Fiscal deficit worsens sharply in Apr-Oct, at 46.5% of FY25 target

Fiscal gap was at ₹7,50,824 crore during April-October period

The Indian government's fiscal deficit in the first seven months of 2024-25 (Apr-Mar) was at Rs 7.508 trillion, down 6.6 per cent on year, data released by the Controller General of Accounts on Friday showed.

The fiscal deficit for Apr-Oct accounted for 46.5 per cent of the full-year target of Rs 16.133 trillion set in the Union Budget for FY25, higher than 45.0 per cent in the corresponding period of FY24 and sharply higher than 29.4 per cent in the first half of the current financial year.

The central government has set itself a fiscal deficit target of 4.9 per cent of GDP for FY25, down from the 5.6 per cent it achieved last year, as part of its medium-term roadmap of reducing the deficit to below 4.5 per cent by FY26.