Kolkata, Feb 5 (PTI) The West Bengal government, in its interim budget presented on Thursday, pegged its total expenditure for the next fiscal at Rs 3.96 lakh crore, a 14.2 per cent rise over the revised estimates of 2025-26.

The revised expenditure estimates of the current fiscal year stood at 3.46 lakh crore.

The government estimates a total expenditure of Rs 1.39 lakh crore for the first four months till July, of which Rs 1.03 lakh crore will have to be voted in the assembly.

Finance Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya tabled the vote-on-account budget of Rs 4.06 lakh crore in the assembly, with assembly elections due in a few weeks.

Despite the higher spending, the state has projected that the revenue deficit will narrow sharply to Rs 21,759.34 crore in 2026-27 from a revised Rs 41,164.05 crore in the current fiscal.

The revenue deficit for 2025-26 was initially estimated at Rs 35,314.95 crore.

Total receipts for 2026-27 have also been estimated at Rs 3.96 lakh crore, with a marginal overall deficit of Rs 4 crore, excluding the opening balance. With the opening balance, the net budget deficit is Rs 62.70 crore.

The revised estimate for 2025-26 places the budget deficit at Rs 58.70 crore Social welfare schemes continued to command the largest share of spending, with an allocation of Rs 1.80 lakh crore, accounting for nearly 46 per cent of the total expenditure.

General services and economic services have been allotted Rs 94,389.29 crore and Rs 73,773.66 crore, respectively.

The state’s own tax revenue is projected to rise to Rs 1.18 lakh crore in 2026-27 from a revised Rs 1.11 lakh crore in 2025-26.

State GST remains the largest contributor at Rs 56,279.17 crore for FY'27, higher than Rs 53,829 crore in the revised estimate of the current fiscal amid a sharp reduction in GST rates.

State excise has been pegged at Rs 24,200.74 crore and sales tax at Rs 13,976.07 crore.

Grants-in-aid from the Centre are estimated to jump sharply to Rs 47,615.46 crore in 2026-27, more than double the revised estimate of Rs 22,068.85 crore in 2025-26.

Capital expenditure has been pegged at Rs 86,533.10 crore, up from the revised estimate of Rs 60,661.24 crore in the current fiscal, though over half of this, Rs 44,606.53 crore, has been earmarked for loan repayments to the Centre and other agencies.

Market borrowings for 2026-27 are estimated at Rs 80,444.55 crore, marginally lower than the Rs 81,972.33 crore budgeted in 2025-26. PTI BSM PNT SMY SOM