Kerala's spending revenue increased despite Centre's restrictions Balagopal

Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 19 (PTI) Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal on Wednesday claimed that despite financial restrictions by the Centre, the state's expenditure has increased and the changes due to it are clearly visible in all areas, including roads, schools and hospital buildings.
    He made the assertion while rejecting the Congress-led UDF allegations in the Assembly of slow paced development in the state, lack of benefits for the public and excessive taxation by the LDF government.
    Balagopal, speaking during the discussion on the motion for referring the Kerala Finance Bill 2025 to the Subject Committee, said that the government's fiscal management has led to an increase in revenue and expenditure and takes into consideration all sectors of the state.
    "The change in Kerala is visible from Kasaragod to Parassala. The changes in all areas, from roads, schools, hospital buildings, etc., are clearly visible," he said.
    He also said that the increase in taxes mentioned in the Budget for 2025-26 are small.
    Citing Treasury figures, the minister said that 73 per cent of the state's planned expenditure has been completed and the local bodies' project allocation has reached 94.5 per cent.
    He said this in response to Leader of Opposition in the Assembly V D Satheesan's contention that as on date the planned expenditure was only 54 per cent with just 12 days remaining in the financial year.
    Balagopal said that despite the financial restrictions imposed upon the state by the Centre, it was surviving, without any of its development and welfare activities being hampered, by significantly increasing its own revenue.
    He said that the tax revenue has reached Rs 81,627 crore in 2024-25 from Rs 25,718 crore in 2011-12 and that the target for the next financial year was Rs 91,515 crore.
    Similarly, the non-tax revenue has also witnessed a substantial increase during the same period and was expected to rise even more in 2025-26, he added.
    At the same time, the Centre's share in the state's revenue was decreasing significantly every year and has witnessed a decline of 20 per cent since 2020-21, the minister claimed.
    Balagopal said that despite all the efforts made by the state government, the opposition was only focused on criticising and defaming it.
    He also urged the UDF opposition to understand the alleged "double standards" of the BJP with regard to the ASHA workers' protest as the saffron party's government at the Centre was responsible for increasing the honorarium of the Accredited Social Health Activists.
    "They (BJP) support the ASHA workers protest here and a union minister comes here and makes promises, but the central government does nothing," he contended.
    Balagopal said that there has to be a collective effort to oppose the central government's fiscal policy with regard to non-BJP ruled states as many opposition governments, including in Telangana and Karnataka, were facing financial problems.
    The UDF opposition, during the discussion on the motion, accused the Left government of imposing excessive taxes on the public while not providing any benefits for them in exchange, by referring to the protests by ASHA and Anganwadi workers outside the Secretariat here.
    They also claimed that various developmental activities, like the rail and road connectivity to Vizhinjam port, the Thiruvananthapuram metro project and Azheekal port project, in the state have not taken off despite being announced several years ago.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)