In simple terms: The Puducherry government spends about Rs. 67 crore every single day. That adds up to roughly Rs. 2,000 crore per month. And the rate is going up -- this year they are spending 24% faster than two years ago.
How much was spent each year?
Each bar is one fiscal year (April to March). FY 2025-26 has only 10 months of data but is already on track to be the highest.
Which departments spend the most?
Construction is by far the biggest spender. Electricity looks small here, but that is misleading -- most of its spending is hidden (explained in Chapter 3).
How has each department changed over the years?
Each department's bar is split by year. Notice Electricity nearly vanishing in FY 25-26 -- not because spending stopped, but because payments stopped being tracked. Women & Children tripled this year.
Year-by-Year Summary
Year
Total Spent
Months
Per Month
What Happened
FY 2022-23
Rs. 2,308 Cr
1
Rs. 2,308 Cr
Only January data available
FY 2023-24
Rs. 23,879 Cr
14
Rs. 1,706 Cr
Full year
FY 2024-25
Rs. 25,471 Cr
14
Rs. 1,819 Cr
Highest full year on record
FY 2025-26
Rs. 21,122 Cr
10
Rs. 2,112 Cr
10 months, but spending faster than ever
Total
Rs. 72,779 Cr
37
Top 12 Departments -- What They Actually Do
#
Department
FY 23-24
FY 24-25
FY 25-26
Total
What They Spend On
1
Construction
4,925
4,744
3,843
13,512
Government buildings, housing projects
2
Loan Repayments
1,799
1,801
1,365
4,964
Interest and principal on government debt
3
Salaries & Pensions
1,454
1,459
1,427
4,340
Government employee pay and retiree pensions
4
Roads & Bridges
606
577
527
1,716
Road construction and maintenance
5
Electricity *
254
1,026
27
1,344
Power purchase, grid maintenance
6
Town Planning
486
615
240
1,341
Urban development, Smart City
7
Women & Children
226
287
784
1,298
Anganwadis, nutrition, women's welfare
8
Police & Security
330
353
326
1,015
Police, fire service, prisons
9
Education
299
269
256
825
Schools, colleges, scholarships
10
Ration Shops
250
241
304
796
PDS rice, wheat distribution
11
Provident Fund
230
268
215
734
Employee savings deposits
12
Health
83
90
96
312
Hospitals, clinics, public health
* Electricity figures are misleading. Real spending is Rs. 2,200+ crore per year, but payments bypass the treasury. Full story in Chapter 3.
This chapter shows where the money flows month by month. Government spending is not steady -- some months see huge spikes, others are quiet. Some departments rush to spend everything in March. Others barely spend for months and then release large lump sums. These patterns reveal how the government actually works.
Pick a department to see its monthly pattern
Construction -- monthly spending across 3 years
Blue = FY 2023-24, Green = FY 2024-25, Gold = FY 2025-26. Each point is one month's spending.
What the patterns reveal
1
March rush is real. Construction and Roads show enormous spikes in March -- the last month of the fiscal year. Departments scramble to spend their remaining budget before it lapses.
2
Salaries are steady (as they should be). The Finance department shows a flat line around Rs. 120-130 crore per month -- exactly what you would expect for salary payments.
3
Ration shops are erratic. Civil Supplies goes months with near-zero spending, then has sudden Rs. 50-70 crore months. This suggests lump-sum payments rather than regular operations -- and is connected to the 8-month rice distribution gap (Chapter 4).
4
Women & Children tripled. Spending jumped from Rs. 287 crore (FY 24-25) to Rs. 1,568 crore (10 months of FY 25-26). A new welfare programme appears to have been launched.
5
Education peaks in April. Each year starts with a Rs. 120-260 crore spike -- likely arrear payments or annual grants being released at the start of the academic year.
All 49 Departments -- Ranked by Spending
Every rupee the government spends goes through one of these 49 departments. A dash means nothing was recorded. Some entries (like "RBI Deposits" and "Cash Remittances") are not real spending -- they are accounting transfers.
