Centre's fiscal deficit touched 82.7% of full-year target at end of February

The government expects the fiscal deficit to be at 6.9% of the GDP in the current financial year ending March 31, 2022

The Centre's fiscal deficit at the end of February stood at 82.7% of the full-year Budget target, mainly on account of higher expenditure, according to government data released on Thursday.

In the last financial year, the fiscal deficit, or the gap between the expenditure and revenue, was 76% of the Revised Estimate (RE) of 2020-21.

In actual terms, the deficit stood at ₹13,16,595 crore at the end of February this year, as per the data released by the Controller General of Accounts (CGA).

The Central government's total receipts stood at ₹18.27 lakh crore, or 83.9% of the RE of Budget 2021-22. It was 88.2% of the RE of 2020-21 in the corresponding period.

The government's total expenditure was at ₹31.43 lakh crore, or 83.4% of the current year's RE. It was 81.7% of RE in the corresponding period last financial year.

The government expects the fiscal deficit to be at 6.9% of the GDP, or ₹15.91 lakh crore in the current financial year ending March 31, 2022.