Delhi govt's 2023-24 budget outlay could be close to Rs 80,000 crore

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. (File image)

With a boost in tax revenue, the Delhi government's budget outlay for 2023-24, to be tabled in the upcoming assembly session, may be close to Rs 80,000 crore, officials have said.

The tax collection of the government in the current and the next financial year is expected to remain as per estimates, they said on Wednesday.

The annual budget size of the government for 2022-23 was Rs 75,800 crore and Rs 69,000 crore in the year earlier.

The budget session of the Delhi assembly will start on March 17 with Lt Governor V K Saxena addressing the House. The budget will be presented on March 21 and it will be preceded by an Outcome Budget of the government.

Finance Minister Kailash Gahlot will present his first budget in the assembly.

He was given charge of the department after the resignation of deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia who was arrested by the ED in connection with the Delhi excise policy scam case.

"Budget preparation is exciting but a very time-consuming exercise. Days are filled with endless cups of coffee and non-stop meetings with officers," Gahlot said in a tweet.

Officials said apart from health and education, the budget may have significant outlay for infrastructure development, particularly roads, in the city.