Centre’s Fiscal Deficit Touches ₹12.52 Lakh Crore at Feb-End

New Delhi: The central government’s fiscal deficit stood at Rs 12.52 lakh crore at the end of February, or 80.4 per cent of the annual budget target for 2025-26 compared to 85.8 per cent in the year-ago period, according to government data released on Monday.

The Centre estimates the fiscal deficit (the gap between expenditure and revenue) during 2025-26 at 4.4 per cent of GDP, or Rs 15.58 lakh crore. According to monthly accounts released by the Controller General of Accounts (CGA), the Centre's total receipts stood at Rs 27.91 lakh crore, or 82 per cent of the budget target by February-end 2026.

As per the CGA data, the receipts included Rs 21.45 lakh crore tax revenue (net) and Rs 5.8 lakh crore non-tax revenue. “The central government’s total expenditure during April-February 2025-26 stood at Rs 40.44 lakh crore, or 81.5 per cent of the full financial year budget target,” the data showed.