected in the budget.