Gandhinagar: Speaking on the budgetary demands of the Finance Department in the Assembly on Monday, State Finance Minister Kanubhai Desai said Gujarat continues to lead the country in financial discipline and has not taken a single overdraft in the past 22 years.

Desai informed the House that the state recorded a revenue surplus of ₹18,943 crore in 2024–25, which is projected to rise to ₹25,587 crore by 2026–27. He said the fiscal deficit has been kept well within the prescribed limit of 3% of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), and is estimated at 1.97% of GSDP for 2026–27.

The minister also stated that Gujarat has ranked first in the country for timely filing of GST returns for the last five consecutive years.

Under the Finance Commission grants, Gujarat is expected to receive ₹6,999 crore in 2026–27, reflecting an increase of about 11.66%, which will be utilised for urban and rural local bodies and other departments.

Highlighting social security initiatives, Desai said the state is emerging as a leader in providing financial assistance through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). He said that under 367 schemes across 15 departments, an amount of ₹21,387 crore has been transferred to about 6.30 crore beneficiaries in 2025–26 through DBT. DeshGujarat