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Haryana in debt trap of over Rs 2.29 lakh crore

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Every child born in Haryana is saddled with a debt of Rs 1 lakh. This is true with the estimated total debt on the state increasing to over Rs 2.29 lakh crore.

The main opposition Congress, which was at the helm for a decade till 2014, has been blaming the BJP-JJP government for pushing the state into debt and taking it towards bankruptcy.

As per official figures, the state’s debt was Rs 70,931 crore in 2014-15 when the BJP assumed power in the state for the first time.

In the current fiscal, it is expected to touch a whopping Rs 229,976 crore by the end of this fiscal.

As per budget estimates of 2021-22, the debt to GSDP ratio is estimated at 23.27 per cent in 2020-21, while it was 16.23 per cent in 2014-15. For the next fiscal, it is estimated at 25.92 per cent.

Leader of Opposition and two-time Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda told IANS that the BJP-JJP government is taking the state towards bankruptcy.

“That is why the debt figures were not clearly stated in the last budget speech. As per our estimations, the total debt has increased to Rs 2.25 lakh crore by March 2021,” he said.

Opposing the steep hike in development charges in areas falling under the civic bodies, Hooda said the Congress would question the government on issues of corruption, debt and unemployment in the upcoming Budget session of the Assembly.

He said the state had a debt of about Rs 70,000 crore when the BJP took over the reins of the state after the 2014 Assembly elections. Before handing over the helm several projects of national importance were commissioned by the Congress government.

“In the past seven years, the debt has increased to Rs 2.5 lakh crore,” said Hooda, adding no major project was established. “Where have these thousands of crores gone?”

According to Hooda, under the Congress government Haryana had become number one in per capita income, investment and generating employment.

“The neglect of 52,000 anganwadi workers is a living example of the negative thinking of the BJP-JJP government towards the daughters. Women workers say the government is not implementing the announcement made by the Prime Minister on September 10, 2018, to increase the honorarium of workers by Rs 1,500 and for helpers by Rs 750,” he said.

A revenue surplus state till 2008-09, Haryana has consistently been in deficit after that. In 2016-17, the debt burden was Rs 124,935 crore.

In 2017-18, the interest payments were pegged at Rs 11,257 crore — up from Rs 9,616 crore in 2016-17. In 2015-16, it was Rs 8,284 crore.

CRISIL’s last year study of the top 18 states, including Haryana and Punjab, says the aggregate indebtedness of states, measured by debt to gross state domestic product (GSDP), is expected to remain elevated at 33 per cent this fiscal, despite the post-pandemic recovery bolstering the shrinking revenue graph.

The ratio had risen to a decadal high of 34 per cent last fiscal. Sticky and elevated revenue expenditure and the need for higher capital outlay will keep borrowings up this fiscal, it adds.

For the rising financial debt, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who also holds the finance portfolio, is blaming the Congress government for leaving behind a debt liability of Rs 98,000 crore.

“In 2014, when the BJP assumed power the state had a debt of Rs 98,000 crore, while the Opposition used to claim it to be Rs 61,000 crore,” he told the media on February 23.

Also he defends by saying the loan liability is increasing because the capital expenditure (money spent on creating assets) is also increasing.

“When the BJP came to power in 2014-15, a debt of Rs 27,860 crore of power distribution companies was included in the government’s debt under the Ujjwal Discom Assurance Yojana. For this reason, the total debt has increased. When the Congress tenure ended, the debt liability was Rs 70,900 crore. If the loan amount of Rs 27,860 crore taken by power discoms is added, the total debt is Rs 98,000 crore,” Khattar said.

He said revenue collection had dipped during the coronavirus period and an additional expenditure of Rs 1,500 crore was incurred.

Blaming the BJP-JJP government for the monstrous cycle of a huge debt, Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala said, “The BJP-led government has increased the state’s debt from Rs 68,000 crore to Rs 2 lakh crore in seven years of its rule.”

Officials said the outstanding debt by the end of Khattar’s maiden term from 2014 to 2019 was Rs 185,463 crore.

While presenting the budget in March 2021, Khattar said the debt liability of the state is likely to go up to Rs 229,976 crore as on March 2022 from Rs 199,823 crore as on March 2021, constituting 25.92 per cent of the gross state domestic product (GSDP).

