Vol. 02 · Union Budget 2026-27 · thepublicrupee.com · Radical Transparency Edition · 17 April 2026

The Public Rupee

A sovereign ledger for a republic of 1.4 billion — every rupee collected, every rupee spent, traced to the document.

Total Expenditure BE 2026-27

₹53.47L Cr

Fiscal Deficit

₹16.96L Cr

4.4% of GDP

RECEIPTS ₹36.52L CR ▲ 7.2%EXPENDITURE ₹53.47L CR ▲ 7.7%FISCAL DEFICIT ₹16.96L CR · 4.4% GDPSTATES SHARE ₹26.21L CR · 41% DEVOLUTIONINTEREST PAYMENTS ₹13.35L CR · LARGEST LINE ITEMGROSS BORROWING ₹15.68L CRRBI SURPLUS ₹2.69L CR TRANSFERREDCAPEX ₹11.21L CR ▲ 10.1%DEFENCE ₹6.97L CRINCOME TAX ₹11.23L CR ▲ 14.4%CORPORATION TAX ₹9.63L CR ▲ 10.8%GST ₹10.75L CR ▲ 11.0%SUBSIDIES ₹5.06L CRPM-KISAN ₹68,000 CR · 9.3 CR FARMERSRECEIPTS ₹36.52L CR ▲ 7.2%EXPENDITURE ₹53.47L CR ▲ 7.7%FISCAL DEFICIT ₹16.96L CR · 4.4% GDPSTATES SHARE ₹26.21L CR · 41% DEVOLUTIONINTEREST PAYMENTS ₹13.35L CR · LARGEST LINE ITEMGROSS BORROWING ₹15.68L CRRBI SURPLUS ₹2.69L CR TRANSFERREDCAPEX ₹11.21L CR ▲ 10.1%DEFENCE ₹6.97L CRINCOME TAX ₹11.23L CR ▲ 14.4%CORPORATION TAX ₹9.63L CR ▲ 10.8%GST ₹10.75L CR ▲ 11.0%SUBSIDIES ₹5.06L CRPM-KISAN ₹68,000 CR · 9.3 CR FARMERS

Fifteen Years of Public Finance

Budget at a Glance 2026-27 · Historical Series

Receipts, Expenditure, and Fiscal Deficit · FY11-12 to FY26-27 · ₹ Lakh Crore

Fifteen years of data show a 3.8× expansion in India's public finance — from ₹13 lakh crore of expenditure in FY12 to ₹53.47 lakh crore in FY27. The COVID year (FY21) stands out as a structural break: expenditure surged 35% while receipts barely grew, widening the deficit to 9.2% of GDP. The subsequent consolidation has been the defining fiscal story of the last five years.

Expenditure
Receipts
Deficit (shaded)
10L20L30L40L50L11-1213-1415-1617-1819-2021-2223-2425-2626-27COVID53.47L36.52L
YearReceipts (₹L Cr)Expenditure (₹L Cr)Deficit (₹L Cr)Deficit %
FY 26-2736.5253.4716.95
FY 25-2634.9650.6515.69
FY 24-2531.4747.1615.69
FY 23-2427.1644.9117.75
FY 22-2324.5141.9317.42
FY 21-2222.0837.9415.86
FY 20-2116.3335.1118.78
FY 19-2016.8426.8610.02
FY 18-1915.5223.157.63
FY 17-1814.3521.427.07
FY 16-1713.7419.756.01
FY 15-1611.9517.915.96
FY 14-1511.0116.645.63
FY 13-1410.1515.595.44
FY 12-138.7714.105.33
FY 11-127.9213.185.26