PATNA, July 24 -- The Comptroller and Auditor General of India( CAG) in his report on state of finances red flagged state government for higher spending on committed expenditure which rose to 19.84 percent in 2024-25, which was the highest increase in a financial year during last five years. The CAG's report on state of finances for 2024-25 was placed in the state assembly on Thursday. Central auditor said committed expenditure of Rs.86,235 crore including interest payments, salaries and pensions constituted 39.37 percent of revenue expenditure and 39.43 percent of revenue receipts of the state during 2024-25. "Overall, during 2024-25, 48 percent of revenue receipts were being utilised for committed expenditure and subsidies, leaving only 52 percent fiscal space for development and capital spending," it said. The revenue expenditure of the state during 2024-25 increased by 14.96 percent over the previous year whereas its revenue receipts increased by 13.09 percent over the same period, the report said. The CAG report also said that during financial year 2024-25, revenue receipts did increased by Rs.25,310 crore over the previous financial year, its reliance on central devolutions (about 59 percent of the total revenue receipts) indicated limited fiscal independence. SGST continued to be the largest's own contributor with nearly 54 percent of the state's own tax revenue. On the positive side, the CAG observed that state's fiscal position during 2024-25 remained manageable, supported by strong economic growth, moderate revenue imbalance and liabilities within the prescribed ceiling. However, the central auditor's report pointed out that state's fiscal deficit in FY 2024-25 increased to Rs.41,222 crore (4.16 percent of GSDP) in FY 2024-25 from Rs.35, 659.88 crore in 2023-24. The CAG said the fiscal deficit of the state in FY 2024-25 exceeded the prescribed target of 3.50 percent of GSDP. "The state could achieve the targets of fiscal deficit prescribed under Bihar Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act (FRBM) prescribed under the Bihar Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, throughout the period of FY 2020-21 to 2024-25," the CAG has said. The CAG also observed that state had a revenue deficit of Rs.357.38 crore in 2024-25 as compared to revenue surplus of Rs.2833 crore during the last year. On budget management, CAG said though state's budget increased by 48.47 percent from Rs.2.45 lakh crore in 2020-21 to Rs.3.64 lakh crore in 2024-25, savings remained 31.61 percent (2020-21) and 20.08 percent (2023-24) of total budget. During 2024-25, against total budget provision of 3.64 lakh crore, state incurred Rs.2.87 lakh crore expenditure, resulting in savings of Rs.77,340 crore....