Constitution Section 266 — Consolidated Funds and public accounts of India and of the States

Part XII — FINANCE, PROPERTY, CONTRACTS AND SUITS — General

Constitutional

Summary

All money that the central government receives from taxes, loans, or loan repayments goes into one main fund called the Consolidated Fund of India. Similarly, all money that a state government receives from taxes, loans, or loan repayments goes into its own Consolidated Fund of the State. Any other public money received by either government is placed in a separate public account. Money can only be taken out of these consolidated funds if a law allows it and only for the purposes and in the way the Constitution says.

Official Text

(1) Subject to the provisions of article 267 and to the provisions of this Chapter with respect to the assignment of the whole or part of the net proceeds of certain taxes and duties to States, all revenues received by the Government of India, all loans raised by that Government by the issue of treasury bills, loans or ways and means advances and all moneys received by that Government in repayment of loans shall form one consolidated fund to be entitled “the Consolidated Fund of India”, and all revenues received by the Government of a State, all loans raised by that Government by the issue of treasury bills, loans or ways and means advances and all moneys received by that Government in repayment of loans shall form one consolidated fund to be entitled “the Consolidated Fund of the State”.

(2) All other public moneys received by or on behalf of the Government of India or the Government of a State shall be credited to the public account of India or the public account of the State, as the case may be.

(3) No moneys out of the Consolidated Fund of India or the Consolidated Fund of a State shall be appropriated except in accordance with law and for the purposes and in the manner provided in this Constitution.