#
Department
FY 23-24
FY 24-25
FY 25-26
Total
1
RBI Fund Transfers *
11,608
12,644
10,946
36,133
2
Construction
4,925
4,744
3,843
13,512
3
Loan Repayments
1,799
1,801
1,365
4,964
4
Salaries & Pensions
1,454
1,459
1,427
4,340
5
Roads & Bridges
606
577
527
1,716
6
Electricity **
254
1,026
27
1,344
7
Town Planning
486
615
240
1,341
8
Women & Children
226
287
784
1,298
9
Police & Security
330
353
326
1,015
10
Education
299
269
256
825
11
Ration Shops
250
241
304
796
12
Provident Fund
230
268
215
734
13
State Tax
45
43
36
646
14
Civil Deposits
167
205
145
544
15
Revenue & District
61
259
109
428
16
Health
83
90
96
312
17
Courts
93
76
52
235
18
Transport
84
92
39
215
19
Rural Development
73
57
80
211
20
Agriculture
57
59
49
166
+ 29 smaller departments
Together spending less than Rs. 150 Cr each
GRAND TOTAL
23,879
25,471
21,122
72,779
* RBI Fund Transfers are not real spending -- money moves between government accounts. ** Electricity is severely understated -- real spend is Rs. 2,200+ Cr/year (Chapter 3). All figures in Rs. Crores.
This chapter exposes Puducherry's single biggest financial blind spot. The Electricity Department spends about Rs. 2,200 crore every year -- but most of that money never appears in monthly treasury reports. We use RTI responses and CAG audit data to show where the money actually goes.
Puducherry buys most of its electricity from TANGEDCO (Tamil Nadu's power utility). These payments happen through direct bank transfers that bypass the treasury system entirely. The result: monthly expenditure reports capture only a small fraction of what is actually spent.
Actual Power Cost (FY 23-24)
₹1,860 Cr
RTI-verified actual spending
Treasury Reports Show
₹254 Cr
Only 13.7% captured in reports
Hidden Subsidy (3 yrs)
₹903 Cr
Gap between approved tariff and actual cost
Power Demand Growth
+14%
3,488 to 3,979 MU over 4 years
What treasury reports show vs RTI-verified actual cost
Blue = actual power purchase cost from RTI. Red = what appears in monthly treasury reports. In FY 2023-24, reports captured only Rs. 254 Cr of the actual Rs. 1,860 Cr spent -- just 13.7%.
The growing gap over time
The blue area is actual spending (from RTI/CAG). The red dashed line is what treasury reports show. The gap is the money that flows through direct bank transfers, invisible to normal budget monitoring.
The electricity department's total annual spending is approximately Rs. 2,200 crore. The bulk of it -- about Rs. 1,860 crore -- goes to buying power from TANGEDCO. The rest covers transmission, loan interest, and salaries.
Power purchase from TANGEDCO dominates at 85% of total spending. This is the component that bypasses treasury records.
Component
Estimated Annual
Share
Power Purchase (TANGEDCO)
Rs. 1,860 Cr
85%
Transmission & Distribution
Rs. 150 Cr
7%
Loan Interest
Rs. 100 Cr
5%
Salaries & Admin
Rs. 43 Cr
2%
Other
Rs. 47 Cr
2%
Total
~Rs. 2,200 Cr
100%
Note: Power purchase figure from RTI (FY 2023-24 actual). Other components are estimates based on CAG audit data. Exact breakdown unavailable because the department does not file detailed expenditure through treasury.
The Hidden Subsidy: Rs. 903 Crore
Source: RTI Electricity -- FPPCA and Power Purchase Costs.
Electricity tariffs are set based on "approved costs." But the actual cost of buying power is higher than the approved rate. This gap is supposed to be recovered from consumers through FPPCA (Fuel and Power Purchase Cost Adjustment) -- a surcharge on your electricity bill. However, FPPCA has not been levied on any domestic consumer since 2022.
The gap between approved and actual cost has been narrowing (from Rs. 481 Cr in FY 22-23 to Rs. 43 Cr in FY 24-25), but the cumulative unrecovered amount is Rs. 903 crore.
Year
Approved Cost
Actual Cost
Gap (Unrecovered)
FY 2022-23
Rs. 1,307 Cr
Rs. 1,789 Cr
Rs. 481 Cr
FY 2023-24
Rs. 1,481 Cr
Rs. 1,860 Cr
Rs. 379 Cr
FY 2024-25
Rs. 1,825 Cr
Rs. 1,868 Cr
Rs. 43 Cr
Total Hidden Subsidy
Rs. 903 Cr
What this means for you: Your electricity bill is artificially low. Rs. 903 crore in costs have been absorbed somewhere -- either as debt owed to TANGEDCO or as regulatory assets. Eventually, this will be recovered through higher tariffs or will reduce money available for other services.
