Second Edition of the ‘Handbook of Statistics on Central Government Debt’released;One-Stop Source for all Central Government Debt Data

Second Edition of the ‘Handbook of Statistics on Central Government Debt’ has been released by the Middle Office (MO)of the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Ministry of Finance. This Handbook is also available on the Finance Ministry website: finmin.nic.in

 Data on various facets of debt management is available across diverse sources. There was no publication providing consolidated information on public debt in India. In an attempt to bridge this gap, the MO published the first edition of the ‘Handbook of Statistics on Central Government Debt’ in November 2013. This is the Second Edition of the Handbook.

 Tis Edition of the Handbook contains time-series data covering outstanding debt, primary issuance of bills and bonds, and secondary market transactions in government securities in 16 tables. This Handbook is intended to be a one-stop source for all Central Government debt data. It is expected to facilitate a better understanding of various aspects of public debt in India by supporting market analysis and academic research. The Handbook, along with Annual Status Paper on Government Debt, provides detailed analysis of Government debt. The data generally goes back to at least 15 years.

 Earlier, the Middle Office (MO) was set-up in the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, to create an independent debt management office. A major mandate of the MO is to provide detailed information on public debt to the market and other stakeholders. Publication of 'Handbook of Statistics on Central Government Debt' is a step in this direction.