THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:The state government has sought an additional assistance of Rs 4,796 crore from the National Disaster Management Fund plus a special Central grant of Rs 5,000 crore for post-flood reconstruction. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan submitted a memorandum in this regard to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Tuesday.
The state government has also asked the Union Finance Ministry to hike the borrowing ceiling from 3 per cent of the GSDP to 4.5 per cent for the current fiscal. This is meant to enable the state to borrow at least `16,000 crore over a two-year period, said the CM. The PM has assured that a favourable stand would be taken, he said. The state will require at least Rs 2,530 crore for constructing houses. The CM has asked the PM to effect an increase of at least 10 per cent in Centrally-funded schemes of various government ministries. In such a scenario, the state would benefit by at least `1,000 crore, he said. The state has also placed a request before the Union Ministry for Road Transport and Highways to provide an assistance of `3,000 crore by including it under Central road fund schemes.
The CM said the World Bank and ADB will submit their study reports to the state government and the Union Finance Ministry on October 1.The state will submit a detailed memorandum to the Centre on financial assistance from the international finance agencies after that, he said. He also requested the PM’s support for the plan to send ministers abroad to seek financial assistance.