In just 15 months of coalition rule, Chandrababu Naidu has dragged Andhra Pradesh into a mountain of debt amounting to Rs. 2,09,085 crores. Broken down, this translates to an unbelievable:
- Rs. 13,939 crores every month
Rs. 449.6 crores every single day
Rs. 18.73 crores every hour - Rs. 31.2 lakhs every minute
📌 Every passing minute of Chandrababu’s 15-month rule has added Rs. 31.2 lakhs of debt on the heads of Andhra Pradesh’s people.
And yet, despite this unprecedented borrowing, there are no new welfare schemes, no development projects, and not even proper continuation of the existing programs. Schemes like Vidya Deevena, Vasathi Deevena, Aarogyasri, unemployment allowance, free crop insurance, and support for farmers have all been either stopped, weakened, or left pending with thousands of crores in arrears.
This is the real “record” Chandrababu has created—a debt clock that bleeds Rs. 31.2 lakhs per minute while giving nothing back to the people.
A Dubious new record in Debt
Former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who once loudly proclaimed that he would “create wealth” for Andhra Pradesh and mocked the YSR Congress government with false alarms about the state turning into another “Sri Lanka,” has now set a dubious new record of his own—pushing the state into a dangerous spiral of borrowing that has crossed Rs. 2.10 lakh crores in just 15 months of coalition rule.
Despite his tall promises of prosperity, new industries, and robust welfare, not a single innovative welfare program has been introduced under his government. The much-hyped “Super Six” scheme has neither been meaningfully implemented nor delivered to the people. Instead, the only “super record” Chandrababu Naidu has achieved is in piling loan upon loan, placing an unbearable financial burden on the people of Andhra Pradesh. The very leaders and yellow media houses who once beat their chests, crying that Jagan Mohan Reddy’s policies would bankrupt the state and push it into the condition of Sri Lanka, now remain conspicuously silent even as their own leader’s reckless borrowing crosses unimaginable levels.
A Record-Breaking Debt Crisis
Chandrababu Naidu has proven that in the matter of borrowing, no other leader in the country can match him. In just 15 months, the coalition government has taken loans amounting to a staggering Rs. 2.10 lakh crores, thereby creating an all-time record in financial mismanagement. On almost every Tuesday, the state government runs to the Reserve Bank of India in search of new loans. Most recently, the RBI auctioned government securities and advanced Rs. 5,000 crores to the AP government at an interest rate of 7.63%. This transaction has pushed the state’s budgetary debt to Rs. 1,33,702 crores.
At the same time, off-budget borrowings have been aggressively pushed through various state corporations with government guarantees, amounting to another Rs. 44,383 crores. The government has also planned to raise Rs. 10,000 crores under the name of the Andhra Pradesh Jal Jeevan Mission. Further, a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) has been created to mortgage APIIC assets in order to borrow Rs. 7,500 crores, and yet another Rs. 5,473 crores are being borrowed through APCPDCL and APSPDCL. Beyond these, there are numerous other hidden borrowings outside the budget. In addition, under the banner of Amaravati Capital City, the government is seeking loans worth nearly Rs. 31,000 crores from international institutions such as the World Bank, German agencies, and HUDCO.
The Irony of “Sri Lanka” Allegations
It must be recalled that during YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s tenure, when the government implemented over 40 welfare and development programs directly benefiting every section of society, the opposition repeatedly spread false propaganda that Andhra Pradesh was on the brink of becoming “another Sri Lanka.”
Yet the truth remains that in five years, the Jagan government borrowed only Rs. 3.32 lakh crores, strictly within the limits of the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act. Even in the face of unprecedented crises such as two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jagan’s government did not halt welfare initiatives, nor did it slow down the pace of development.
Under Jagan’s leadership, Rs. 2.73 lakh crores were credited directly into citizens’ accounts through DBT schemes, and when combined with non-DBT welfare, the total benefit extended to the people amounted to Rs. 4.58 lakh crores. Welfare schemes like Ammavodi, Rythu Bharosa, Vidya Deevena, Vasathi Deevena, Cheyutha, Kapu Nestham, Netanna Nestham, Vahana Mitra, and Aasara reached every segment of society and uplifted lakhs of families. Despite this massive welfare outreach, borrowing was always maintained within fiscal discipline.
On the other hand, Chandrababu Naidu, who mocked and derided these programs as reckless and unsustainable, has in just 15 months borrowed nearly two-thirds of what Jagan’s government borrowed in five full years—yet without introducing even a single impactful welfare program or infrastructure project that justifies the astronomical loans.
Where is all this money going?
The people of Andhra Pradesh are now asking a burning question: if lakhs of crores are being borrowed every few months, where is this money actually going? Since coming to power, the coalition government has systematically dismantled people-oriented welfare schemes. Aarogyasri hospitals have been crippled with hundreds of crores of pending bills, Vidya Deevena and Vasathi Deevena scholarships worth Rs. 7,100 crores have been withheld, and the majority of flagship welfare initiatives have either been discontinued or reduced to token announcements.
While propagating the false slogan of “Super Six, Super Hit,” the coalition government has failed to deliver unemployment allowance, women’s financial support, timely fertilizers to farmers, minimum support prices for crops, or free crop insurance. Even medical colleges are being sold off to private interests. With such glaring failures in welfare and development, the inevitable question arises—what exactly is being done with the lakhs of crores of rupees being borrowed?
📌 In just 15 months, Chandrababu Naidu’s government has burdened every citizen of Andhra Pradesh with unprecedented debt, without providing the corresponding welfare, development, or accountability. The irony of leaders and media who once cried “Sri Lanka” falling completely silent today speaks louder than words.
