India's April-September Fiscal Deficit At Rs 5.73 Lakh Crore, Reaches 36.5% Of FY26 Target

India's fiscal deficit for the April-September period widened to Rs 5.73 lakh crore, according to the data released by the Controller General of Accounts on Friday.

The fiscal deficit, at the end of the first six months of this financial year, stands at 36.5% of the full-year target of Rs 15.68 lakh crore.

In the comparable year-ago period, the fiscal deficit stood at 29.4% of the annual target.

The Centre's revenue deficit in the April-September period stood at Rs 27,147 crore, which is 5.2% of the annual target. In the year-ago period, the deficit was sharper at 12.8%.

The total expenditure during the first six months of this fiscal stood at Rs 23 lakh crore, which is 45% of the FY26 estimated target.

Out of this, the total capital expenditure stands at Rs 5.8 lakh crore, which is 51.8% of the annual target. This marks a jump as compared to the year-ago period, when capex stood 37.3% of the fiscal target.

The government's total receipts for April-September stood at Rs 16.95 lakh crore, which is 49.6% of the full-year target. In the comparable year-ago period, the mop-up stood at 51.8%.

The revenue receipts are majorly driven by tax collection, which stood at Rs 12.29 lakh crore in FY26 so far, which is 43.3% of the fiscal target.

The non-tax revenue came in at Rs 4.66 lakh crore, which is at 79.9% of the full-year target. This includes Rs 3.5 lakh crore earned through dividends and profits from public sector companies. The amount mopped up accounts for 99% of the yearly target.

The Centre's revenue receipts were also supported by a jump in non-debt capital receipts, which came in at Rs 34,770 crore in the April-September period — 45.8% of the full-year target. In the comparable year-ago period, it stood at 18.7% of the FY25 target.