Fiscal deficit at February end touches 86.5% of full-year target: Government data

The government's fiscal deficit at Rs 15 lakh crore touched 86.5 per cent of the revised annual target at the end of February, according to official data released on Thursday.

In the corresponding period last year, the fiscal deficit or gap between the expenditure and revenue was 82.8 per cent of Revised Estimates (RE) of the Union Budget 2022-23.

For 2023-24, the government's fiscal deficit is estimated at Rs 17.35 lakh crore or 5.8 per cent of the GDP.

The government's total receipts stood at Rs 22.45 lakh crore (81.5 per cent of corresponding RE 2023-24 of total receipts) as of February 2024, according to the data released by Controller General of Accounts (CGA).

The total expenditure incurred by the Centre was Rs 37.47 lakh crore (83.4 per cent of corresponding RE 2023-24).