FY25 Budget to Focus on Rural Economy, Capex, Fiscal Deficit Reduction

the Union Budget to focus on supporting consumption
CareEdge Ratings expects the Union Budget to focus on supporting consumption through higher allocations for the rural economy, welfare schemes, and agriculture, while continuing emphasis on manufacturing and capital expenditure (capex). The government is likely to maintain its capex target for FY25 at ₹11.1 trillion, with overall public capex having grown by 15.1% in FY24 despite a slowdown in state capex and contraction in CPSE capex.

The higher-than-expected transfer from the RBI could boost non-tax revenue by ₹1.25 trillion, and gross tax revenue is anticipated to grow by 11% in FY25, adding up to a total upside of ₹1.4 trillion in overall revenue collection. This revenue growth is expected to help reduce the fiscal deficit target for FY25 to 5% of GDP.

CareEdge also projects higher nominal GDP growth for FY25 at 10.7%. Government borrowing is expected to decrease, with net borrowing between ₹11.2-11.4 trillion and gross borrowing between ₹13.6-13.8 trillion. Lower supply of G-secs and increased demand from India's inclusion in global bond indices may ease G-sec yields, with 10-year G-sec yields projected between 6.5-6.6% by the end of FY25.

The government's divestment plans have fallen short for five years, and achieving the FY25 target of ₹500 billion in miscellaneous capital receipts depends on undertaking significant divestments. Issues like procedural delays and pricing continue to hamper divestment efforts.

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