National News
UP’s total outstanding debt shot up by nearly 39% in five years
The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has been borrowing so heavily from the market that its total outstanding debt has shot up by almost 39 per cent in five years.
However, spending on education declined while spending on health increased only marginally during this period.
What is even more surprising is the fact that in four out of five years, the state government was unable to spend even the full budgeted amount, leading to a revenue surplus.
The full support given to the Yogi Adityanath government by the Narendra Modi government — the so-called ‘double engine’ advantage — also does not seem to have helped, either in terms of finances or in planning.
According to the latest data available with the Reserve Bank of India, which compiles state government finances, the UP government has outstanding liabilities worth as much as Rs 6.5 lakh crore, as estimated in the state Budget for 2021-22.
This is 38.3 per cent more than the Rs 4.7 lakh crore debt it inherited when it took over in 2017.
The bulk of this debt mountain is owed to financial institutions, such as banks. These are called market borrowings and are taken at hefty rates of interest.
According to sources in the state finance department, a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on UP government’s finances, released last month, pointed out that of the total public debt at the end of 2019-20, Rs 1.99 lakh crore (or 47.7 per cent of the total) would be payable after seven years.
The CAG report referred to earlier made a shocking revelation.
The state government transferred a princely sum of Rs 71,000 crore from a sinking fund illegitimately to its “non-tax revenue” head in its books in March 2020. By rules, this should have been invested elsewhere.
The CAG roundly criticised this brazen violation, recommending that “the transfers out of the fund (Sinking Fund) are not to be treated as Revenue Receipts and the amount equivalent to loan repaid should be transferred from Sinking Fund to Major Head 8680 (Miscellaneous Government Account) on redemption of debt”.
The effect of this ‘creative’ book-keeping was that revenue receipts were boosted in the books only, there was no cash actually transferred. This is what caused the next year’s revenue surplus.
It is a common feature for some states to end the year with huge unspent amounts from their budgetary allocations. Poor and backward states are particularly prone to this aberrant thinking. And UP is no exception.
Under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s leadership, four of the five years have seen a revenue surplus adding up to a huge Rs 1.32 lakh crore.
The figure given for 2021-22 is just estimated, presented in the Budget, and the actual amount may be larger. The deficit would have been even bigger but for the illegitimate transfer of sinking fund money to non-tax revenue accounts.
The year 2020-21 was the first year of the Covid pandemic and some extra spending took place. So, the state government ended up actually spending all of its allocated funds, running a small deficit of Rs 13,161 crore.
Despite borrowing Rs 1.8 lakh crore in five years, the state government has ended its term with an accumulated revenue surplus, i.e., unspent funds of Rs 1.32 lakh crore, which indicates bad planning.
Sources said that spending on two crucial sectors – education and health – was important but as a proportion of total revenue expenditure, the share spent on education declined from about 14.8 per cent in 2017-18 to 12.5 per cent in the budget estimates (BE) for the current financial year.
In 2020-21, when students of the state were struggling to keep up with their studies during the pandemic with schools/colleges and hostels closed and online mode was the dominant way of teaching, the state government saved a lot of money when actually more spending was needed to compensate for academic losses being suffered by the students.
In fact, teachers were not paid salaries, staff were denied wages, and mid-day meals were stopped.
Now, with the crucial Assembly elections looming, the government is busy distributing smartphones and tablets.
Even more disturbing is the minuscule increase in the share of health expenditure in total revenue expenditure — from 5.3 per cent in 2017-18 to 5.9 per cent in 2021-22 (BE) — at a time when the pandemic was at its peak.
Reports based on official data show that the healthcare system in UP remained inadequate to deal with the pandemic. All this would have been avoided if more funds had been allocated and applied by the state government.
National News
Maharashtra Govt Asks Ladki Bahin Beneficiaries To Complete E-KYC By November 18

