FM Nirmala Sitharaman Rubbishes Chidambaram's Claims On Fuel Tax, Cites RBI Data To Show ₹91-lakh cr Expenditure On Development Since 2014

Sharing details of expenditure in a Tweet, Sitharaman pointed out that government expenditure since 2014 included more than Rs 26 lakh crore in the form of capital expenditure to modernise infrastructure and create productive assets, Rs 25 lakh crore for food, fertilizer and fuel subsidies, and Rs 10 lakh crore on social services such as health, education, affordable housing, etc.

Chidambaram had earlier claimed that while the Modi Government has earned Rs 26.5 lakh crore from fuel tax collections between 2014-2021, the total outgo on free food grain, cash allowances to women, PM-KISAN and other cash transfers is “no more than Rs 2,25,000 crore — which is less than the annual fuel taxes collected by the Centre alone.”