RAS question
What was the interest payment by Rajasthan government in 2023-24?
Correct answer: (D) ₹34,128 crore.
Rajasthan government's interest payment in 2023-24 was ₹34,128 crore, equal to 16.79% of its revenue receipts.
Explanation
The Rajasthan Economic Review 2024-25 separates expenditure on interest payments from other revenue expenditure for 2019-20 to 2023-24. Rajasthan's interest payment reached ₹34,128 crore in 2023-24. This burden equalled 16.79% of revenue receipts and 14.09% of revenue expenditure, which makes the figure important in state finances: interest payment is a committed expenditure item that has to be met before discretionary spending can expand. The earlier years in the sequence had lower interest-payment values, so the 2023-24 year mapping fixes the correct figure.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) ₹25,202 crore is the interest-payment figure for 2020-21, not for 2023-24.
- (B) ₹30,602 crore is the 2022-23 figure, so it misses the next year's increase.
- (C) ₹28,100 crore belongs to 2021-22 and therefore cannot be the 2023-24 figure.
Concept
Rajasthan public finance treats interest payments as committed expenditure linked closely with revenue receipts. RAS repeatedly asks such figures because fiscal indicators show how much budget space the state has for development spending.