Budget 2012: Government owns Rs 8.66 lakh crore worth of assets

The government owns Rs 8.66 lakh crore worth of assets — about Rs 2 lakh crore of which is physical property like buildings, roads, bridges and machinery.

The remaining Rs 6.66 lakh crore comprises financial assets — equity shares, loans and other investments . The finance minister released details of assets as part of the Union Budget documents presented in Parliament on Friday.

Budget at ET: Budget 2012 | Union Budget | Live Union Budget Blog | Railway Budget 2012 | Budget News | Economic Survey of India 

The central government acquired physical assets worth Rs 21,879 and financial assets worth Rs 86,362 during 2010-11.

The bulk of value of government’s physical assets derives from land, valued at over Rs 1.2 lakh crore. Office and residential buildings owned by the government are valued at Rs 31,000 crore. The government also owns vehicles worth nearly Rs 2,400 crore and office equipment worth Rs 1,841 crore.

Counted among its major assets are loans and advances worth Rs 2.29 lakh crore given out by the central government to state and union territory governments, companies and foreign governments. Over Rs 1.3 lakh crore is the cumulative investment by the government in the railways.

The mandatory disclosure of assets by the government does not include assets belonging to the Union Cabinet Secretariat, central police organizations and the ministry of defense, and the departments of space and atomic energy.