Centre's fiscal deficit amounted to Rs 114,993 crore (Rs 1149.93 billion) during the first 11 months of this fiscal, which is 79.1 per cent of the revised estimate for this fiscal.

The fiscal deficit during April-February, which works out to 4.7 per cent of GDP, was contained mainly due to improvement in tax collections even as the government reined in its spending.

The Centre targets to keep its fiscal deficit at Rs 145,466 crore (Rs 1456.66 billion) or 5.9 per cent of GDP this fiscal as against the budgeted 5.3 per cent.

While the Centre's total spending amounted to Rs 3,27,599 crore (Rs 3275.99 billion) till February, its receipts amounted to Rs 2,12,606 crore (Rs 2126.06 billion) leaving a huge fiscal gap.

Total expenditures till February amounted to 81.1 per cent of the revised estimate of Rs 404,013 crore (Rs 4040.13 billion) for 2002-03 while receipts worked out to 82.2 per cent of the targeted Rs 2,58,547 crore (Rs 2585.47 billion).

Revenue receipts amounted to Rs 1,84,847 crore (Rs 1848.47 billion), which is 78 per cent of the targeted Rs 2,36,936 crore (Rs 2369.36 billion).

Of the revenue earnings, tax collections amounted to Rs 1,24,690 crore (Rs 1246.9 billion) which is 75.9 per cent of the estimated Rs 1,64,177 crore (Rs 1641.77 billion) for this fiscal.

In the case of spendings, the Centre's Non-plan Expenditure amounted to Rs 2,39,532 crore (Rs 2395.32 billion) which is 82.6 per cent of the Rs 2,89,924 crore (Rs 2899.24 billion) for the entire fiscal.

On the non-plan spending, interest outgo amounted to Rs 1,02,439 crore (Rs 1024.39 billion). Interest payments till February amounted to 88.6 per cent of the revised estimate of Rs 1,15,663 crore (Rs 1156.63 billion).

Plan Expenditures amounted to Rs 88,067 crore (Rs 880.67 billion) which is 77.2 per cent of the estimated Rs 1,14,089 crore for 2002-03 (Rs 1140.89 billion).

The Centre mopped up Rs 1,09,163 crore (Rs 1091.63 billion) through market borrowing till February which amounted to 97 per cent of the targeted Rs 1,12,865 crore (Rs 11286.65 billion) for 2002-03.