Kerala's new schemes driven by duty, not poll gimmicks: Minister Balagopal

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 3 (PTI) Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal on Monday said all the new social welfare schemes announced by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan were introduced "not out of fear of losing power" but out of a sense of responsibility towards the people.

The minister said the announcements reflected the Left government’s commitment to the people of the state and that it would continue its welfare initiatives even as the union government "strangles the state exchequer" by cutting nearly Rs 50,000 crore in central funds every year.

In a detailed interview with PTI Videos, Balagopal said the opposition Congress—which had alleged that the announcements were merely an election stunt intended to burden the UDF when it returns to power in 2026—need not worry about the implementation of these schemes, as Pinarayi Vijayan’s second government has fulfilled all the promises made earlier.

"They should not be concerned about it. We were able to implement everything that was announced by the first Pinarayi government. Whatever we announce are things that we are capable of implementing, and we are ensuring these not with the notion that we will not return to power, but with the sense of responsibility that we will have to fulfil them," the minister said.

Balagopal, a senior CPI(M) leader, said all the schemes—including the increase in social security pensions, the hike in honorariums for scheme workers, and the special allowance for underprivileged job-seeking students and women—were announced after detailed Cabinet discussions and ensuring their feasibility.

He said the state’s own revenue has been growing, even as it contributes 75 per cent of the total expenditure, and that the expected revenue growth has given the government the confidence to move forward with these welfare measures.

"We have ensured ways to do that, and I need not spell out through which methods we are going to raise funds," Balagopal said.

He noted that the state’s own tax collection is expected to cross Rs 1 lakh crore this year, having already risen from Rs 53,000 crore to Rs 90,000 crore.

"So, we are expecting improvements in our revenue, and that is how we have planned the new schemes announced by the chief minister. It was not an attempt to escape responsibility or an election gimmick," he said, while accusing the union government of "financially stifling" the state by denying its dues and cutting borrowing limits.

He said that despite these challenges, the state’s total expenditure has not decreased, and all payments and social security schemes have continued without interruption.

"During the previous government, the average annual expenditure was Rs 1.15 lakh crore. In this government, we have increased it to Rs 1.75 lakh crore per year," Balagopal said.

He added that the Finance Department has been working effectively through other departments as well, without publicising all its efforts.

Rejecting the opposition’s charge that the government is pushing Kerala deeper into debt, Balagopal said, "Even the Comptroller and Auditor General has said that this is the period when Kerala has the least debt. Those are not my words." He added that, except for minor DA arrears, no other payments are pending.

"This year, we have given three DAs, and the last one was a four per cent increase. This means every government employee received between Rs 3,000 and Rs 21,000 more in their monthly salary, depending on their pay scale," he said.

Balagopal said Kerala could clear all its arrears if it had Rs 30,000 crore, and nothing more would be needed to settle outstanding dues.

"Are any contractors complaining about non-payment? The Kerala Water Authority is now raising Rs 5,000 crore to pay contractors under the Jal Jeevan Mission—a central scheme for which the Centre has not released funds to the state. The Finance Department will repay that amount to the Water Authority," he said.

He also claimed that Kerala could have made substantial investments in the public and social sectors if it had received the Rs 2.5 lakh crore allegedly denied by the Centre over the past five years.

"When I took over, in the first year, we received Rs 31,000 crore as a central grant. This year, it is less than Rs 7,000 crore—in fact, Rs 6,500 crore. That is a reduction of Rs 25,000 crore in grants alone," Balagopal said.

He said he was making these remarks on behalf of the entire state, as the issue affects everyone. "There is no Congress or BJP here; this concerns everyone in Kerala—even the newborns," he added. PTI KPK TGB SSK TGB SSK ROH