Maharashtra’s World Bank Loan Trap: “Climate Project or Cash Drain?”

Part VI : From Progress to Debt Trap: Maharashtra’s Interest Bill Explodes

State paid ₹226 Cr interest in just one year — proof that loans sold as ‘progress’ have become a fiscal noose.

X : @vivekbhavsar

For two decades, successive governments in Maharashtra sold World Bank loans as badges of “global expertise” and “development.” The annexures tell a darker truth.

From barely ₹20–30 crore in annual interest in the 2000s, Maharashtra today shells out ₹367 crore a year — not on schools or hospitals, but just to service interest on these loans. One project alone, the Climate Resilient Agriculture Scheme, sucked out ₹226 crore in 2024–25.

This is not finance. This is fiscal bleeding.

The Decadal Burden

• 2000s: manageable — interest around ₹20–35 crore a year.
• 2010s: escalation — projects like Water Sector Improvement and MUTP-2A pushed annual outgo past ₹100 crore.
• 2020s: crisis — Climate Resilient Agriculture and Agribusiness sent costs skyrocketing to nearly ₹400 crore a year.

The Costliest Culprit Climate Resilient Agriculture (2018) – ₹226 crore in a single year.

1. MUTP-2A (2010) – nearly ₹50 crore in 2024–25.
2. Water Sector Improvement (2005) – bled consistently for 15 years.
3. Sustainable Urban Transport (2010) – ₹10+ crore every year.
4. Agribusiness & Rural Transformation (2020) – fast-rising, ₹18 crore last year.

The Pattern

Every decade, governments piled new loans on old ones. The burden grew layer by layer. Today, interest alone costs more than Maharashtra’s entire loan portfolio did in the early 2000s.

This is not about “development.” This is about debt traps dressed up as progress.

Also Read: Maharashtra’s World Bank Loan Trap: Hidden Costs Bleeding the State

Also Read: Maharashtra’s World Bank Loan Trap: The True Cost of Borrowing

Also Read: Maharashtra’s World Bank Loan Trap: Case Studies of Costly Projects

Also Read: Maharashtra’s World Bank Loan Trap: The Escalation Over Two Decades

Also Read: Maharashtra’s World Bank Loan Trap: Policy Questions & The Way Forward