Fiscal deficit at 17.9% of full-year target in Q1

The central government's fiscal deficit stood at 17.9 per cent of the full-year target at the end of June, according to data released by the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) on Thursday. It was at 8.4 per cent of Budget Estimates (BE) of 2024-25 in the first three months of the previous financial year. In absolute terms, the fiscal deficit, or gap between the government's expenditure and revenue, was Rs 2,80,732 crore in the April-June period of the 2025-26 fiscal year. The Centre estimates the fiscal deficit during 2025-26 at 4.4 per cent of the GDP, or Rs 15.69 lakh crore. According to the CGA, Centre's net tax revenue was Rs 5.4 lakh crore, or 19 per cent of corresponding BE 2025-26 of total receipts, up to June 2025. In the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year, the net tax revenue was at 21.3 per cent of that year's BE. The data on monthly accounts showed that the total expenditure during the first quarter was at Rs 12.22 lakh crore, or 24.1 per cent of BE. In the year-ago period, it was at 20.1 per cent of BE.