The budget was received but not spent. 9 months have passed, but the funds of half the government schemes are still locked in the locker.

News India Live, Digital Desk: A shocking revelation has come to light regarding the implementation of major schemes of the Central Government. Data for the first three quarters (April to December) of the financial year 2025-26 show that only 41% of the budget of more than 50 major government schemes has been implemented so far. According to the report, the revised estimates of 47 out of 53 major schemes have been reduced from their original budget, which points towards a sluggish pace.

The speed of these big schemes is the slowest

The report mentions some such schemes whose budget expenditure has been much less than expected:

Jal Jeevan Mission: Out of the ₹67,000 crore allocated for this important mission, the expenditure figure in 9 months remained very low.

PM Shri Schools (PM Schools for Rising India): Against the budget of ₹7,500 crore, the actual expenditure till December was recorded at only ₹473 crore.

PM Agricultural Irrigation Scheme: Here the budget estimate was ₹850 crore, which has been revised to only ₹150 crore.

Why are funds not being fully utilized?

Several technical and administrative reasons are believed to be behind this reduction in budget expenditure:

Coordination between State and Centre: One of the main reasons is the delay in fund sharing (Sharing Pattern) between the State Government and the Center in many schemes.

Procedural complexities: The release of the next installment is taking time due to strict conditions of submission of ‘Utilization Certificate’ (UC) before releasing the funds.

Elections and Code of Conduct: Due to the assembly elections held in some states, the pace of development works has also been affected.

‘Rocket’ like enthusiasm seen in some schemes

While some schemes are lagging behind, there are three schemes where the revised estimates have exceeded the budget:

MNREGA (MGNREGS): Due to increased demand for rural employment, this scheme saw higher expenditure than the budget.

ST Post-Matric Scholarship: Funds have also been utilized extensively in this education related scheme.

National Mission on Natural Farming: The government has released additional funds to promote natural farming.

Government’s preparation: Will the pace increase by March?

Generally, a rise in expenditure is seen in government departments in the last quarter of the financial year (January-March). The government expects the total spending figure to reach 75% by the end of March. However, experts say that hasty expenditure at the last moment can often compromise the quality.