THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A special meeting of the cabinet has decided to recommend to the Governor the promulgation of three ordinances as a special session of the Assembly could not be convened on July 27 for the purpose.While one of the ordinances relates to the extension of the time-frame for passage of the Finance Bill, the other aims at facilitating additional borrowing by the state. A third ordinance, relating to the increase in monthly payment towards the welfare fund board, will also be promulgated.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the Kerala Provisional Collection of Revenues Act, 1985, will be amended to increase the time-frame from 120 days to 180 days for the passage of Finance Bill. Though a special session of the Assembly was slated on July 27 to pass the Finance Bill 2020-21 before it lapsed, it had to be deferred due to the Covid situation. Hence, the government decided to increase the time-frame for the passage of the Bill, Pinarayi said.
He said the Centre has allowed the state to secure an additional loan of `1,471 crore, subject to amendments in the Fiscal Responsibility Act. However, the Assembly could not be convened to enact the amendments. As per the Fiscal Responsibility Act, the state’s fiscal deficit should be maintained below three per cent of the GSDP. The ordinance, to amend this provision of the Act, will be promulgated to obtain the additional loan, the CM said.
Another ordinance, he said, will be promulgated to increase the monthly payment of employee and employer towards the welfare fund board. This increase will be applicable for workers in the plantation sector as well as those engaged in self-employment.
‘No lockdown, but strict restrictions in worst-affected areas’
T’Puram: The cabinet has decided against imposing a total lockdown in the state, on the basis of opinion gathered from various quarters, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said. Instead, restrictions will be strictly imposed in worst-affected areas in the wake of feedback that the curbs were eased a little in some areas. “It was decided that cluster-oriented strict curbs should be enforced,” Pinarayi told reporters.