Haryana Chief Minister Sh. Nayab Singh Saini, while replying to the discussion on the Budget 2026–27 in the Assembly, said that the allegations being made by the opposition regarding the state’s financial condition are not based on facts. He stated that the state government is accelerating development works while maintaining fiscal discipline.
No Need for White Paper on Debt, All Data Publicly Available
The Chief Minister said that some Congress MLAs have claimed that the state is heavily in debt, whereas the reality is different. He informed that during the tenure of the previous Congress government in 2014–15, the state had a debt of Rs. 96,875 crore, which was 22.16 percent of the then GSDP of Rs. 4,37,145 crore.
At that time, the Finance Commission had fixed the maximum borrowing limit at 22.9 percent, and the then Congress government had exceeded this limit. He added that some Congress MLAs have presented misleading figures regarding the state’s debt and demanded the issuance of a white paper.
He clarified that all debt-related data of the state is available in reports of the CAG and RBI, as well as in the state’s annual budget documents, which are publicly accessible. Therefore, there is no need to issue a separate white paper on debt.
Real Budget Growth Between 8 and 9.24 Percent
Responding to questions raised on budget growth, Sh. Nayab Singh Saini said that the claim that the budget has increased by only 4 percent after adjusting for inflation is incorrect. He explained that if compared at 2022–23 price levels, the Budget Estimate for 2025–26 stands at Rs. 1,93,294 crore and the Revised Estimate at Rs. 1,91,156 crore.
Similarly, the Budget Estimate for 2026–27 is Rs. 2,08,831 crore. Thus, in real terms, the Budget Estimate for 2026–27 reflects an increase of 8 percent over the Budget Estimate and 9.24 percent over the Revised Estimate of 2025–26.
The Chief Minister further said that some Congress MLAs have also raised questions regarding revenue generation and commented on excise collections. He clarified that under the Haryana Excise Policy, retail zones are being allotted through an online tender process in a fair and transparent manner, leading to a significant increase in the number of participating license holders.
He informed that under the Excise Policy 2025–27, a total of 1,957 e-bids were received for 1,194 retail zones, and the bidding process was completed within the stipulated deadline on July 25, 2025. Through this process, the government has received Rs. 14,342 crore as retail licence fee revenue, which is 13.25 percent higher than the previous year.
The Chief Minister further stated that under the 21-month Excise Policy 2025–27, revenue of Rs. 14,064 crore is estimated for 2025–26 and Rs. 13,152 crore for 2026–27. About 53 percent of the total revenue during this policy period comes from licence fees.
Of this, around 56 percent has already been received in the financial year 2025–26, while the remaining 44 percent will be received in 2026–27. Challenging the opposition, the Chief Minister said that no new tax has been imposed by the state government since 2014–15.
He stated that if anyone proves that a new tax has been imposed and not collected, he himself will request a half-day special discussion on the issue in the next session of the Assembly.