Even as the Punjab government asserts it is taking proactive steps to manage its debt obligations, economic experts have raised concern that the State is increasingly relying on additional loans, driven by “competitive political populism”, leading to a significant rise in debt liability.
Earlier this month, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema stated that the government would borrow ₹8,500 crore in the second quarter of the current financial year to meet redemption obligations of over ₹3,500 crore for ‘legacy debt’ incurred during the previous Shiromani Akali Dal–Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress governments.
A recently published academic paper titled Walking with Punjab’s Economy, authored by economist Ranjit…