question_answer

India has scaled back expenditure, including on productive assets that aid economic growth, as the government is confronted with the risk of its budget deficit blowing out. Capital expenditure-the money spent on creating, maintaining or improving fixed assets like roads and factories - stood at 40% of the budgeted amount in the six months to September, down from 55.5% in the year-ago period, data from the government's Controller General of Accounts show. The overall spending during the period was 49% of the budget aim compared to 53% last year. That's despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Government outlining measures worth more than 21 trillion rupees (281 billion) to counter the economic and social fallout of the Covid-19 outbreak. A closer look at the numbers shows the bulk of the spending was directed towards the poor and the farmers, with crucial sectors such as coal, power, shipping and steel receiving less than a third of their annual budget allocation. Spending on capital assets has so far trailed the so-called revenue expenditure that includes interest payments and overheads such as salaries, the data released last week showed. Modi's Government placed spending curbs on some ministries from April through December to manage its cash flow.

Source: Business Standard, Nov. 5, 2020

A closer look at the numbers shows the bulk of spending was directed towards the poor and the.............

A) farmers

B) labour

C) manager

D) None of these