Mumbai: Maharashtra’s debt projection of Rs 11 lakh crore is set to shoot up after chief minister Devendra Fadnavis tabled the highest ever supplementary budgetary demands in the state’s history, Rs 97,706.4 crore, in the legislature on Monday. The largest share of the new demand — Rs 20,552 crore — will go towards the state’s new farm loan waiver scheme.The state’s budget is supposed to allocate funds for the main schemes and expenses of the government. Supplementary demands are meant for sudden additional expenses outside the state budget. Critics say the state has shifted a major chunk of its budget on to supplementary demands in order to keep its debt figure low. The additional expenses are then shown as supplementary demands and the debt figure balloons in the next year’s budget.The norm is that the three supplementary demands made in the year should be limited to 10% of the size of the budget. The demand tabled now is on its own 12.7% of the budget presented in March, which amounted to Rs 7.7 lakh crore.The second highest supplementary budgetary demand so far was Rs 94,889 crore, which was tabled in July 2024 to finance the Laadki Bahin scheme ahead of the assembly polls. Subsequently, between 2024-25 and 2025-26, the state’s debt projection rose from Rs 7.8 lakh crore to Rs 9.3 lakh crore.Last year, the three supplementary demands totalled Rs 1.4 lakh crore. The first supplementary demand of this financial year is almost 70% of that figure.The state says that while the total supplementary demand is Rs 97,706.4 crore, the net demand is much lower at Rs 74,817.6 crore on account of funds that will be received from various revenue streams, including centrally sponsored schemes.While the biggest share of the supplementary demand tabled has been earmarked for the Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Shetkari Karzamukti Yojana 2026, the second highest allocation of Rs 10,007 crore is for the Centre’s interest-free loan for capital investment. Another Rs 200 crore has been allocated towards the 2017 farm loan waiver of the earlier Fadnavis government, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Shetkari Sanman Yojana.A sum of Rs 3,372 crore has been earmarked for various metro rail projects. Another Rs 8,000 crore has been allocated for the state’s power distribution company. A sum of Rs 3,000 crore has been allotted to the planning and implementation of the Simhastha Kumbh Mela. Also, Rs 600 crore has been earmarked for the development of the area around the Vithal Rukmini temple premises.The supplementary demands also include allocations to the district central cooperative banks (DCCB) and sugar factories, both of which enjoy political patronage. This includes Rs 777 crore towards the capital of DCCBs and Rs 483.7 crore for loans to sugar factories.Another Rs 2,360 crore has been kept aside for scholarship schemes for different sections of society.The cooperation department has received the highest share of Rs 22,915 crore, followed by urban development at Rs 15,151.4 crore, and energy and industries at Rs 14,760.5 crore.
