India’s debt up 50% to ₹82 lakh crore in Modi era

Total liabilities of the government has increased 49% to ₹82 lakh crore in the last four-and-half years during the Narendra Modi government, as per the 8th Edition of the Status Paper on Government Debt released on Friday.

Compared to the latest data available till September 2018 when the total debt of the Central government stood at ₹82,03,253 crore, the corresponding amount till June 2014 was ₹54,90,763 crore, the Finance Ministry's data on government borrowings shows.

The huge surge in government's debt has been propelled by 51.7% growth in public debt from ₹48 lakh crore to ₹73 lakh crore in the four-and-half year period, which in turn was driven by 54% rise in internal debt to about ₹68 lakh crore.

Dependence on market loans show a similar rise of 47.5% to more than ₹52 lakh crore during the period. While debt raised through gold bonds was nil at the end of June 2014, it stood at ₹9,089 crore including the gold monetisation scheme.

The Central government, in the status paper on government debt, gave a detailed analysis of the overall debt position of the government of India. It has been bringing out an annual status paper on government debt since 2010-11, the Finance Ministry said.

"The overall liabilities of the Central government are on a medium-term declining trajectory and government's debt portfolio is characterised by prudent risk profile," the paper, covering details of fiscal deficit financing operations of the government, however, said.

"Government is primarily resorting to market-linked borrowings for financing its fiscal deficit. Conventional indicators ... indicate that debt profile of the government is comfortably placed in terms of debt sustainability parameters and is consistently improving," it added.

While the country's debt has been on the rise, little help is expected from the fiscal deficit side in the current financial year. The fiscal deficit in the first eight months till November stands at ₹7.17 lakh crore, or 114.8% of the ₹6.24 lakh crore full year's target.