The current fiscal year has seen the government disburse just over 40% of the allocated budget for its most significant schemes during the first nine months, raising concerns about fiscal execution. With several months still remaining, officials anticipate that the total expenditure will not exceed 75% of the budget by the year’s end.
This analysis centers on 53 major schemes, each with a budget allocation of Rs 500 crore or more for the fiscal period 2025-26. These schemes are jointly financed by the central and state governments based on predetermined sharing guidelines.
Among these schemes, only three—the Infrastructure maintenance schemes within health and family welfare, the Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme, and the pre-matric scholarship for Scheduled Castes and other categories—report revised estimates that align with their initial budgeted amounts. Conversely, for three additional schemes, the revised estimates have exceeded 100% of the original budgetary figures. These include the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, the post-matric scholarship for Scheduled Tribes, and the National Mission on Natural Farming.
For the remaining 47 schemes, revised estimates consistently fall below the initial budget estimates. Notably, the PM Krishi Sinchayee Yojana has seen a drastic adjustment, with its revised estimate at Rs 150 crore—approximately one-sixth of its budget estimate of Rs 850 crore.
The total budget estimates for these 53 highlighted schemes were initially set at slightly more than Rs 5 lakh crore. However, the revised projections have been reduced to under Rs 3.8 lakh crore, translating to 74.4% of the original budget allocation.
In terms of cash disbursement over the nine-month period ending December 31, the government released just over Rs 2 lakh crore. This figure represents only 41.2% of the total budget allocation and approximately 55.4% of the revised estimates. Several key schemes are reported to have revised estimates falling below 40% of their original budget estimates; among these are the PMKSY-Command Area Development and Water Management, PM eBus Sewa, Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan, and the Jal Jeevan Mission/National Rural Drinking Water Mission.
Of particular concern, actual disbursements for six schemes remain less than 10% of their initial budget estimates. This includes larger initiatives, such as the Jal Jeevan Mission/National Rural Drinking Water Mission, which has an initial budget of Rs 67,000 crore but has spent only Rs 31 crore in the first nine months. Other notable discrepancies are found in PM Schools for Rising India, which has a budget of Rs 7,500 crore but has allocated only Rs 473 crore, and the Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana, which stands at a budget of Rs 2,140 crore with a mere Rs 40 crore spent so far.
