Fertiliser Min seeks extra Rs 23K cr to clear Jan-Mar subsidy bill

New Delhi: The Fertiliser Ministry has sought additional Rs 23,000 crore from the Finance counterpart to meet the subsidy requirement for the January-March quarter, a senior government official said Tuesday.

Till December, a subsidy payment of Rs 23,283 crore was due towards fertiliser companies and the ministry was left with about Rs 13,056 crore from the budgeted allocation, he added. "We have sought an additional budget of Rs 23,000 crore to meet the subsidy requirement for the current quarter," the official said.

The backlog of pendency will be cleared from the balance funds available during the current fiscal and the remaining dues will be paid on receipt of additional budget, he said.

The government releases subsidy to the fertiliser companies on regular basis subject to the availability of budget.