India’s fiscal deficit touches 83.2% of budget estimates in first quarter of FY21

03 Aug 2020 Evaluate

The Controller General of Accounts (CGA) in its latest data has showed that India’s fiscal deficit widened to Rs 6.62 lakh crore or 83.2% of the Budget Estimates (BE) during the first quarter of fiscal year 2020-21 (FY21), mainly on account of poor tax collections due to the coronavirus lockdown. Fiscal deficit during the corresponding period of last year was 61.4% of the BE. The government had pegged the fiscal deficit for 2020-21 at Rs 7.96 lakh crore or 3.5% of the GDP in the Budget.

However, these figures may have to be revised significantly in view of the economic disruptions created by the COVID-19 crisis. In absolute terms, the fiscal deficit stood at Rs 6,62,363 crore at end-June. Fiscal deficit had soared to seven-year high of 4.6% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2019-20, mainly on account of poor revenue realisation which dipped further towards the close of March because of the lockdown.

As per the CGA data, the government’s revenue receipts stood at Rs 1,50,008 crore or 7.4% of the BE. During the same period of the last fiscal, the realisation was 14.5% of the BE. Tax revenue stood at Rs 1,34,822 crore or 8.2% of BE during the first three months of the fiscal. During the first quarter of the last fiscal, the tax revenue was 15.2% of the BE. Total receipts of the government amounted to 6.8% of the BE or Rs 1,53,581 crore. In the budget, the government had estimated the total receipts for the fiscal at Rs 22.45 lakh crore.

The government’s total expenditure stood at Rs 8,15,944 lakh crore or 26.8% of the BE at end-June. During the same period of the last fiscal, the total expenditure was 25.9% of the BE. The data further showed that Rs 1,34,043 crore has been transferred to state governments as devolution of share of taxes by the central government upto June, which is Rs 14,588 crore lower than the previous year. Out of the total revenue expenditure, Rs 1,60,493 crore was on account of interest payments, while major subsidies accounted for Rs 78,964 crore.


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