How State Spending Changed in the Second Year of the Pandemic (2021-22)

Most State Budgets for 2021-22 were prepared before the second wave of COVID-19 crisis hit India in full force. This visualisation presents a comparative picture of how States’ spending changed in the wake of the pandemic and the associated economic crisis. Two forces were acting upon States' finances during this period: a fall in revenue and transfers because of the economic slowdown, and the need for greater expenditure to address the pandemic and the humanitarian crisis. As the Union Government’s revenue collection took a hit, transfers to States also fell. This too became an important factor in determining States’ fiscal health. As seen here, there are wide differences across States as to how their revised expenditures panned out compare to their original estimates. Revised Estimates (RE) are lower than Budget Estimates (BE) in 12 States and higher in 11 States out of the total 25 States/Union Territories whose data has been analysed.

Hover over the State, or tap on it, to see value of the indicator