India, March 11 -- India's food subsidy bill continues to rise despite budget projections suggesting otherwise. Without structural reforms in procurement and distribution, the financial strain on the exchequer is set to escalate, raising concerns about the long-term sustainability of India's food security programmes

In the Union Budget for 2025-26, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has allocated Rs 203,420 Crore for food subsidy which is a marginal three per cent increase from the revised estimate (RE) for the current financial year (FY) at Rs 197,000 Crore. The RE for FY 2024-25 by itself is lower than the budget estimate (BE) of Rs 205,250 Crore she had fixed while presenting that budget on July 23, 2024.

Food subsidy payments durin...