Kolkata, Feb 16 (PTI) With a population of around nine crore and cumulative debt of Rs 5.86 lakh crore, debt per capita in West Bengal stands at a conservative estimate of more than Rs 60,000.

When the ruling Trinamool Congress assumed office in 2011, the total debt of the state stood at Rs 1.97 lakh crore.

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In the budget for 2023-24 presented in the state assembly on Tuesday, the West Bengal government has proposed to raise money from the market to the tune of Rs 79,000 crore, compared to the 2022-23 revised figure of Rs 75,000 crore.

Noted economist Ajitava Ray Chaudhuri said, "The present generation has contracted such a debt stock which has to be repaid by the future generation".

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"If a such high debt is backed by equivalent assets created, the burden on future generation will be lower," Ray Chaudhuri said.

The state's tax revenue for the year 2023-24 is also projected to be Rs 89,000 crore, in contrast to Rs 79,500 crore in the revised figure for 2022-23. PTI dc

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