Fiscal deficit reaches 94% of Rs 5.42 lakh crore budgetary target during April-November’ FY14

01 Jan 2014 Evaluate

Showcasing the fiscal strain in the economy, India's fiscal deficit reached to Rs 5.1 lakh crore or 94% of the targeted budgetary estimate of Rs 5.42 lakh crore in the April-November period of current fiscal. The government has set target of containing the fiscal deficit at 4.8% of gross domestic production (GDP), while, the recently released fiscal deficit data has raised concerns that India may well overshoot its ambitious fiscal deficit target. On the other hand, Chidambaram has asserted several times that the red line of 4.8 percent of GDP for the fiscal deficit will not be breached. In the year-ago period, the country’s fiscal deficit was 80.4% of the budgeted target and the finance minister was able to contain the deficit at 4.9% of GDP in the last fiscal year.

High fiscal deficit is mainly due to the sluggish revenue collection amid prevailing economic slowdown. Gross direct tax collections rose 13.18% to Rs 3.68 lakh crore during the April-November period while indirect tax collections were up 4.9% at Rs 3.07 lakh crore compared with Rs 2.93 lakh crore in the year earlier. Net tax receipts during the April-November period stood at Rs 5.02 lakh crore, which is 47.6% of the estimated revenue. Conversely, during the first eight months of this fiscal, total expenditure stood at Rs 10.2 lakh crore, 61.3% of the budgeted estimate. The revenue deficit of Rs 3.93 lakh crore at the end of November has already overshot the whole year's target of Rs 3.79 lakh crore.

In order to contain the country's fiscal deficit, the government has been taking a number of measures including banning government departments for holding meetings in 5-star hotels among others to cut government spending in non-critical areas. Furthermore, the government has been expressing confidence to meet the divestment target of Rs 40,000 crore for current fiscal despite the fact it has so far only managed to raise Rs 3,000 crore against the target of Rs 40,000 crore.

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