India, Jan. 23 -- The Delhi government has begun preparations for the 2026-27 budget and directed its departments to submit realistic appraisals of expenditure incurred by them in the past nine months, officials said on Thursday.

According to officials, chief minister Rekha Gupta, who also holds the finance portfolio, held a meeting on Thursday with senior officials of various departments and sought inputs for budget preparation.

Earlier this week, the finance department had directed other government departments to review their budget positions as well as the expected expenditure during the remaining three months of the financial year and submit a consolidated statement by February 2.

An official said that a final review of the budgeta...