Indicating a worrying situation for state finances, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) in its Publication on State Finances 2024-25 has highlighted a sharp increase in states' expenditure over the past decade. It noted that total expenditure of the states increased from Rs 22.18 lakh crore in FY 2015-16 to Rs 51.20 lakh crore in 2024-25, marking a 131 per cent increase. The growth in spending broadly in line with economic growth and driven by spending on welfare and development programmes.
The report said revenue expenditure continued to dominate budgets, accounting for more than 83 per cent of total spending, while capital expenditure increased in absolute terms but remained a relatively smaller share. Social and economic services together constituted nearly two-thirds of total expenditure, underscoring states' continued emphasis on welfare and developmental activities.
The report further noted that committed expenditure and subsidies consistently absorbed more than half of revenue expenditure, reaching 53.31 per cent in 2024-25, with subsidies witnessed rapid growth during the period. At the disaggregate level, states' expenditure remained concentrated in 8 object categories -- including 3 types of grants-in-aid, salaries, pensions, interest payments, subsidies and major works -- accounting for nearly 78.46 per cent of total spending and about 12.38 per cent of combined Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP). This highlights the continued dominance of committed and obligatory expenditures in state budgets.
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