Fiscal deficit hits 52% of budgeted target in first two months of FY20

Expenditure during the April-May period stood at Rs 5.12 trillion or 18.4 per cent of the Budget estimates

The Centre’s fiscal deficit for the first two months of 2019-20 came in at Rs 3.66 trillion, or 52 per cent of the full-year target of Rs 7.04 trillion. 

It was 55.3 per cent for the same period last year.

Ahead of the Union Budget on July 5, which will be the first by new Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the data released by the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) on Friday showed the fiscal deficit for April-May was kept in reasonable check in spite of heavy frontloading of expenditure.

This was done by keeping spending in ministries such as Agriculture, Civil Aviation, Coal,