Botcha writes to Guv over 'incorrect, incomplete' info presented on govt debt
image for illustrative purpose
Visakhapatnam: Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council, Botcha Satyanarayana has written to Governor S Abdul Nazeer that the State Finance Department presented incorrect and incomplete information on government borrowings for 2024-25 and 2025-26 in the Council.
In his letter, Botcha Satyanarayana said the reply given by the Principal Finance Secretary to a starred question in the February 2026 session understated the actual borrowings and omitted key components.
He requested the Governor to intervene and impress upon the government the need to provide accurate and complete data to the legislature
“The Finance Department stated that total borrowings for 2024-25 were Rs60,485 crore. However, the CAG audited Finance Accounts clearly show that the actual net liabilities are about Rs. 81,082 crore. This leaves a gap of more than Rs20,500 crore which is not justifiable,” he said.
The YSR Congress Party on Wednesday released a copy of Botch's letter to the media.
Explaining the discrepancy, Botcha pointed out that three major components were possibly excluded.
“Borrowings under Ways and Means Advances from RBI were not included, even though they are classified as internal debt in official records. Net liabilities under Public Account such as deposits and reserve funds were also ignored, despite them being used to bridge the fiscal deficit. Adjustments related to GST compensation loans were reduced without valid justification,” he said.
He wrote that when the fiscal deficit itself is over Rs81,000 crore, presenting a much lower borrowing figure gives a misleading picture of the State’s finances.
“Such omissions create a false impression that the government’s debt burden is lower than it actually is,” he said.
Botcha also stated that the government’s claim that there were no off-budget borrowings in 2025-26 is incorrect.
“Government backed corporations like MARKFED and Civil Supplies Corporation have been allowed to raise loans with state guarantees. These entities depend entirely on government support and such borrowings clearly fall under off budget liabilities as per Government of India guidelines,” he said.
He also highlighted inconsistency in the Finance Department’s approach. “When details were sought for borrowings from 2014-2024, both Public Debt and Public Account were included. But for 2024-25 and 2025-26, Public Account was excluded. This change in approach raises serious concerns,” he said.
Botcha stressed that providing incorrect or incomplete information to the Legislature undermines accountability. “Officials are expected to present facts transparently.
