Data Sources

This Report is based on the receipts and expenditure data presented in the budget documents of 29 state governments and two union territories (UTs). For accounts data, this has also been supplemented with the data taken from Finance Accounts of the state published by CAG, wherever required. Data in respect of two UTs with legislature, viz., National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT Delhi) and Puducherry are provided separately as memo item in all Statements. The analysis conforms to the data presented in state budgets and the accounting classification thereof. The detailed Appendices are based on the classification of receipts and expenditure of individual states/UTs into revenue and capital accounts. Revenue expenditure and capital expenditure are further bifurcated into ‘Plan’ and ‘Non-Plan’. Some supplementary information regarding outstanding guarantees (contingent liabilities), expenditure on ‘wages and salaries’ and ‘operations and maintenance’ are obtained from state governments. Data on the outstanding statewise loans under the National Small Savings Fund have been obtained from the Ministry of Finance, Government of India. The outstanding state-wise central loans have been sourced from the Union Finance Accounts. Besides, several items of data including availment of ways and means advances (WMA)/overdraft (OD), market borrowings, investment of state governments in central government treasury bills and the data on the state development loans (SDLs) have been taken from the Reserve Bank records. The statewise Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) are at factor cost (current prices) and have been sourced from the Central Statistics Office (CSO). This is supplemented by information received from the respective state governments and GSDP estimates used in the budget documents of the respective state governments. Wherever both the CSO data as well as information from state governments were not available, the data was estimated based on the previous three years’ annual average growth rate. Data on Gross Domestic Product (GDP) are at current market prices. GDP/GSDP data prior to 2011-12 correspond to base 2004-05 and data from 2011-12 onwards correspond to 2011-12 base, as published by CSO. In case of West Bengal, 2004-05 base GSDP is used as data for 2011-12 base is not available. GDP data for the year 2016-17 (BE) is taken from the Union Budget 2016-17.

Methodology

The analysis of the expenditure data is disaggregated into development and non-development expenditure. All expenditures relating to revenue account, capital outlay and loans and advances are categorised into social services, economic services and general services. While social and economic services constitute development expenditure, expenditure on general services is treated as non-development expenditure. Thus, development expenditure includes the development components of revenue expenditure, capital outlay and loans and advances by state governments. Social sector expenditure includes expenditure on social services, rural development, and food storage and warehousing (given under revenue expenditure, capital outlay and loans and advances by state governments).

The ‘All States’ total and national averages pertain to 29 state governments, excluding NCT Delhi and Puducherry.

The term ‘Aggregate Expenditure’ used in Chapter II is defined as summation of revenue expenditure, capital outlay and loans and advances. The term ‘Aggregate Disbursement’ used in Appendix Tables and Statements is summation of aggregate expenditure and debt repayments. The capital receipts provided in Appendix Tables (consolidated) and Statements (state-wise) and used in the analysis include public account items on a net basis while these are excluded from the respective capital expenditure. Percentage variation worked out in Appendix Tables and Statements may differ due to rounding-off of figures.

The data provided in Appendix III (capital receipts) and Appendix IV (capital expenditure) are on a gross basis for all items, including public account items. Additionally, total capital receipts taking public account items on a net basis are also given in Appendix III to have comparable data with those of the previous years. Total capital expenditure given in Appendix IV is exclusive of public account items.

The ‘overall deficit/surplus’ in the appendices is equal to the sum of cash deficit/ surplus (difference between the closing balance and opening balance), increase/decrease in cash balance investment account and the increase/ decrease in WMA/ODs extended by the Reserve Bank.

Methodology for Debt Statistics

The Reserve Bank in its Report of 2005- 06 budgets had compiled a data series on outstanding liabilities of state governments since 1990-91. In the 2006-07 Report, a revised series of outstanding liabilities was published by including data on reserve funds, deposits and advances and contingency funds of state governments. In the 2007-08 Report, a revised data series on outstanding liabilities of state governments was published from 2003-04 onwards based on the Combined Finance and Revenue Accounts of Union and state governments, Reserve Bank records, data received from the Ministry of Finance (Government of India), Union Finance Accounts (Controller General of Accounts) and the budget documents of state governments. The present Report follows the same methodology for compilation of outstanding liabilities as given in 2007-08 Report and uses the same data sources.

The outstanding liabilities of the state governments as at end-March 2015 have been directly taken from Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India’s ‘Combined Finance and Revenue Accounts of the Union and State Governments in India’ (except for column nos. 2 to 5 and 15 in Statement 18). The outstanding liabilities position for end-March 2016 and end- March 2017 have been derived by adding annual flows [2015-16 (RE) and 2016-17 (BE)], to the outstanding amounts for end-March 2015 and end-March 2016, respectively, in conformity with recommended methodology of ‘Report of the Working Group on Compilation of State Government Liabilities’, 2005. Based on the statewise market loans (Statement 22), the maturity profile of outstanding state government securities is provided in Statements 23 and 24. These Statements also incorporate the appropriation of liabilities of the four bifurcated states (Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh) to their respective newly formed states (Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Telangana) on the basis of Government of India notifications.

Note : The ‘State Finances: A Study of Budgets’ published since 2001-02 are available on the Reserve Bank’s website. The Reserve Bank of India also released ‘Compendium CD of Articles on State Finances from 1950- 51 to 2010-11’ in July 2011. This Compendium CD provides access to all the articles published since 1950-51 to 2010-11 at one place.