RAS question
Token Cut in budget discussion signifies:
Correct answer: (D) Reduction of demand by ₹100 to raise a specific grievance.
A Token Cut in budget discussion means reducing a demand for grant by Rs. 100 to raise a specific grievance within the Government of India's responsibility.
Explanation
In budget discussions, a Token Cut is not a general reduction in spending; it is a procedural device for drawing the House's attention to a defined grievance. The Lok Sabha Rules state that a motion may seek to reduce the amount of a demand by Rs. 100 to ventilate a specific grievance within the responsibility of the Government of India, and that such a motion is known as a Token Cut. This distinguishes it from an Economy Cut, where the demand is reduced by a specified amount to indicate possible savings, and from a Disapproval Cut, where the demand is reduced to Re. 1 to express rejection of the policy behind the demand.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) An increase in the demand is the opposite of a cut motion, which operates by reducing the amount of a demand for grant.
- (B) A Token Cut is fixed at Rs. 100, not at 50% of the demand, and its purpose is to raise a specific grievance.
- (C) Complete rejection of the policy behind a demand is represented by a Disapproval Cut, where the demand is reduced to Re. 1, not by a Token Cut.
Concept
This tests legislative control over public finance, especially the types of cut motions used during discussion on demands for grants. It recurs in RAS because budget procedure links polity, governance and public expenditure accountability.