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What is Capital Expenditure

Capital Expenditure

About Capital Expenditure

What is Capital Expenditure

Capital expenditure is the money spent by the government on the development of machinery, equipment, building, health facilities, education, etc. It also includes the expenditure incurred on acquiring fixed assets like land and investment by the government that gives profits or dividend in future. 

The Budget estimate of the government's capital expenditure for the year 2020-21 was Rs 1,084,748 crore. The revised estimates of capital expenditure for the 2019-20 Budget came at Rs 1,059,472 crore, while the actuals for the 2018-19 Budget stood at Rs 915,670 crore.
 
Understanding capital expenditure
 
Capital spending is associated with investment or development spending, where expenditure
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Latest Updates on Capital Expenditure

Oil PSUs utilise 81% of FY26 capex by Jan as expansion drive accelerates

Of the ₹1.32 trn capex target for FY26, state-run oil firms have already spent ₹1.07 trn in the first 10 months

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Updated On : 22 Feb 2026 | 5:26 PM IST

Capex outlay in Budget to be force multiplier for Viksit Bharat: FM

Sitharaman said since the FY27 Budget was the first Budget in the second quarter of the 21st Century, there has been some investments which will have bearing on the long term

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Updated On : 11 Feb 2026 | 11:50 PM IST

UP govt tables ₹9.12 trillion annual Budget with a 12.9% yearly increase

Uttar Pradesh's ₹9.12 trillion FY27 Budget ramps up infrastructure and capex, keeps the fiscal deficit below 3%, and pitches the state as India's next growth engine

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Updated On : 11 Feb 2026 | 11:24 PM IST

Capital expenditure, not just revenue spending, needs close monitoring

After years of rapid expansion, the Centre's capital spending growth eases as private investment shows early signs of revival

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Updated On : 10 Feb 2026 | 10:43 PM IST

FM Sitharaman shows adequate caution in drawing up a conservative Budget

It is useful to remember that the miracle economies to our East, the so-called Asian Tigers, sustained high growth for decades by following prudent fiscal policies

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Updated On : 06 Feb 2026 | 10:23 PM IST

AI race sends Big Tech's capital spending to stratospheric high of $650 bn

The ever-larger numbers - in total, an estimated 60 per cent increase from a year ago - means yet another acceleration in the wave of data centre construction taking place around the world

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Updated On : 06 Feb 2026 | 8:59 AM IST

Centre must push prudent state spending to improve general-govt debt levels

Centre must encourage prudent spending by state governments to improve general-government debt levels

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Updated On : 05 Feb 2026 | 10:34 PM IST

We framed this Budget on a larger plank, not based on any one incident: FM

The India-US trade deal, had it come a little earlier, would not have made the Union Budget any different, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said

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Updated On : 05 Feb 2026 | 6:02 AM IST

Defence spending rises in Union Budget, but capability gains remain key

Operation Sindoor shapes FY27 defence Budget as India lifts spending to 2% of GDP, boosts capital outlay and modernisation to prepare for a potential two-front conflict

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Updated On : 04 Feb 2026 | 10:38 PM IST

16th FC charts Union's fiscal path: Falling deficit, rising capex

The Sixteenth Finance Commission has proposed a consolidation roadmap that balances development needs with fiscal prudence

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Updated On : 02 Feb 2026 | 11:52 PM IST

Budget 2026 ready reckoner: Fiscal policy change amid global headwinds

To hold the fiscal deficit at 4.4% of GDP, the Centre trims spending and shifts to a debt-anchored framework for greater policy flexibility amid global risks

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Updated On : 02 Feb 2026 | 12:52 AM IST

A long-game Budget: FM pushes capability-building for growth resilience

FM Sitharaman tightens fiscal deficit target at 4.3% of GDP

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Updated On : 02 Feb 2026 | 12:22 AM IST

Budget 2026 raises FY27 capex 11.5% to ₹12 trillion, eyes infra growth

Union Budget 2026-27 raises capital expenditure to ₹12.2 trn, reinforcing the govt's infrastructure-led growth strategy, even as spending in the current fiscal is expected to fall short of estimates

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Updated On : 01 Feb 2026 | 11:44 PM IST

Union Budget 2026-27: A Kartavya-led push to sustain growth momentum

Budget FY27 bets on fiscal discipline, public investment and technology-led reforms to sustain growth and build long-term economic resilience

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Updated On : 01 Feb 2026 | 11:22 PM IST

Budget 2026: FM allocates ₹5,000 crore to develop tier-II, tier-III cities

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman pitches tier-II and tier-III cities as engines of growth, rolling out reform-linked funding for city economic regions to drive balanced urban development

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Updated On : 01 Feb 2026 | 10:04 PM IST

Budget 2026-27: A future-ready step on path to Viksit Bharat 2047

Higher capex, green mobility and strategic manufacturing bets in Budget 2026-27 aim to boost competitiveness, infrastructure and self-reliance on the road to Viksit Bharat 2047

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Updated On : 01 Feb 2026 | 6:55 PM IST

Fiscal deficit in April-December kept at 54.5% of Budget Estimates

India contained its FY26 fiscal deficit at 54.5% of Budget Estimates for April-December, aided by higher non-tax revenues and controlled spending despite a December capex dip

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Updated On : 30 Jan 2026 | 11:27 PM IST

States utilise less than half of FY26 capex budget in Apr-Dec period

CAG data show states spent just 45.8% of their FY26 capital outlay in the first nine months, sharply lagging the Centre's capex performance

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Updated On : 30 Jan 2026 | 11:22 PM IST

Budget 2026: Too many known unknowns amid push to revive private capex

Amid data and fiscal uncertainties, the govt faces the difficult task of creating conditions to boost private capex

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Updated On : 29 Jan 2026 | 10:36 PM IST

Can the Union Budget 2026-27 unveil a low debt-deficit path to growth?

The forthcoming Budget could think of maintaining public capital expenditure at 3% so that domestic resources are available for private investments

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Updated On : 20 Jan 2026 | 10:38 PM IST