Power demand is growing fast
Puducherry's power demand grew 14% in 4 years -- from 3,488 million units in FY 22-23 to 3,979 MU in FY 25-26. More demand means higher costs, making the hidden subsidy problem worse every year.
What the treasury actually recorded
Financial Year
Treasury Shows
RTI Actual Cost
% Captured
FY 2022-23*
Rs. 37 Cr
Rs. 1,789 Cr
2.1%
FY 2023-24
Rs. 254 Cr
Rs. 1,860 Cr
13.7%
FY 2024-25
Rs. 1,026 Cr
Rs. 1,868 Cr
54.9%
FY 2025-26**
Rs. 27 Cr
~Rs. 2,200 Cr
1.2%
* FY 22-23 has only 1 month of data (Jan 2023). ** FY 25-26 has 10 months through Jan 2026. RTI actual cost for FY 25-26 is estimated from approved cost of Rs. 2,157 Cr.
Why Does This Happen?
1
Direct bank transfers. TANGEDCO payments go through direct bank transfers, not through the treasury system. This means they never appear in the monthly expenditure statements that are the primary tool for budget monitoring.
2
No FPPCA recovery since 2022. The fuel cost adjustment charge was silently stopped. When asked why via RTI, the department said "Does not arise." No government order was issued to stop it.
3
257 pending fraud cases. The CAG audit found 257 cases of fraud and theft in the Electricity Department alone, worth Rs. 27 crore. This is 81% of all such cases across the entire Puducherry government.
4
No regulatory asset data. When asked about regulatory assets (hidden debt from unrecovered costs), the department provided data only for FY 21-22 and FY 22-23. Recent years: "No data."
This chapter looks at how specific government bodies and programmes spend your money. We examine the Assembly (your elected representatives), Ministers' expenses, the public distribution system (ration shops), and a scholarship scheme for students. The data comes from 14 RTI (Right to Information) responses filed between 2024-2026.
The Puducherry Legislative Assembly is where your elected MLAs are supposed to debate laws, question the government, and hold ministers accountable. Here is what actually happened:
Sitting Days (FY 24-25)
24
Per RTI LASPO4 response
Adjournment Motions
0
Since 2021 -- zero urgent debates
Private Member Bills
0
Since 2021 -- no MLA proposed any law
Nepal Study Tour
₹98 Lakh
7-day trip, money "yet to be settled"
What this means: The RTI response (LASPO4) states a total of 24 sitting days for FY 2024-25 across two sessions (5th and 6th). No MLA tried to bring up any urgent issue for debate (adjournment motion) since 2021. No MLA proposed any new law (private member bill).
Assembly sessions: days sat
The 4th Session (19 days) was the longest. The 5th and 6th Sessions were primarily for budget presentation and voting. Data from RTI LASPO5.
RTI questions asked vs actually answered
Out of 20 RTI questions about Assembly functioning (LASPO5), only 2 received real answers. The rest were met with "Official Reports yet to be published" or similar deflections.
The Nepal Trip: Rs. 98 Lakh Still Unaccounted
Source: RTI LASPO2, G.O.Rt.No.18, sanctioned by Lieutenant Governor.
In March 2025, a delegation of MLAs and officials went on a 7-day "study tour" to the Province Assembly of Gandaki Province, Nepal. The total cost was Rs. 98 lakh, drawn as an advance before the trip. When asked via RTI whether this money had been settled (meaning proper bills and receipts submitted), the answer was: "Yet to be settled."
Detail
Information
Destination
Gandaki Province Assembly, Nepal (7 days, 1-7 March 2025)
The Speaker and Deputy Speaker's office spent Rs. 1,42,78,369 (Rs. 1.43 crore) up to February 2025. When asked for an item-wise breakdown of this spending, the RTI response said the information was "not available" because expenditure is "maintained by object wise" only. When asked if this spending was audited, the answer was: "Yet to be done."
Rs. 1.43 crore spent by one office. No item-wise breakdown available. No audit conducted. Domestic travel expenses denied citing RTI Act limitations. This is public money with zero accountability.
Ministers' Fuel Bills
Source: RTI response CoM, Annexure-II -- Council of Ministers office, February 2025.
The total fuel bill for all ministers in February 2025 was Rs. 3,43,808. Here is how much each minister's vehicle cost:
The Home Minister (MG Gloster) had the highest fuel bill at Rs. 79,992 in a single month. The Civil Supplies Minister (Fortuner) was second at Rs. 69,874. The Chief Minister had two vehicles but spent less on fuel (Rs. 47,768 combined). Fuel station names and purchase dates were denied under RTI.