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Jammu and Kashmir: One tourist killed, 12 injured in Pahalgam terror attack, CM Omar Abdullah said, ‘Shocked’

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Srinagar, April 22: One tourist was killed in a terrorist attack at Pahalgam hill station in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday. At the same time, 12 others including tourists and locals were injured.

Terrorists attacked a group of tourists in the Baisaran area of ​​​​Pahalgam hill station, killing one tourist and injuring nine other tourists and three locals.

According to the information received, 2 to 3 terrorists wearing army uniforms started firing at the tourists riding horses in the Baisaran area at around 2.30 pm. Baisaran is a small grassland 3 to 4 km from Pahalgam market and tourists resort to horses to reach here, as there is no motorable road to reach here.

“One tourist was killed and 12 others, including tourists and locals, were injured in the attack. The injured were rushed to Pahalgam hospital from where three seriously injured were shifted to Srinagar for specialised treatment,” an official said. He said security forces have cordoned off the area to trace the attackers.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah wrote on Xpost, “I am incredibly shocked. This attack on our visitors is a despicable act. The perpetrators of this attack are animals, inhuman and despicable. No words are enough to condemn. I offer my condolences to the families of the deceased. I have spoken to my colleague Sakina Itoo and she has left for the hospital to oversee arrangements for the injured. I am returning to Srinagar immediately.”

CM Abdullah wrote in another post, “The number of casualties is still being ascertained, so I do not want to go into those details. They will be officially disclosed when the situation becomes clearer. Needless to say, this attack is far bigger than any attack on civilians in recent years.”

PDP president and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti wrote on Twitter, “I strongly condemn the cowardly attack on tourists in Pahalgam, which tragically left five people dead and many injured. Such violence is unacceptable and must be condemned. Historically, Kashmir has warmly welcomed tourists, making this rare incident extremely worrying. A thorough investigation is needed to bring the perpetrators to justice and investigate possible security lapses. Ensuring the safety of visitors is paramount, and steps must be taken to prevent future attacks. Our condolences are with the victims and their families.”

Reacting to the incident, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha expressed deep outrage and described the attack as “cowardly”. He assured the people of Jammu and Kashmir that those responsible for this heinous act will not be spared. He has spoken to the DGP and security officials. Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police teams have reached the area and started a search operation.

He said in a post on Twitter, “I strongly condemn the cowardly terrorist attack on tourists in Pahalgam. I assure the people that those behind this heinous attack will not be spared. Have spoken to the DGP and security officials. Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police teams have reached the area and started a search operation. Have directed the district administration and health officials to provide immediate medical facilities to those admitted in Pahalgam. An injured tourist has been rushed to GMC Anantnag. I pray for the speedy recovery of all the injured.”

This is the first terrorist attack on tourists in the Kashmir Valley in 2025, while the tourist season in the valley is increasing rapidly at this time.

All the hotels in Srinagar city and tourist resorts in Pahalgam, Gulmarg and Sonamarg are fully occupied.

An unprecedented number of tourists are expected to visit Jammu and Kashmir this year and according to official estimates, around two crore tourists will visit the Union Territory this year.

Tuesday’s attack comes at a time when registration for this year’s Amarnath Yatra is underway across the country.

This year the yatra will begin on July 3 and end on August 9, coinciding with the festivals of Shravan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan, respectively.

During his visit to Jammu and Kashmir last month, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had chaired a high-level security review meeting where he had ordered complete eradication of terrorism with special focus on the Jammu division.

He had also given directions to ensure zero tolerance towards infiltration. The meeting was attended by the Union Home Secretary, IB Director, Army Chief, GoCs of all corps in Jammu and Kashmir, chiefs of paramilitary forces, Jammu and Kashmir DGP and intelligence officials.

Recently, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had stressed that to completely free Jammu and Kashmir from the curse of terrorism, the entire ecosystem of terrorism, including terrorists, their overground workers (OGWs) and supporters, will have to be dealt with.

