KOCHI: Finance Minister T M Thomas Isaac on Sunday courted controversy over the reimbursement of `1.2 lakh for his Ayurveda treatment bill. The controversy comes close on the heels of high medical bill reimbursed for costly glasses by his Cabinet colleague K K Shylaja and Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan. Isaac could not be contacted for his comments.
An RTI reply revealed the Finance Minister spent ` 1,20,048 for his 14-day treatment at a private Ayurveda hospital, and got the amount reimbursed. The controversy is embarrassing for the Finance Minister, who in his budget on Friday, urged the government departments to tighten the belts considering the financial crunch faced by the state. As per the RTI details, Isaac spent `79,200 as room rent, `21,990 as treatment expenses, among other things.