THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A full-strength team from international consultant firm KPMG, who is partnering the state government to chalk out the plans to rebuild Kerala post-flood, will hold a series of deliberations with the top bureaucrats on the work completed so far and the way forward. The meeting, the first brain-storming session involving the two parties, has been scheduled at the Secretariat at 11 am.
Considering its expertise and international exposure, the presence of KPMG, which has come voluntarily, should help the state in getting support from lending agencies like World Bank and ADB, whose team is already in the state.
The state government has prepared a project for `3,000-crore support from the World Bank for post-flood activities.
A top officer told Express: “The initial analysis the KPMG has made will be submitted before a group of secretaries and the deliberations will be based on it.” According to sources, the KPMG team will be eliciting the bureaucrats’ views on the rehabilitation and recovery programmes.
State Finance Minister T M Thomas Isaac had already gone on record that the total support the state requires is around `30,000 crore — `20,000 capital expenditure and `10,000 revenue expenditure.
The deliberations, according to the officer, will be focused on all verticals as KPMG has experts from various fields.
A small team of the group is already in the state, looking into the destruction and deluge.
Detailed study
The team, which arrives on Tuesday, will do a detailed study on the World Bank projects on roads and other infrastructure projects. In addition, there will be a study on the required health package, for which KPMG’s expertise will be used.
Chief Secretary Tom Jose, Additional Chief Secretary P H Kurian and other senior IAS officers from related departments post floods and devastation will attend the meeting.