Hyderabad: Debt repayment claims made by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy came under scrutiny after official data revealed a wide gap between his statements and government records.
For over two years, the Chief Minister had said in the Telangana Legislative Assembly and public forums that his government was repaying past debts by raising fresh loans. He used these figures to criticise the previous BRS government and defend his administration’s financial record.
However, the Telangana government’s Socio-Economic Survey Report presented in the Assembly showed different numbers. According to the report, total repayments towards FRBM-linked loans, including principal and interest, stood at about ₹1,67,742 crore.
In contrast, Revanth Reddy had stated during his Motion of Thanks speech that the government repaid ₹3,30,570 crore. As a result, the difference of over ₹1.6 lakh crore raised concerns about accuracy.
Officials noted that figures placed before the Assembly carry constitutional responsibility. Therefore, they must match official financial records.
The Finance Department analysed the State’s debt position from 1 December 2023 to 31 December 2025. It divided repayments into four categories to explain the structure.
The first category covered FRBM loans. The government repaid ₹40,660 crore as principal and ₹56,350 crore as interest, totalling ₹97,010 crore. The second category included government-guaranteed SPV loans serviced by the State, with repayments of ₹70,732 crore.
Together, these two categories formed the actual burden borne by the State government, adding up to ₹1,67,742 crore.
Breakdown highlights debt repayment claims gap
The remaining two categories involved loans serviced independently by corporations and special purpose vehicles (SPVs). In the third category, SPVs repaid ₹1,02,744 crore from their own revenues without State support.
Similarly, corporations cleared ₹33,717 crore under non-guaranteed loans using internal earnings. These repayments did not involve the State treasury.
However, these independently serviced loans appeared to have been included in the Chief Minister’s debt repayment claims. As a result, the total figure increased by ₹1,36,461 crore beyond actual government repayments.
Financial experts said such inclusion could misrepresent the State’s fiscal effort. Public sector entities like power utilities and transport corporations generate revenue and service debts on their own.
Therefore, presenting their repayments as government achievements could distort financial communication. Critics described this as a significant misrepresentation of official data.
They also stressed that the Legislative Assembly must remain a platform for accurate information, not political messaging. Any mismatch in financial figures could weaken public trust and legislative accountability.
The Chief Minister is now expected to clarify the gap between his statements and the official data released by his government.
