IndiaSpend

18/07/2025

State debt tripled from ₹27.4 lakh cr in 2015 to estimated ₹93.9 lakh cr in 2025. The debt-to-GSDP ratio, which shows the debt relative to the size of the economy, peaked at 31% post-COVID & remains high at 28.8% in 2025. Despite more fiscal autonomy for states since 2014 states haven’t prioritised health or education. Education spend is stuck at ~2.6% of GDP; most spend just 3.5–5.5% of budgets on health.

Read full report by Prachi Salve to understand why it’s not just how much states borrow, but how they spend it, that affects their fiscal health: https://www.indiaspend.com/budget/high-debt-low-returns-how-some-states-get-into-financial-trouble-961076

17/07/2025

While Arunachal Pradesh’s debt-to-GSDP ratio, which shows a state’s debt relative to its economy, will hit 57% in 2025, its total debt is just ₹25,000 crore. Compare that with Punjab, Rajasthan and West Bengal—each with over ₹3.5 lakh crore in debt and debt ratios above 37%. Why does it matter? Because it’s not how much states borrow, but how wisely they use it. Experts say these big states are taking on unproductive debt—funding salaries and interest payments, not roads, hospitals or schools: https://www.indiaspend.com/budget/high-debt-low-returns-how-some-states-get-into-financial-trouble-961076

17/07/2025

Pollution in the Yamuna river in Delhi rose in June compared to the previous month, shows DPCC report. In 2024, we reported on how untreated sewage continues to pollute the Yamuna in Delhi. While the river meets water quality standards when it enters the city, untreated and partially treated wastewater from 24 drains leaves it heavily polluted by the time it exits.

Read our full story to see how untreated wastewater continues to pollute the Yamuna: https://www.indiaspend.com/data-viz/over-half-of-delhis-garbage-ends-up-in-landfills-888461

17/07/2025

While Arunachal Pradesh’s debt-to-GSDP ratio, which shows a state’s debt relative to its economy, will hit 57% in 2025, its total debt is just ₹25,000 crore. Compare that with Punjab, Rajasthan and West Bengal—each with over ₹3.5 lakh crore in debt and debt ratios above 37%. Why does it matter? Because it’s not how much states borrow, but how wisely they use it. Experts say these big states are taking on unproductive debt—funding salaries and interest payments, not roads, hospitals or schools:

Mumbai: Even though hilly states, such as Arunachal Pradesh, have large government debt to Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) Ratios–that is the ratio of their debt to the total value of all goods...

16/07/2025

Last week, an allegedly drunk Audi driver who ran over 5 people sleeping on a footpath in Delhi’s Vasant Vihar was granted bail. We reported in 2019 how India’s traffic police often lack the equipment to properly detect drink driving, and how the country’s rules on speeding and alcohol limits are more relaxed than in many other countries.

Read our full story to understand the reasons behind India’s road accident: https://www.indiaspend.com/poor-enforcement-lack-of-training-causing-more-deaths-on-indian-roads

15/07/2025

Unlike in western countries, India’s to***co consumption is dominated by smokeless to***co and bidis. Estimates suggest bidi smokers are twice the number of cigarette smokers. Yet, bidis is under-regulated, easily accessible and deadlier. India has an estimated 5 mn bidi workers, of whom 3.6 mn are women. Workers are often exploited, earn low wages and have punishing targets, affecting livelihoods and health.

Read our full story by Aditya Ansh to understand how bidis harm both consumers and the workers who make them: https://www.indiaspend.com/healthcheck/indias-unregulated-bidis-harm-workers-consumers-960667

15/07/2025

Behind India's bidi industry lies a complex story of exploitation. Five million workers, mainly women, toil for low wages in hazardous conditions. Meanwhile, tax loopholes for "small producers" are reportedly exploited by larger manufacturers. Eliminating these could cut consumption and raise revenue. Our story:

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15/07/2025

Did you know bidis, not ci******es, dominate India's to***co use? They're cheap, unregulated, and deadlier. They are often sold without warnings, even to children. This isn't just a habit; it's a systemic public health crisis. Read on:

Cheap to buy and easy to ignore, bidi powers a vast economy that thrives on labour violations, policy loopholes and health risks

14/07/2025

The Environment Ministry has exempted most thermal power plants in India from installing equipment to reduce harmful sulphur dioxide emissions. We reported in 2022 how villagers living near coal power plants suffered health problems and lost access to clean water because of unchecked emissions and pollution.

Read our full story to understand how coal power plants are impacting the health and lives of nearby villagers: https://www.indiaspend.com/pollution/how-villagers-living-near-coal-power-plants-lost-health-water-security-814019

12/07/2025

On this , let’s explore how a declining population could shape the future economy of southern India. We explained in 2024 how southern states with lower fertility rates are now worried about getting less tax money and fewer seats in Parliament, even though they followed population control efforts.

Read our explainer to understand how low population growth is creating new economic and political concerns for southern states: https://www.indiaspend.com/explainers/how-declining-population-could-impact-finances-of-southern-states-935460

11/07/2025

The Maharashtra Medical Council’s decision to allow homeopaths to prescribe allopathic medicines after a six-month course has sparked debate over patient safety and medical standards. As we reported in 2023, AYUSH doctors, trained in traditional medicine are being deployed to bridge healthcare gaps in rural India. But on the ground, many end up prescribing allopathic medicines, facing limitations in infrastructure, training.

Read our story to learn what challenges AYUSH doctors face on the ground, and how India’s healthcare system relies on them: https://www.indiaspend.com/health/ayush-doctors-fill-in-public-healthcare-gaps-by-providing-allopathic-medicines-876766

10/07/2025

The Special Revision of Electoral Rolls (SIR) has triggered a political ruckus in Bihar, with opposition parties raising questions over the requirement of 11 documents, one of them being the birth certificate. We reported in 2020 that those born before 2005 were less likely to possess a birth certificate, the first proof of legal identity, as registration rates improved only in recent years.

Read our story to understand why many people in India still don’t have birth certificates and the reasons behind it: https://www.indiaspend.com/birth-certificates-are-citizenship-proof-govt-says-but-38-under-5-children-dont-have-one