RAS Pre 2021, held on 27 October 2021. Question text as printed in RPSC's booklet; answer as per RPSC's final answer key.

What is the proposed plan expenditure in percentage of total expenditure on electricity in Rajasthan’s budget 2021 – 22?

Q: What is the answer to RAS Pre 2021 Q73?

(2). Correct — option (2), 14.32%. Rajasthan's Budget at a Glance 2021-22, issued by the Directorate of Economics and Statistics, has a table headed “Highlights of Schematic Outlay 2021-22”. It proposes a schematic outlay of ₹1,32,251.35 crore in the Budget Estimates 2021-22 and splits it into eleven sectors, each with its per cent of the total. The row for Power reads ₹18,943.23 crore and 14.32 per cent. The Budget Study 2021-22 from the same Directorate draws this split as a pie chart, where the slice is labelled Energy, 14.32%. Check the arithmetic: 18,943.23 ÷ 1,32,251.35 × 100 = 14.32. The stem asks for the “proposed plan expenditure in percentage of total expenditure on electricity”. The English tables say schematic outlay on Power (Budget at a Glance) or Energy (Budget Study pie chart); neither uses the word electricity. The Hindi pages of the Budget at a Glance call the same outlay योजना उद्व्यय and name the row विद्युत, at 14.32 per cent. In a bilingual note of the Budget Study, योजना व्यय stands for Plan Expenditure. The 14.32 per cent is a share of the schematic outlay, not of all State spending. Reading the stem as that row rests on RPSC's key, which marks 14.32%. The idea to remember: Power's share of Rajasthan's proposed schematic outlay for 2021-22 was 14.32 per cent, second to Social & Community Services at 52.19 per cent.

(1)52.19%
(2)14.32%
(3)7.42%
(4)12.05%

Answer

(2)

Why

Correct — option (2), 14.32%.

Rajasthan's Budget at a Glance 2021-22, issued by the Directorate of Economics and Statistics, has a table headed “Highlights of Schematic Outlay 2021-22”. It proposes a schematic outlay of ₹1,32,251.35 crore in the Budget Estimates 2021-22 and splits it into eleven sectors, each with its per cent of the total.

The row for Power reads ₹18,943.23 crore and 14.32 per cent. The Budget Study 2021-22 from the same Directorate draws this split as a pie chart, where the slice is labelled Energy, 14.32%.

Check the arithmetic: 18,943.23 ÷ 1,32,251.35 × 100 = 14.32.

The stem asks for the “proposed plan expenditure in percentage of total expenditure on electricity”. The English tables say schematic outlay on Power (Budget at a Glance) or Energy (Budget Study pie chart); neither uses the word electricity.

The Hindi pages of the Budget at a Glance call the same outlay योजना उद्व्यय and name the row विद्युत, at 14.32 per cent. In a bilingual note of the Budget Study, योजना व्यय stands for Plan Expenditure.

The 14.32 per cent is a share of the schematic outlay, not of all State spending. Reading the stem as that row rests on RPSC's key, which marks 14.32%.

The idea to remember: Power's share of Rajasthan's proposed schematic outlay for 2021-22 was 14.32 per cent, second to Social & Community Services at 52.19 per cent.

Why the others are wrong

(1)
52.19% — 52.19 per cent is the share of Social & Community Services, ₹69,026.26 crore, the largest row in the same table of the Budget at a Glance 2021-22.
That sector holds education, health and other social spending. For example, the same document lists ₹13,309.88 crore for Elementary Education, including ₹9,821.20 crore for Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan.
(3)
7.42% — 7.42 per cent is the share of Agriculture & Allied Services, ₹9,818.74 crore, in the 2021-22 schematic outlay.
Within it, the Budget at a Glance lists ₹2,743.10 crore for the Agriculture Department, including ₹1,500 crore for PM Fasal Bima Yojana and the Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme.
(4)
12.05% — 12.05 per cent is the share of Rural Development, ₹15,935.19 crore, in the same table.
The Budget at a Glance says this sum covers Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, including ₹3,700 crore for Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Grameen and ₹2,539.44 crore for MG NREGS.

Concept

A state budget can be read by sector: how much of the proposed outlay goes to agriculture, rural development, power, transport, social services and so on. The share of a sector is its outlay divided by the total, times 100.

Rajasthan's 2021-22 budget papers group spending on schemes as “Schematic Outlay”. The Budget Study's year-wise table, headed “YEAR-WISE PLAN / SCHEMATIC EXPENDITURE”, notes that its 2016-17 figures are Plan Expenditure and its 2017-18 to 2020-21 figures Schematic Budget Expenditure.

