Shimla, March 17(PTI) Expenditure on salaries and pensions of employees would be the highest in the Himachal budget for 2025-26, chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Monday adding that out of every hundred rupees, Rs 25 would be spent on salaries and Rs 20 on pensions, while Rs 24 would be utilised for developmental works.

The expenses on interest payments and debt repayments are expected to be Rs 12 and Rs 10 out of every Rs 100, respectively. Additionally, Rs 9 of every 100 rupees would be allocated for grants to autonomous institutions, Sukhu said.

The committed liabilities, including salaries, pensions, interest payments, debt repayments, and grants, would consume Rs 76 out of every Rs 100.

The revenue expenditure has been estimated at Rs 48,733.04 crore, which includes Rs 14,716 crore for salaries, Rs 11,577 crore for pensions, Rs 6,738 crore for interest payments, Rs 5,840 crore for debt repayment, Rs 1,659.62 crore for social security pensions, and Rs 5,361.54 crore for grants-in-aid for salaries, non-salary expenses, and capital assets.

With an opening deficit of Rs 5,883 crore, the deficit for 2025-26 is estimated at Rs 6,390 crore, and the fiscal deficit is projected to be Rs 10,337.97 crore. The total receipts and expenditures are estimated at Rs 56,945.34 crore and Rs 58,514.31 crore, respectively.

The state’s own tax revenue has been estimated at Rs 16,101.1 crore, which includes Rs 6,761.25 crore from state GST, Rs 3,250 crore from state excise duty, and Rs 1,212 crore from VAT. The non-tax revenue is pegged at Rs 4,190.37 crore.

The revenue receipts also include Rs 11,806.30 crore from the share in central taxes, Rs 3,437.11 crore from Central GST, and Rs 7,695.51 crore from income taxes and corporate tax. PTI BPL ARD ARD

Committed liabilities dominate the budget, constraining development spending and contributing to a projected fiscal deficit. The 2025-26 budget allocates most resources to committed liabilities-salaries, pensions, interest, debt repayment and grants-thereby limiting discretionary funds. It reports a fiscal deficit driven by the gap between total receipts and expenditures and details the composition of revenue receipts, including state taxes, central transfers and non-tax revenues.