I am happy that Kerala has achieved remarkable economic growth, the governor said (File)
Thiruvananthapuram:
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Monday said that the recent measures to reduce the borrowing capacity of states have hampered his efforts in various social and infrastructure sectors.
The governor, while reading out the policy document of the state government in the assembly, said that financial discipline has to be enforced, there cannot be different norms for the Center and the states.
Shri Khan said that the politics of the country needs strong organs to be strong and since the states have heavy responsibilities in the social sectors, their financial position should be strong.
“Recent measures to reduce the borrowing limits of states constrain the scope of their interventions in health, education and infrastructure sectors.
The governor, in his policy address at the beginning of the budget session, said, “While fiscal discipline has to be properly enforced, there cannot be separate norms for state governments, which are not applicable to the central government. “
At the same time, he also said that he was happy to note that according to the latest report of the Reserve Bank of India on States’ Finances (2023), the Kerala Innovation Index is relatively better among the states in terms of providing and addressing environmental concerns. was better A comprehensive social safety net.
“I am happy to note that Kerala has achieved remarkable economic growth – 12 per cent at constant prices and 17 per cent at current prices,” he said.
He said that the untiring efforts of the Government of Kerala to achieve holistic and sustainable development of the State have been recognized time and again by the Central Government and prestigious international bodies.
“Kerala has been consistently ranked at the forefront of the states in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by the NITI Aayog. Kerala also leads in the overall Public Affairs Index,” Khan said.
He further said that the multidimensional poverty in Kerala is only 0.7 per cent, which is the lowest in the country.
“I am also happy to note that the concerted efforts made by my Government to improve the investment climate of the State have begun to bear fruit. My Government has taken several pioneering initiatives to make the investment climate more business friendly. Due to the progressive initiatives of the government, Kerala has improved its position in the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ ranking,” Mr Khan said.
However, the Congress-led UDF opposition in the state assembly argued that all was not as good as claimed by the governor in the policy address.
Leader of Opposition in the Assembly VD Satheesan said, “Kerala is in a very weak fiscal position. Its fiscal position is the weakest in the history of the state.” Governor.
He alleged that the state government does not have money and hence it is repeating the same statements – regarding projects – which were made in the last budget session.
Mr Satheesan said the latest policy address indicated a “compromise” between the ruling Left government in Kerala and the Governor, who had been at loggerheads over the past few months on various issues.
He further alleged, “The condition of the agreement was that no statement would be made against the Centre. That is why there was not a single sentence strongly criticizing the policies of the Central government.”
The fact is that all development activities have come to a standstill, social development schemes have stopped and the government is not able to pay pensions, Mr. Satheesan claimed.
“The government is in a difficult situation. But they are hiding the fact and saying that the financial position of the state is safe,” he said.
The 33-day budget session of the Kerala Legislative Assembly began with the Governor’s policy address and is scheduled to end on March 30.
The debate on the motion of thanks to the Governor’s address is to be held on January 25, February 1 and 2.
Finance Minister KN Balagopal will present the budget of the LDF government for the next financial year on February 3.
The legislature will debate the budget for three days from February 6 to 8.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
featured video of the day
Law Minister’s big comment on judges between Center vs Judiciary