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Business

PLI pushes electronics exports to move up from 5th spot to 3rd in one fiscal: Minister

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New Delhi, April 22: Electronics exports from India has moved up from fifth position to third within one fiscal, owing to the transformative production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Tuesday.

In a post on social media platform, the minister said that electronics exports clocked an all-time high of Rs 3.27 lakh crore in FY25, with mobile exports standing at Rs 2 lakh crore.

“Electronics exports moves up from fifth position to third within one fiscal. Three years in a row, electronics is India’s fastest growing export amongst India’s top 10,” Vaishnaw informed.

He further stated that lakhs of new jobs have been created in the electronics ecosystem, especially for women, along with “skilling, increasing DVA and Indian MSMEs joining global supply chains”.

The electronics manufacturing industry has seen a five times growth in the last 10 years, surpassing Rs 11 lakh crore while the entire ecosystem has created 25 lakh jobs.

In the last decade, electronics exports have risen six times to surpass Rs 3.25 lakh crore.

In a historic achievement, smartphones emerged as India’s largest export category in the first 10 months of FY25 — marking a major success story under the government’s PLI scheme. In FY14, smartphones were ranked as India’s 167th export category — a sharp contrast to their number 1 position today.

The Union Minister also hailed hardware brands now lining up for India, as China stands to lose amid the ongoing trade tariff war with the US.

The PLI 2.0 scheme for IT Hardware saw more than Rs 10,000 crore production and 3,900 jobs in just 18 months of its launch, the government said in January this year. In a groundbreaking development for India’s electronics manufacturing sector, the production of laptops has started in the country.

Moreover, the electronics manufacturing sector has received a major boost with the government notifying the much-awaited ‘Electronics Component Manufacturing Scheme’ (ECMS).

The scheme marks a turning point for strengthening India’s component manufacturing ecosystem and increasing domestic value addition.

With a financial outlay of Rs 22,919 crore over six years, ECMS aims to generate production worth Rs 4.56 lakh crore, attract investments of Rs 59,350 crore and create nearly 91,600 direct jobs.

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Business

Gold touches Rs 1 lakh per 10 grams for 1st time

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New Delhi, April 22: Gold prices reached a historic milestone on Tuesday as the rate of 24-carat gold touched Rs 1,00,000 per 10 grams for the first time ever.

According to the India Bullion and Jewellers Association (IBJA), the price of 24-carat gold rose sharply from Rs 96,670 to Rs 1,00,000 per 10 grams — a jump of Rs 3,300 within 24 hours.

Along with 24-carat gold, other categories also saw a steep rise. The price of 22-carat gold climbed to Rs 97,600 per 10 grams, 20-carat gold reached Rs 89,000 per 10 grams, and 18-carat gold touched Rs 81,000 per 10 grams.

On the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX), October futures briefly went above the Rs 1 lakh mark and touched an all-time high of Rs 1,00,484 per 10 grams — gaining nearly Rs 2,000 or 2 per cent in a single day.

Experts say the sudden spike in gold prices is due to increased global demand for gold as a safe-haven investment.

“The new all-time-high attained by the yellow metal is primarily influenced by the rising tensions between President Trump and US Fed Chair Jerome Powell regarding the Fed rate cut,” said Colin Shah, MD, Kama Jewellery.

This demand has been driven by rising geopolitical tensions and ongoing global economic uncertainties. His recent comments and decisions, including imposing tariffs on Chinese goods and questioning the Fed’s policies, have added to market volatility.

The weakening US dollar and interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve have made gold, a non-yielding asset, more attractive to investors.

Lower interest rates reduce the cost of holding gold, which leads to higher investments in the yellow metal.

Another major reason behind the price surge is central banks across the world, including India and China, increasing their gold reserves.

This strategy, known as ‘de-dollarisation,’ is aimed at reducing reliance on the US dollar and preparing for economic uncertainties by investing more in gold.

“While the gold price is on an upward trajectory, the fall in dollar will make gold affordable in other currencies, keeping the demand-price dynamics balanced,” Shah stated.

He added that domestically, it is observed that gold price witnesses a slight rise around festive season like Akshaya Tritiya, in reflection to the spike in demand.

With these global factors at play, analysts believe that gold prices may remain high in the near future.

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