Shimla, Sept. 4 -- Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu tabled the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report for 2024-25 in the Himachal Pradesh assembly on Thursday, with the audit body flagging the state's rapidly rising debt and declining contribution to India's GDP. The report said Himachal Pradesh's revenue deficit had reached Rs.6,804.61 crore, or 2.94% of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), while the fiscal deficit stood at Rs.12,611.05 crore, or 5.44% of GSDP. The fiscal deficit exceeded prescribed limits, leaving limited fiscal space for development and capital expenditure. The CAG said 86% of the state's total revenue receipts was being consumed by salaries, pensions, gratuities and subsidies. Salaries and pensions alone accounted for around 70% of revenue expenditure, leaving limited resources for infrastructure development and capital investment. The report also questioned the government's approach regarding rising expenditure on electricity subsidies and debt relief measures. Himachal's economy grew by 9.20% in 2024-25, but its contribution to India's GDP stood at only 0.70%, with the CAG noting that the state's share had declined over the past five years. Revenue receipts increased by 4.34% and non-tax revenue by 22.40%, driven by GST and the state's share of central taxes. However, the state continued to remain heavily dependent on central grants. Highlighting flaws in budget management, the CAG pointed out that the funds such as the milk cess, environment cess, and the Building and Other Construction Workers' Welfare Cess have been kept outside the government account. According to the CAG, this constitutes a direct violation of the provisions of Article 266 of the Constitution of India. Delays in submission of utilisation certificates by local bodies, departmental undertakings and autonomous bodies were also flagged, along with concerns over financial reporting due to excessive use of the expenditure object head '20' (Other Charges). The report termed the implementation of the Single Nodal Agency (SNA) and SNA-Sparsh for tracking Centrally Sponsored Schemes a positive step, though full implementation was still pending. The CAG advised the state to raise revenue, contain expenditure and undertake structural reforms, warning that rising debt and limited capital investment posed risks to long-term financial stability....