'Fiscal deficit touches 41.9% of full-year target at end of Aug'

New Delhi, Sept. 30 -- The Central government's fiscal deficit stood at Rs 7.1 lakh crore or 41.9 per cent of the full-year target at the end of August, according to data released by the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) on Wednesday.

The deficit was at 38.1 per cent of Budget Estimates (BE) of 2025-26 during the corresponding period last year.

In absolute terms, the fiscal deficit, or the gap between the government's expenditure and revenue, was Rs 7,10,249 crore during April-August period of the 2026-27.

The data on monthly accounts showed that the total expenditure during the first five months was at about Rs 20.78 lakh crore, or 38.9 per cent of BE. In the year-ago period, it was at 37.1 per cent of BE.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.