New Delhi: Free electricity and water as well as unlimited free public bus rides for women, among other schemes, account for around 35% of Delhi govt’s budgetary expenditure, according to an analysis of the govt’s budgetary transactions prepared by the directorate of economics and statistics.The report, which provides a clear picture of govt activities, expenditure patterns and its contribution to the state economy, analyses budgets for 2023-24 (actuals), 2024-25 (revised estimates) and 2025-26 (budget estimates) to assess capital formation and govt savings.
The component of gross expenditure/outlay on current transfers, including subsidy, was Rs 23,563 crore, Rs 25,896 crore and Rs 34,520 crore in 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26, respectively. “A major chunk of the expenditure/outlay on subsidies is spent on concessional passes given by Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) to consumers, compensation for meeting the deficit of cluster buses/e-buses and for the working deficit of the corporation to operate buses/e-buses, as well as subsidies to DTC/cluster buses for female commuters and EV subsidies for e-buses, stated the report, which TOI has seen. Apart from these, subsidies to consumers for sugar, through discoms, Delhi Jal Board and New Delhi Municipal Council have also been taken into account.Delhi govt provides a range of free services, including free electricity up to 200 units of monthly domestic consumption, free 20,000 litres of monthly water and unlimited free bus rides to all women on all public buses, among others. The freebies were announced and implemented by the earlier AAP govt. BJP, which came to office in Feb 2025, continued with all of them. The govt’s revenue receipts are estimated to rise from Rs 56,798 crore in 2023-24 to Rs 81,546 crore in 2025-26 — a growth of 43.57% over two years. One of the key contributors to this rise is loans from the central govt, which amounted to Rs 15,380 crore in 2025-26 — no loan was provided to Delhi in 2023-24 — and played a key role in boosting overall receipts and helping fund major development and infrastructure projects across the city. Taxes and interest taken together accounted for about 95% of revenue receipts during the year 2023-24, according to the 95-page report. The govt’s total expenditure stood at Rs 65,823.87 crore in 2023-24, while outlays are pegged at Rs 69,500 crore in 2024-25 and Rs 1 lakh crore in 2025-26. The report said that out of the govt’s total spending in 2023-24, nearly 95% went to key areas: subsidies and current transfers (35.8%); salaries of govt employees (24%); new construction (9.5%); purchase of goods and services, including maintenance (8%); loan repayments to the Centre (7.6%); advances (5.5%) and interest payments (4.7%). Expenditure on new construction is projected to see a huge jump as the Delhi BJP govt prioritises spending on new projects, such as infrastructure development, including roads and bridges, and other construction works. Its spending on new construction was Rs 6,228 crore in 2023-24, Rs 4,130 crore in 2024-25, and is budgeted at Rs 13,882 crore for 2025-26. Bipul Pathak, additional chief secretary of planning, said that the report will be a valuable resource for policymakers, planners and researchers.
