New Delhi, Dec 1: After having shown signs of some improvement in the first six months, the fiscal deficit has again shot up by more than 22 per cent at the end of October 1999 to touch Rs 57,733 crore. This works out to be 72.2 per cent of the budgetary target of Rs 79,995 crore fixed for the fiscal.Both the revenue deficit and primary deficit were running at higher levels. The Government during April-October 1999 has run a revenue deficit of Rs 39,528 crore, which is almost 73 per cent of the amount earmarked in the budget. The reasons being that the revenue expenditure is not matched by the revenue receipts which have only recently begun to pick up.
The fiscal deficit, at the end of six months (April-September 1999) was up 11.2 per cent over the levels recorded during the corresponding period last year.
Fiscal deficit for the April-October 1998 was pegged at Rs 60,950 crore. However, after taking out the small savings for the purpose of comparison, the deficit for the period works out to be Rs 47,252 crore. The small savings collection during April-October, 1998, totalled Rs 13,698 crore, which jumped up to Rs 15,772 crore up to the end of October 1999.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.