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has asked beneficiaries of the ‘Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin’ scheme to complete the mandatory e-KYC by November 18.
State Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare said that the honorarium for October will be disbursed from Wednesday, and the amount will be credited directly into the Aadhaar-linked bank accounts of all eligible women beneficiaries.
The state government’s flagship scheme, launched in July last year, provides monthly assistance of Rs 1,500 to women in the 21-65 age group, whose annual family income is less than Rs 2.5 lakh.
The government made e-KYC mandatory for the scheme in September, giving beneficiaries two months to complete the process and issued a government resolution regarding this.
Tatkare, in a post on X, said that the scheme, launched as a social and economic empowerment initiative for women across Maharashtra, continues to gain widespread support and trust from women in the state.
She said that to ensure smooth continuation of the scheme, an e-KYC facility was available on the official portal, ladakibahin.maharashtra.gov.in, since last month, and all beneficiaries have been asked to complete the e-KYC process by November 18.
Talking to PTI, the minister said, “The government has stopped monthly disbursal of Rs 1,500 to 12,000 bank accounts held by men, while the amount disbursed to ineligible women beneficiaries, who were government employees and those covered by other government schemes, over the last year has been recovered.” At present, more than 2.3 crore beneficiaries are registered under the scheme, and the monthly instalment for October will be disbursed from Wednesday, she said.
Crime
Punjab bypoll: Drugs, liquor, freebies valued at Rs 57.47 crore seized

Chandigarh, Nov 4: After the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct for the by-election to the Tarn Taran Assembly constituency, Punjab Police, following the directions of the Election Commission, has made seizures of drugs, liquor, cash and freebies valued at over Rs 57.47 crore.
According to details, from October 7, the day the Model Code of Conduct came into effect, till November 3, the police in the Tarn Taran constituency seized 51,429.50 litres of liquor valued at Rs 32,89,160, narcotic substances of Rs 56,67,10,500 (21,811.10 grams), cash amounting to Rs 9,73,480, and other items valued at Rs 37,85,700.
Chief Electoral Officer Sibin C said the police have been directed to maintain round-the-clock surveillance through CCTV cameras at all checkpoints in the constituency to curb illegal smuggling activities.
He added that strict action is being ensured against those attempting to influence voters by distributing cash or any other kind of freebies during the elections.
The Chief Electoral Officer said there are a total of 192,838 voters in the constituency, which includes 100,933 men, 91,897 women and eight third-gender voters. There are 1,357 service voters, 1,657 voters aged above 85 years, 306 NRI voters, and 1,488 voters with disabilities. The number of young voters aged between 18 and 19 years stands at 3,333.
He said there are 222 polling stations set up at 114 polling station locations, of which 60 are urban and 162 are rural.
The Tarn Taran bypoll on November 11 was necessitated by the death of AAP MLA Kashmir Singh Sohal, who had won the seat with 52,935 votes, defeating Shiromani Akali Dal’s Harmeet Singh Sandhu.
Fifteen candidates are in the fray. They include Sukhwinder Kaur of the Shiromani Akali Dal, Harjit Singh Sandhu of the BJP, Harmeet Singh Sandhu of the Aam Aadmi Party, and Karanbir Singh of the Congress.
National News
Mumbai Police Rescue 60-Year-Old Man Attempting Suicide From 22nd Floor In Malad

Mumbai, November 4: In a timely and coordinated operation, the Kurar Police in Mumbai prevented a major tragedy by rescuing a 60-year-old man who was attempting to jump from the 22nd floor of a residential building.
The quick-thinking officers acted immediately upon receiving information about the distress call, showcasing the Mumbai Police’s commitment to protecting lives beyond law enforcement duties.
As per a post shared by Mumbai Police on their official handle on X, officials from the Kurar Police Station rushed to the scene soon after receiving the alert.
Recognising the urgency, the police sought assistance from the Fire Brigade, who quickly arrived with rescue equipment. Together, they managed to reach the man and safely bring him down before any harm could occur.
After being rescued, the 60-year-old man was taken to the Kurar Police Station, where he was provided immediate counselling and emotional support. Authorities ensured he was safe and received the necessary care following the traumatic incident.
The Mumbai Police continue to emphasise the importance of mental health awareness and urge citizens to seek help during emotional distress, reminding everyone that timely intervention can save lives.
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