At the Union level, the Budget 2017-18 speech of 1 February 2017 said the Government had “done away with the plan and non-plan classification of expenditure”.

A large share does not always mean new assets. Of the ₹18,943.23 crore for Power in 2021-22, the Budget at a Glance lists ₹16,236.75 crore as Power Tariff Subsidy.

RPSC's 2021 syllabus lists “Macro overview of Economy.” and “Infrastructure & Resources.” under the Economy of Rajasthan. The state budget is the plan of where public money goes in a year.

The 2021-22 budget was presented on 24 February 2021. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's speech says it was the first time a “Paperless Budget” was presented in the State.

The Budget at a Glance and the Budget Study are companion documents from the Directorate of Economics and Statistics. They turn the budget volumes into summary tables and charts.

Key facts

Budget at a Glance 2021-22: proposed schematic outlay ₹1,32,251.35 crore in Budget Estimates 2021-22.
Power: ₹18,943.23 crore, 14.32% of the schematic outlay; the Budget Study pie chart labels it Energy.
Social & Community Services: ₹69,026.26 crore, 52.19%, the largest sector share.
Rural Development ₹15,935.19 crore (12.05%); Agriculture & Allied Services ₹9,818.74 crore (7.42%).
The Power provision includes ₹16,236.75 crore for Power Tariff Subsidy and ₹966.30 crore equity support to power companies.

Rajasthan schematic outlay 2021-22: the four figures in the options

Social & Community Services→₹69,026.26 crore — 52.19%

Power→₹18,943.23 crore — 14.32%

Rural Development→₹15,935.19 crore — 12.05%

Agriculture & Allied Services→₹9,818.74 crore — 7.42%

Total schematic outlay→₹1,32,251.35 crore — 100%

Source: Budget at a Glance 2021-22, “Highlights of Schematic Outlay 2021-22”, Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Rajasthan. Seven smaller sectors are not shown.

Study next

Sector-wise schematic outlay in Rajasthan's budgetPower tariff subsidy and power sector finances in RajasthanRevenue receipts and revenue expenditure of RajasthanPlan and non-plan classification and its removalRajasthan Budget 2021-22 announcements

Common traps

Taking the stem's “total expenditure” as the State's whole budget. The four percentages on offer match sector shares of the proposed schematic outlay of ₹1,32,251.35 crore, not of all State spending; RPSC's key marks Power's 14.32 per cent.
Taking the largest figure on offer as the answer. 52.19 per cent belongs to Social & Community Services, not Power.
Missing the change of words. The English budget tables speak of schematic outlay on Power or Energy, not of “plan expenditure” on “electricity”; matching the stem to the Power row rests on RPSC's key.

A question can give a sector and ask its per cent share of a state's budgeted outlay, with the other sectors' shares as options.

A question can also ask which sector received the largest share, or give a rupee amount and ask for the sector.

Related PYQs

RPSC_2024_PRE_GS_Q482024Open & attempt →

Consider the following statements regarding fiscal deficit of Rajasthan : A. The actual fiscal deficit in the year 2022-23 has been 3.76 percent of the State GDP. B. This is less than the limit prescribed by the F.R.B.M. Act, 2005. C. The fiscal deficit of 2022-23 was higher than that of 2021-22. Choose the correct option :

(1) Both A and C are correct.
(2) Both A and B are correct.
(3) Both B and C are correct.
(4) All A, B and C are correct.

Answer(4)

Also about Rajasthan's public finances. That question tests statements on the State's actual fiscal deficit for 2022-23: its share of State GDP, the FRBM Act, 2005 limit and the 2021-22 figure (RPSC's key: all three correct). This one asks a percentage for electricity in Rajasthan's 2021-22 budget.

Practice

practice — not a real PYQ
In Rajasthan's Budget at a Glance 2021-22, which sector has the largest share of the proposed schematic outlay?
- (a)Power
- (b)Rural Development
- (c)Social & Community Services
- (d)Transport
Answer(3) — Social & Community Services has ₹69,026.26 crore, 52.19 per cent. Option (1) Power has 14.32 per cent, option (2) Rural Development 12.05 per cent and option (4) Transport 6.01 per cent.
practice — not a real PYQ
Within the ₹18,943.23 crore provided for the Power sector in Rajasthan's 2021-22 schematic outlay, the largest single item listed in the Budget at a Glance is
- (a)Equity support to power companies
- (b)Power Tariff Subsidy
- (c)Subsidy for Electricity Duty
- (d)DBT to agriculture consumers for relief in power tariff
Answer(2) — Power Tariff Subsidy is ₹16,236.75 crore. Option (3) is ₹1,565.69 crore, option (1) ₹966.30 crore and option (4) ₹58 crore.