Assam's debt rose 4.5 times to Rs 1.62 lakh crore in last 10 yrs: Minister

Guwahati, Jul 14 (PTI) The overall debt of Assam has increased more than 4.5 times to Rs 1.62 lakh crore in the last 10 years, after the BJP came to power, the state assembly was informed on Tuesday. Replying to a set of queries raised by a number of opposition MLAs, Finance Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah in written answers said that Assam had an outstanding debt of Rs 35,690 crore as on March 31, 2016. "As per the latest information from the Accountant General, the total debt of Assam stood at 1,61,761 crore as on March 31, 2025," he added. Out of the total liabilities, Rs 18,582 crore are interest-free 50-year loans, the minister told the House. "Therefore, Assam's total loans with interest is Rs 1,43,179 crore," he said. Baruah added that the state has paid Rs 9,467.75 crore as interest to various lenders in the 2024-25 fiscal alone. PTI TR RBT