Budget 2021: Subsidy bill nears ₹6 trillion mainly on extra free foodgrain distribution

The govt's subsidies on food, fertilisers, LPG and kerosene are pegged at ₹5.96 trillion in the current fiscal, over 2.5-fold jump from the initial budget estimates as the Centre distributed additional foodgrains free of cost to help poor mitigate the impact of Covid-19 pandemic