The government's fiscal deficit at the end of October touched 45 per cent of the full-year budget estimate, according to data released by the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) on Thursday.
In actual terms, the fiscal deficit—the difference between expenditure and revenue—was ₹8.03-lakh crore during the April-October period of 2023-24.
In the corresponding period last year, the deficit was 45.6 per cent of the budget estimates of 2022-23.
For 2023-24, the fiscal deficit of the government is estimated to be ₹17.86-lakh crore or 5.9 per cent of the GDP.