INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Fiscal deficit, taxation and borrowing figures are key things to look out for in budgetNew Delhi: Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman will
common man and provide incentives for job creation.However let us look at some of the key figures which need to be watched out for in the
budget.Fiscal Deficit: It is basically the difference between government's spending and income
a fiscal deficit of 3 per cent of GDP, but announced its medium-term objective to reduce the fiscal deficit to 4.5 per cent of GDP by
eight months of 2021-22, the government's fiscal deficit stood at 46.2 per cent of the full-year target.Covid Spending: India had started
the world's largest Covid vaccination programme on January 16, 2021
The expenditure on the entire programme in the next fiscal would be the most-watched figures in the budget
The budget estimate for vaccine expenditure for the current fiscal was Rs 35,000 crore.Disinvestment Figure: The government has rarely met
the high disinvestment targets set in previous budgets
watched.Capital Expenditure: The government's planned capital expenditure for this fiscal is budgeted at over Rs 5.5 lakh crore
The government has to push infrastructure creation and this number would be in focus for the next fiscal too.Tax Revenue: The government has
budgeted a 9.5 per cent growth in tax collections at Rs 22.2 lakh crore for the 2021-22 fiscal (April-March, 2022)
With the economic survey projecting a GDP growth of 8-8.5 per cent in the next fiscal, the buoyancy in tax revenue too would be closely
watched.Borrowing: The government's gross borrowing budget was at Rs 12.05 lakh crore, while net borrowing was pegged at Rs 9.37 lakh
crore in the current financial year ending March 31
The government borrows from the market to fund its fiscal deficit and the borrowing number would be watched by the market, especially on the
