Govt targets higher capex in upcoming Budget amid fiscal gains and optimism

The Union Budget is set to project higher capex, surpassing the Rs 11.1 trillion outlined in the Interim Budget, reflecting India's improved fiscal discipline and global investment prospects

Having earned plaudits for the fiscal scorecard, the top decision-makers in the government are determined to do an encore with the capex numbers. The Union Budget to be tabled in Parliament on 23 July will see a far higher spend projected for capital expenditure than the Rs 11.1 trillion projected in the interim Budget on February 1. 

India’s fiscal math was something like a good behaviour certificate. A good scorecard meant little except the political headache of not meeting expectations of higher subsidies in the short-term period, usually three years or more. As elections approached, the certificate