Infrastructure.
Infrastructure.

Kerala Budget: Infrastructure projects get a major fillip

In a major push to infrastructure, the state government has allocated a total of Rs 13,000 crore for public works in the budget.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a major push to infrastructure, the state government has allocated a total of Rs 13,000 crore for public works in the budget.

The total allocation includes fund under the Works Budget, Rs 705 crore under the asset development fund of MLAs and investment from Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB). The government will also allocate Rs 612 crore for road maintenance works.  

Finance Minister Thomas Isaac said, KIIFB will invest Rs 5,628 crore for the construction of 182 roads and two state highways. KIIFB will also invest Rs 6,500 crore for the coastal highways, work on which will begin in 2017-18. The coastal highway will be integrated with the existing coastal road network.
In 2017-18, construction activities of 1,267 km long hill highway will be started. KIIFB will invest Rs 3,500 crore required for the construction of hill highways in nine districts.

for making state business-friendly

It proposes amendment to the Single Window Clearance Act-1999.  A special committee chaired by the Chief Secretary will monitor its progress.  As legislative reforms are required to improve the state’s business-friendly ranking, an Industrial Policy will soon be announced. Currently, the state is lagging in the ‘ease of doing business’ index despite havig skilled manpower and other positive social parameters.

The state’s ranking on the business-friendly chart slipped from 18 in 2015 to 20 in 2016. Among the 350 reform parameters set by the World Bank, the state has implemented just 26.96 per cent. It takes an implementation of over 75 per cent to get into the leader category. Bihar with just 16.41 per cent implementation in 2015 improved its ranking to become a ‘leader’ and was ranked at 16 in 2016.

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