Shillong: Meghalaya’s financial burden is ballooning. The state’s total outstanding liabilities surged by 95.33 percent over the last five years. Government accounts show debt grew from Rs 13,618.74 crore in 2020-21 to Rs 26,601.45 crore by 2024-25. That is an increase of Rs 12,982.71 crore.
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India reports a 23.61 percent spike in debt for 2024-25 alone. That equals Rs 5,081.14 crore in a single year. Public debt climbed by 27.45 percent, adding Rs 4,692.74 crore to reach a total of Rs 21,787.43 crore. Loans from the central government drove much of this movement with a 78.38 percent jump worth Rs 2,418.96 crore.
Internal debt also climbed. It grew by 16.23 percent, or Rs 2,273.78 crore. This includes Rs 704.58 crore in Ways and Means Advances and Rs 522.91 crore from the Special Drawing Facility, both borrowed from the Reserve Bank of India. Over the five-year period, internal debt rose 63.94 percent to hit Rs 16,282.44 crore. The state paid Rs 1,009.32 crore in interest on these internal loans during the 2024-25 fiscal year.
Public account liabilities added another Rs 388.40 crore to the pile, an 8.78 percent increase. During a January exit conference, officials defended the borrowing habits. The state government stated that its total liabilities receipts in 2024-25, which stood at Rs 18,476.23 crore, were mainly on account of receipts under WMA and Special Deposit Facility, which are made available by the RBI for cash management.
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