{
  "id": 17271702,
  "title": "Fiscal deficit in H1 rises to 42.1% of FY27 target on higher capex, subsidies",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/fiscal-deficit-in-h1-rises-to-42-1-of-fy27-target-on-higher-capex",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-30T18:16:21.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Economic Times - Economy",
    "slug": "the-economic-times-economy",
    "url": "https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/indicators/fiscal-deficit-in-h1-rises-to-42-1-of-fy27-target-on-higher-capex-subsidies/articleshow/135374307.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The fiscal deficit for the first half of 2026-27 has increased to ₹7.14 lakh crore, or 42.1% of the government's target for the fiscal year, according to government data released on Friday. This marks a rise from 36.5% in the same period last year. The deficit grew due to a 10.7% increase in total expenditure and a 10.1% rise in government spending on major subsidies, reaching ₹2.23 lakh crore in April-September. The government had set a fiscal deficit target of 4.3% of GDP, or ₹16.96 lakh crore, for the current fiscal. Capital expenditure accounted for 53.6% of the full-year budget estimate (BE) in H1 2026-27, up from 51.8% a year earlier. In September, the fiscal gap was ₹4,164 crore, compared to a surplus of ₹25,030 crore in the same period last year. The Centre's gross tax revenue grew 6.1% year-on-year in April-September, despite a fall in excise duty collection due to duty cuts on petrol and diesel.",
  "summary": "By September 2026, the Centre's fiscal deficit had escalated to ₹7.14 lakh crore, exceeding last year's figures. This increase is fueled by a 10.7% rise in total expenditure, largely a result of heightened capital spending and food subsidies, while petroleum subsidies sharply declined. Gross tax revenue, however, saw a modest growth of 6.1%, even with lower excise duty collections attributed to…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}