Mah tops per capita indebdetness

Mumbai, Mar 18 (UNI) Maharashtra continues to maintain the ''dubious'' distinction of having the highest per capita indebtedness in the country.

The per capita indebtedness in the state is about Rs 14,000 only due to debt burden of the State Government and not counting individual debts, according to the figures of Maharashtra Economic Survey, presented in the State Assembly by Finance and Planning Minister Jayant Patil here today.

The total debt of the State Government, which was Rs 82,549 crore in 2002-03 is expected to be Rs 1,44,325 crore in the current fiscal, the survey revealed.

Maharashtra was at second position on the basis of absolute indebedtness, just preceding Uttar Pradesh which had an absolute debt of Rs 1,61,358 crore for the year 2006-07 and was leading other states like West Bengal, Madhaya Pradesh, Gujarat and Bihar, according to the data in the survey report.

Maharashtra scores over Uttar Pradesh in this respect because the latter has nearly double the population of the former.

Maharashtra, ironically, had an estimated per capita income of Rs 41,331 as against the national per capita income of Rs 29,642.

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