BUDGETARY PROCESS IN INDIA: AN ANALYSIS

“A Budget tells us what we can't afford, but it doesn't keep us from buying it”-William Feather (American Publisher; Author-1889-1981)(Holzer & Schwester 2011 p.289). In almost all the forms of government budget or budgeting falls within the jurisdiction of bureaucracy. The preparation of budget falls within the jurisdiction of public administration which is run and manned by civil servants. Hence budgeting is an important function of bureaucracy. But it alone cannot do everything about budgeting. In a parliamentary system of government every department is headed by a minister and at the head of finance department there is a minister who is called as finance minister The preparation of estimated expenditure and income is done under the guidance of the finance minister. In this paper I have tried my best to highlight the process of Indian budget with it's historical development in a lucid manner.