Spending that creates or buys assets (roads, railways, defence equipment, loans to states for capital projects) in a financial year.
| Period | Value | Status | Base |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | 12.22 | Budget estimate | |
| 2025-26 | 10.96 | Revised estimate | |
| 2024-25 | 10.52 | Actual | |
| 2023-24 | 9.49 | Actual | |
| 2022-23 | 7.40 | Actual | |
| 2021-22 | 5.93 | Actual |
Capital spending raises future output more than the same rupee spent on salaries or subsidies, which is why the government stresses it. It rose from about ₹6 lakh crore in 2021-22.
The headline figure is the Centre's own capital expenditure. The Budget also reports an effective capital expenditure that adds grants given to states for assets, which is larger.