Will Stick To Fiscal Deficit Target: DEA

Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) Secretary Anuradha Thakur on Saturday expressed confidence that India will meet its fiscal deficit target of 4.4 per cent for 2025-26, despite the first quarter showing a wider deficit than last year.

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In an exclusive interview with ANI, Thakur underlined the government's commitment to fiscal discipline while stressing the strength of India's economic fundamentals.

"On the overall year number, we remain confident that we will be able to stick to the fiscal deficit target we had set, and we will be able to maintain that," she stated, responding to concerns over the April-July fiscal data.

India's fiscal deficit for April-July stood at Rs 4.68 lakh crore, or 29.9 per cent of the 2025-26 target, compared to 17.2 per cent during the same period last year.

Thakur, however, dismissed concerns that the quarterly performance would impact annual projections. "Fiscal deficit number for Q1 is not indicator for the full year. Because on monthly or quarterly basis, there could be temporal mismatches between the flow of non-debt receipts and expenditures," she explained.