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Road, rail and defence lead FY26 capex surge; overall spend at 52%
Road Transport & Highways and Railways ministries lead capital expenditure in H1 FY26, with overall government capex reaching 52% of Budget estimates despite slower revenue growth
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The ministries of Road Transport & Highways and Railways have exceeded the national average capital expenditure (capex) by spending 63 per cent and 57 per cent of Budget estimates (BE), respectively, in the first half of 2025-26 (FY26).
The total capital expenditure for April-September of FY26 stood at 52 per cent of the BE, according to the latest data by the Controller General of Accounts (CGA).
The increased capex spending includes ₹50,000 crore disbursed to the department of food and public distribution against a budget allocation of ₹20 crore for FY26.
Without this amount, the increase in total capital expenditure of the government stood at 47.3 per cent of the BE for the first half of FY26.
An analysis of ministries spending with a minimum allocation of ₹3,000 crore under capex showed that among those lagging in this expenditure included the Petroleum and Natural Gas ministry and the department of economic affairs — with only 2 per cent of capex utilised in H1.
First Published: Nov 06 2025 | 1:14 PM IST
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