Subsidy Bill

FM's plan to meet target: Rollover $15 billion subsidy

By rolling over some costs, Chidambaram can tell voters in the run up to the elections, which must be held by May, that the government met its deficit target.But equally, he will be shackling the next government with costs that could blunt its ability to stimulate an economic recovery.

Union Budget 2013: High crude prices push up subsidy bill

Even as Finance Minister pulls out all the stops to narrow high fiscal deficit, the subsidy bill will overshoot the target of Rs 1.79 lakh crore in this financial year due to higher crude oil prices.

Note to UPA: After petrol, why no diesel hike?

For a government desperate to cut its weighty subsidy bill, allowing petrol prices to be hiked and then backing off on doing the same with diesel is, to put it mildly, going in the wrong direction.