A new CAG report shows that India’s 28 states together saw public debt jump from Rs 17.57 lakh crore in 2013-14 to Rs 59.60 lakh crore by 2022-23—about 22.96% of their combined GSDP. Punjab (40.35%), Nagaland (37.15%) and West Bengal (33.70%) have the highest debt-to-GSDP ratios. Odisha (8.45%), Maharashtra (14.64%) and Gujarat (16.37%) fare much better. The report also cautions that 11 states are using borrowed funds even for current (day-to-day) spending rather than capital investment, which undermines fiscal sustainability.

The Election Commission’s Form-7 process is being highlighted—voters intending to contest deletion from electoral rolls must use this form, which adds transparency in roll revisions and deletion drives. (EC’s procedure for deletion or objections). Silt management in India’s inland waterways is becoming a concern; accumulation of silt reduces water flow, affecting navigation, ecology and flood control and requiring dredging and better watershed management. The article ties all these to UPSC relevance: fiscal federalism, constitutional bodies, environmental management.