Fiscal deficit narrows to 0.8% of full-year target at May-end, boosted by RBI dividend payout: CGA

The central authorities’s fiscal deficit fell sharply to 0.8 per cent of the full-year target at the tip of May 2025, aided by a document Rs 2.69 lakh crore dividend acquired from the Reserve Bank of India, in accordance to information launched by the Controller General of Accounts (CGA).In April, the fiscal deficit stood at 11.9 per cent of the Budget Estimates (BE) for 2025-26, or Rs 1.86 lakh crore. Following the RBI dividend payout, it fell to Rs 13,163 crore or 0.8 per cent of the full-year BE, CGA information confirmed, reported PTI.The Centre has pegged the fiscal deficit at 4.4 per cent of GDP or Rs 15.69 lakh crore for 2025-26.In comparability, the fiscal deficit stood at 3.1 per cent of the BE for 2024-25 in the course of the first two months of the earlier fiscal.As per CGA information, the federal government acquired Rs 2.78 lakh crore below ‘dividends and profits’ in April-May, amounting to 86 per cent of the budgeted estimates.The Government of India’s whole receipts stood at Rs 7.32 lakh crore, or 21 per cent of the BE 2025-26, comprising Rs 3.5 lakh crore as web tax income, Rs 3.56 lakh crore in non-tax income, and Rs 25,224 crore in non-debt capital receipts.CGA mentioned Rs 1.63 lakh crore was devolved to state governments as their share of taxes — Rs 23,720 crore increased than the identical interval final 12 months.Total expenditure by the Centre throughout April-May stood at Rs 7.46 lakh crore, or 14.7 per cent of the BE. This included Rs 5.24 lakh crore of income expenditure and Rs 2.21 lakh crore of capital expenditure.Of the full income expenditure, Rs 1.47 lakh crore went in direction of curiosity funds and Rs 51,253 crore in direction of main subsidies, CGA mentioned.