Fiscal Deficit at 114.8% of Annual Target at Sept-End

New Delhi: The government's fiscal deficit rose to Rs 9.14 lakh crore, about 114.8% of the annual budget estimate, during the first six months of the current financial year, mainly on account of poor revenue realisation.

The fiscal deficit or gap between the expenditure and revenue had breached the annual target in July this year.

The revenue realisation during the current fiscal suffered on account of the lockdown imposed by the government to check the spread of coronavirus pandemic.

In absolute terms, the deficit was Rs 9,13,993 crore, as per the data released by the Controller General of Accounts (CGA).

The deficit at the end of the first six months of the previous financial year was 92.6% of the annual target.

The government received Rs 5,65,417 crore (25.18% of BE 2020-21 of total receipts) up to September, the CGA data said. The receipts were 40.2% of the target a year ago.

Of the total receipts, Rs 4,58,508 crore was tax revenue (Net to Centre), Rs 92,274 crore was non-tax revenue and Rs 14,635 crore non-debt capital receipts. Non-debt capital receipts consist of recovery of loans (Rs 8,854 crore) and disinvestment proceeds (Rs 5,781 crore).

"Rs 2,59,941 crore has been transferred to state governments as devolution of share of taxes by Government of India up to this period, which is Rs 51,277 crore lower than the previous year," the finance ministry said in a release.

As per the CGA data, the total expenditure incurred by the government was Rs 14,79,410 crore (48.63% of BE 2020-21), out of which Rs 13,13,574 crore was on revenue account and Rs 1,65,836 crore on capital account.

Out of the total revenue expenditure, Rs 3,05,652 crore was on account of interest payments and Rs 1,56,210 crore toward major subsidies. During the same period of the last fiscal, the total expenditure was 53.4% of the annual target.

The government had pegged the fiscal deficit for 2020-21 at Rs 7.96 lakh crore or 3.5% of GDP in the Budget, presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in February. These figures, however, may have to be revised significantly, in view of the economic disruptions created by the outbreak of the coronavirus.

Fiscal deficit had soared to a seven-year high of 4.6% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2019-20, mainly on account of poor revenue realisation, which dipped further towards the close of March because of the lockdown.

Factory Output Contracts 0.8% in Sept

Contracting for the seventh consecutive month, the output of eight core infrastructure sectors dropped 0.8% in September mainly due to decline in production of crude oil, natural gas, refinery products and cement.

The production of eight core sectors had contracted 5.1% in September 2019, data released by the Commerce and Industry Ministry showed on Thursday.

The decline in output during the month under review was lowest since March.

Barring coal, electricity and steel, all sectors -- crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertiliser and cement -- recorded negative growth in September 2020.

During April-September, the sectors' output dropped by 14.9% as compared to a growth of 1.3% in the same period of the previous year.