Kerala Budget dreams: What's the takeaway for Thiruvananthapuram?

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the state budget set to be announced on January 31, the capital city is hoping the government will take their demands into consideration. While the LSGD has mooted several development projects, the district administration is expecting the government will pump in a major amount to the State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF).

District Administration

Keeping in mind the recent flood, the district administration has suggested the government to set aside a major chunk of the fund for disaster management prevention works.

"As of now, there is no separate fund provided for the mitigation fund from the state budget. Only a small amount is always sanctioned from the central budget," said a higher official of district administration.  

The district administration is expecting funding for two of its major projects - digitalisation of land records and smart revenue village offices under the revenue department. The administration has already begun the digitalisation process as it is a continuous programme under the planning project.

"Once land records become digitalised, the procedures will become more transparent. The administration has already utilised the Rs 2 crore sanctioned for the project from the previous budget. This year, the district administration is expecting to receive a higher amount," said an officer with the financial wing of the district administration.

City Corporation

As the fund for the much awaited Smart City mega-projects have already been decided, the city corporation is expecting a major hike in the General Purpose Grant.

"The General Purpose Grant is awarded for the normal working of any organisation or body. The total fund for the general purpose grant is decreasing gradually every year. Last year, the government had sanctioned an amount of Rs 37 crore for general purpose grant. We expect the government to set aside a major fund this year," said Deputy Mayor Rakhi Ravikumar.

From 2018-19 budget, the government sanctioned an amount of Rs 364.96 crore for corporation's plan fund. The state government has kept aside an amount of Rs 50 crore per year for the Rs 1,528 crore Smart City project.  

Twenty per cent of the fund will be used for housing scheme projects including the PMAY project and 10 per cent for the agriculture sector and women empowerment projects. An amount of Rs 1.26 crore was allotted for SC/ST development projects.