Goemkarponn desk
PANAJI: Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) in its report said that it was observed from the finance accounts that revenue expenditure totalling ` 169 crore was either short-paid/unpaid or not booked by the State Government during 2022-23.
“It was observed from the finance accounts revenue expenditure totalling ` 169 crore was either short-paid/unpaid or not booked by the State Government during 2022-23,” the CAG report states.
It further said that this accounted for an overstatement of revenue surplus to that extent (by 169 crores) and hence, the revised figure for the revenue surplus would stand at `2,231 crores (2,400 crores minus 169 crores).
The fiscal deficit of the State would increase from ` 1,027 crore to ` 1,196 crore after taking into account the deferred revenue expenditure. Thus, the fiscal deficit to GSDP ratio would be 1.32 per cent instead of 1.13 per cent.
“During 2022-23, the per capita GSDP of the State stood at ` 5,75,504 which was significantly higher than the all-India per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of ` 1,96,983. Goa performed better on social indicators viz. literacy rate, population below poverty line and infant mortality rate (except life expectancy) than the all-India average,” CAG report state.
The report said that Goa’s population increased from 14.80 lakh in 2013 to 15.75 lakh1 in 2023, recording a decadal growth of 6.42 per cent. The State has a population density of 425 persons per sq. km. as against the all-India average of 422. Population below the poverty line was 5.09 per cent in the State as compared to 21.92 per cent in the country.
Considering the off-budget fiscal liabilities amounting to Rs 800 crore at the end of 2022-23, the total outstanding debt of the State Government at the end of March 2023 worked out to be ` 31,104 crore, instead of ` 30,304 crore depicted in the Finance Accounts.
Consequently, the ratio of total outstanding debt to GSDP (31.57 per cent) at the end of the year was understated by 0.88 per cent. Thus, the post-audit total outstanding debt of the State Government was 32.45 per cent of GSDP.