Minister
Vehicle
Feb 2025 Fuel Cost
Home Minister
MG Gloster
Rs. 79,992
Civil Supplies Minister
Fortuner
Rs. 69,874
AD Welfare Minister
Innova Crysta
Rs. 53,638
Chief Minister
Kia Carnival + Invicto
Rs. 47,768
Public Works Minister
Kia Carnival
Rs. 46,573
Agriculture Minister
Kia Carnival
Rs. 45,963
Total
Rs. 3,43,808
Ration Shops: 8 Months Without In-Kind Rice
Source: RTI response -- Civil Supplies Department (Dec 2025 and Feb 2026).
Puducherry has about 2.62 lakh ration card holders who depend on the Public Distribution System (PDS). Between April and November 2024, the in-kind PDS rice distribution system was non-operational during a transition from DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) cash mode back to in-kind distribution. Free rice in-kind started only from December 2024.
Ration Card Holders
2.62 Lakh
AAY: 15,040 | PHH: 1,46,667 | Non-PHH: 1,01,209
In-Kind Rice Gap
8 Months
Apr-Nov 2024: zero in-kind distribution
Government Godowns
0
Zero storage facilities owned
Buffer Stock (May 2025)
5.23 MT
Critically low for 2.62 lakh families
For 8 months (Apr-Nov 2024), no in-kind rice reached 2.62 lakh families. The government owns zero godowns (storage facilities) for food grains -- all stock is stored at Fair Price Shops. As of May 2025, the closing stock was just 5.23 metric tonnes for the entire Puducherry region. Rice costs Rs. 43.37/kg to procure (from M/s Kendriya Bhandar, Chennai).
Monthly rice distribution (metric tonnes)
Green bars = rice distributed (averaging ~3,700 MT/month, or about 14 kg per ration card). The gap zone: Apr to Nov 2024 when zero in-kind rice was distributed during DBT-to-kind transition.
Civil Supplies spending from treasury (Rs. Crore)
Notice the erratic pattern -- months of near-zero followed by lump-sum payments. This reflects how PDS procurement payments are made in chunks, not monthly. FY 25-26 shows higher spending after in-kind distribution resumed.
Rice Distribution Since December 2024
Source: RTI Civil Supplies response, Feb 2026.
Month
Received (MT)
Distributed (MT)
Closing Stock (MT)
Dec 2024
3,766.86
3,656.67
110.19
Jan 2025
3,774.28
3,701.12
183.35
Feb 2025
3,689.09
3,651.14
221.30
Mar 2025
3,518.39
3,661.17
78.52
Apr 2025
3,758.44
3,706.25
130.71*
May 2025
3,605.28
3,730.76
5.23
Jun 2025
3,902.21
3,820.55
81.66
* April 2025 closing stock of 130.71 MT was returned to the supplier. May 2025 closing stock of 5.23 MT is critically low -- enough for barely a few hundred families for one month.
The Kamarajar Financial Assistance Scheme gives money to students from economically weaker families to attend college. Rs. 28.26 crore was allocated for FY 2024-25. Only Rs. 8.73 crore was actually given to students.
Less than a third of allocated money reached students. Rs. 19.53 crore meant for students was not disbursed.
Detail
Amount
Budget allocated
Rs. 28.26 Cr
Actually given to students
Rs. 8.73 Cr (31%)
Not disbursed
Rs. 19.53 Cr (69%)
Students who received money
1,601
Eligibility decided by
Private colleges (not government)
A key concern: Eligibility for this government scheme is decided by private colleges, not by the government itself. No publicly notified guidelines were issued explaining eligibility criteria or appeals mechanisms. This creates a conflict of interest and risk of arbitrary exclusion.
This final chapter asks a simple question: is your government being honest with you? We examine how thousands of crores in Central government grants go untracked and highlight the broken promises uncovered through our RTI investigation.
Central Government Grants: Rs. 3,302 Crore Goes Untracked
The Central government in Delhi sends money to Puducherry for specific purposes -- roads, education, health, etc. According to CAG (the supreme audit body), Rs. 3,302 crore was received over three years. But the Puducherry government does not separately track how this money was spent.
Blue = Central grants received. The government cannot show how this money was used because it gets mixed into general spending.
Why this matters: When Central money is not tracked separately, there is no way to know if it was used for what it was meant for. Did the road money build roads? Did the health money go to hospitals? Nobody can answer this because the money was simply mixed in with everything else.
