The total liabilities of the government increased 5.6 per cent to Rs 107.04 lakh crore at the end of September 2020, according to official data on public debt.

At the end of the first quarter, the outstanding total debt of the government stood at Rs 101.3 lakh crore. The 5.6 per cent quarter-on-quarter increase reflects pressure on revenue collection and rising expenditure because of the Covid-19 crisis.

Public debt accounted for 91.1 per cent of total outstanding liabilities at end-September 2020, according to the latest quarterly report on public debt management. The weighted average yield on primary issuances of dated securities showed further moderation to 5.80 per cent in the second quarter of 2020-21 from 5.85 per cent in the first quarter, it said.

During the second quarter, 13 tranches of auctions were held for the issuance of dated securities aggregating to Rs 4,20,000 crore, which was slightly more than the pre-announced calendar because of exercising of greenshoe option.

Deficit count

The Union government’s fiscal deficit soared to Rs 10.75 lakh crore, or 135.1 per cent of the 2020-21 budget estimates (BE), at the end of November 2020, mainly on account of low realisation of revenue due to disruption in business activities amid the coronavirus pandemic.