Page 24 - Policy Economic Report - March 2026

POLICY AND ECONOMIC REPORT
OIL & GAS MARKET

and traditional wellness systems of AYUSH. They are for Digital Services, powering the worlds’ AI. They
are for catalysing investments and making FTA partners, as India’s stakeholders.

India has negotiated FTAs with openness, balance, and national priority of an Atmanirbhar Bharat. The
interests of all sensitive sectors—dairy, agriculture, farmers, and domestic industry—have been
protected, and market access has been safeguarded.

8. Indian states in Fiscal Health Index 2026- NITI Aayog
At a time of rising global debt levels and mounting pressures on public finances, Indian states account
for nearly one-third of the country’s general government debt, according to NITI Aayog’s latest Fiscal
Health Index (FHI) 2026.

Given that state governments play a crucial role in the country’s fiscal architecture, the FHI 2026,
evaluated the fiscal performance of Indian states across five key pillars: Quality of expenditure, revenue
mobilisation, fiscal prudence, debt index, and debt sustainability.

? Evaluating the fiscal trends for FY 2023-24, Odisha maintains its status as an ‘Achiever’, securing
the top position with an FHI 2026 score of 73.1. Prudent fiscal management, stable revenues,
and effective deficit control drive Odisha’s strong debt profile, according to the report.

? Goa and Jharkhand followed in second and third positions, respectively, rising from their
previous year’s status as ‘Front Runners.’

? Chhattisgarh, which ranked second as an ‘Achiever’ last year, slipped to sixth in the ‘Front
Runners’ category due to weaker fiscal conditions.

? Gujarat, Maharashtra and Telangana showcased stable and moderate fiscal strength, driven by
resilient own-revenue bases and prudent debt levels.

? Haryana also moved up in the rankings from 14 last year to 11 this year, indicating fiscal stability
through disciplined expenditure management.

? Bihar, ranked 12, achieved marginal recovery through improved quality of expenditure and
revenue surplus.

? In contrast, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, and Kerala sit at the bottom of the rankings
with ‘Aspirational’ status, facing ongoing financial strain because of widening, sustained deficits,
and average revenue growth.

9. India’s data center capacity rises fourfold to 1,500 MW since 2020: Ministry of Electronics,
Government
? India’s data centre capacity has expanded significantly in recent years, rising from about 375
MW in 2020 to around 1,500 MW by 2025, according to the Ministry of Electronics & IT.
? The focus is on facilitating the establishment of data centres in the country, which will help
strengthen digital infrastructure and improve delivery of digital services across various sectors.
? Data centres are spread across the country, and as per industry sources, major capacity is in
cities like Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Delhi-NCR/Noida.
? In Mumbai, the operational capacity is 790 MW, which is the largest in the country.
? Chennai is ranked second in terms of operational capacity of data centres with 305 MW.

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