Source: Directorate of Accounts and Treasuries, Puducherry — UC Pending Reports (2021, 2022, 2023)
When Delhi sends grant money under Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS), Puducherry must submit a Utilisation Certificate (UC) proving the money was spent for its intended purpose. A pending UC means the government took the money but never proved how it was used. As of 2024, 789 such certificates worth Rs 448.37 crore remain pending — some dating back over 30 years.
Pending UCs (2023)
789 items
up 38% from 571 in 2021
Total Unaccounted
₹448 Cr
grants received but never proven spent
Oldest Pending UC
1990-91
Agriculture dept — 33+ years old
Health Dept Spike
17x increase
Rs 2.4 Cr → Rs 41.3 Cr in 2 years
Pending UC amounts by year
Total pending amount stayed around Rs 400-470 Cr across all 3 years, but the number of items grew 38%. Source: Directorate of Accounts and Treasuries.
Top departments: pending UCs (2023)
Local Administration alone accounts for Rs 164 Cr — over a third of all pending UCs. Adi-Dravidar Welfare has had pending UCs since 1997.
Worst Offenders — Departments That Never Account for Grants
Department
2021 (Rs Cr)
2022 (Rs Cr)
2023 (Rs Cr)
Trend
Local Administration
243.53
157.19
164.28
Items 109→278
Adi-Dravidar Welfare
51.51
56.59
49.70
UCs from 1997
Town & Country Planning
39.89
50.73
48.91
Growing
Rural Development
73.83
61.30
42.29
Clearing slowly
Health & Family Welfare
2.38
14.15
41.30
17x spike
Higher & Tech Education
12.29
6.45
26.66
Doubled
Civil Supplies
9.19
9.19
17.19
Rising
Co-Operation
6.57
15.55
13.17
Volatile
Pattern: The Health department's pending UCs exploded from Rs 2.38 Cr to Rs 41.30 Cr in just two years — a 17x increase. This suggests massive Central health grants (likely COVID-related) were received but the government never submitted proof of how the money was spent. Meanwhile, Adi-Dravidar Welfare still has unaccounted grants from 1997-98 — meaning the government took money meant for Dalit welfare 27 years ago and never proved it was used.
The 257 Fraud Cases Nobody Talks About
Source: CAG Audit Report, FY 2023-24.
The Electricity Department has 257 pending cases of fraud and theft, worth Rs. 27 crore. This is 81% of all such cases across the entire Puducherry government. These cases are pending -- meaning they have been identified but not resolved.
The Electricity Department alone accounts for 81% of all pending fraud cases in Puducherry government.
Metric
Value
Pending fraud/theft cases
257
Total value
Rs. 27 Crore
Share of all government cases
81%
Average case value
Rs. 10.5 Lakh
Status
Pending (unresolved)
What We Found -- In Summary
1
Rs. 2,200 crore per year is invisible. The electricity department's spending bypasses the treasury entirely. Monthly reports capture less than 1% of actual spending.
2
Your Assembly works 24 days a year. No MLA proposed a law. No MLA raised an urgent debate. Rs. 98 lakh on a Nepal trip remains unsettled.
3
2.62 lakh families went 8 months without rice. The government owns zero storage facilities for food grains. Buffer stock is critically low.
4
Rs. 903 crore in hidden electricity subsidies. Your bill is artificially low. This debt will have to be paid -- either through higher bills or cuts to other services.
5
69% of student scholarship money was not given out. Rs. 19.53 crore allocated for the Kamarajar scheme never reached students. Eligibility is decided by private colleges, not government.
6
Rs. 3,302 crore from Delhi is untracked. Central grants are mixed into general spending with no separate accounting.
7
RTI responses are mostly evasive. Only 3 of 13 responses were rated "Mostly Good." The Assembly was the least transparent institution -- answering just 10% of questions in one response.
Data Sources Used in This Report
#
Source
Period
What It Covers
1
Monthly Treasury Reports (54 reports)
Jan 2023 - Jan 2026
All government spending through treasury
2
CAG Audit Report
FY 2023-24
Independent audit of all government finances
3
14 RTI Responses
2024-2026
Specific questions to specific departments
4
Supplementary Budget Documents
FY 2024-25
Mid-year budget revisions
5
Electricity Department Records
FY 2020-2025
Power purchase, tariffs, FPPCA data
Every fact in this report is backed by at least one official source. All data was obtained through legal means -- government publications, CAG reports, and RTI responses under the RTI Act 2005.