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Budget Division: Budget Manual
September 2010
Government of India: Department of Economic Affairs

Budget Manual is a compendium of general provisions and procedures relating to Budget making to be followed by all offices in the Union Government which are involved in the budgeting exercise and dealing with matters relating to Budget. This Manual is an attempt to cover the existing void faced hitherto due to the lack of a comprehensive guidebook on the subject matter of Budget process in the Central Government. An attempt has been made to incorporate all the issues related to Budget so as to make it a comprehensive one stop guidance material.

The purpose of this Budget Manual is to provide a guidance material and a training tool for the managerial and supervisory staff and above all to the employees dealing with the Budget and Budget related issues. It provides a comprehensive outline of the processes of budgeting, and other related issues along with various legislative and administrative policies, principles and practices which outline the budgeting system in India. The effort has been to draft this Manual in the form of a simple and usable document and as far as possible, to comprehensively outline the procedures and practices in vogue including the detailed check-lists and the mechanisms involved in its operation. The Manual attempts to outline in a linear fashion the entire chain of events leading to the presentation of Union Budget and passing of the related Appropriation Bills.

Chapter I is introductory in nature and brings out the meaning and importance of Budget, the important Constitutional provisions related to Budget, the various Budget documents and their composition and the recommendations of the Estimates Committee on the Form and Contents of Demands for Grants. Chapter II of the Manual deals with the Organizational aspects bringing out the roles and responsibilities of the Parliament and the Parliamentary Committees and the responsibilities of various wings of the Executive in the Budget making process. Chapter III of the Manual deals in a comprehensive manner with the Structure of Government Accounts and the classification system. This is very crucial for any budgetary process since the budgetary and accounting classifications follow a common pattern and their clear understanding is crucial for any analysis on Budget and the related provisions. A detailed analysis of the three Funds viz. the Consolidated Fund of India, the Contingency Fund of India and the Public Accounts of India has also been dealt with in this Chapter.

Chapters IV and V are the core of this Manual. Chapter IV brings out the entire chain of Budget preparation process right from the issue of the Annual Budget Circular. It deals in great detail with the process of estimations relating to receipts and expenditure and the consequent compilation of the Statement of Budget Estimates. All the related formats of estimation have been dealt with briefly in this Chapter in a sequential manner. Chapter IV also deals with the process of Pre-Budget meetings and the various instructions relating to furnishing of information by the Ministries/Departments for the preparation of Budget Statements. Chapter V of the Manual brings out the calendar of Budget activities and timelines including those in the Parliament. This Chapter also brings out in minutest detail the duties and responsibilities relating to various Budget documents/statements explaining alongside the process of their compilation. The checklists used internally for the preparation of various Statements in the Budget documents have been made a part of this Chapter for easy reference and understanding by all users. This Chapter also brings out the process of Budget related security arrangements including the system of Lock-in and the processes and check-lists for the preparation of State Budgets while under President Rule.

Chapters VI and VII of the Manual deal with the issues relating to Budget Implementation and their Reporting and Evaluation respectively. Chapter VI apart from others outlines the role of Departments in spending and control, cash management and the much in use processes of Reappropriations, Supplementary Demands for Grants and the related provisions in the General Financial Rules and the Delegated Financial Powers Rules. This Chapter also deals with some common Budget related irregularities which can be avoided by taking precautionary measures. The last Chapter of the Manual brings out the main Budget related Reporting and Evaluation processes including the Act provisions, guidelines and instructions relating to FRBM Statements, Outcome Budget, Mid-term Evaluation of Plan Schemes, Audit Reports of C&AG and the reviews by the Public Accounts Committee. The Manual also includes a number of Annexes wherever required for providing a more holistic perspective on the subject matters dealt with in the related Chapters.