THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday said stern action will be taken against the ineligible persons who received assistance from the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) and also those who helped them. He was replying to the discussion on the demand for grants in the assembly.
The CM reiterated that Vigilance was asked to investigate by his office. The office had suspicions over some applications. Follow-up action will be taken on the malpractice identified by the Vigilance. The CMDRF operations are transparent and are subject to the CAG audit.
The CM also listed the collection and spending from the different accounts of CMDRF. Rs 4970.29 crore was received for flood relief and Rs 4627.64 crore was spent. Rs 108.59 crore was received for Ockhi relief and Rs 119.34 crore was spent. Rs 1029.01 crore was received for the Covid-19 relief and Rs 1028.06 crore was spent. This government has distributed a total of Rs 462.62 crore on 246522 applications received for assistance until January 31, 2023.
Plan outlay
The CM said the plan outlay for 2023-24 was Rs 39640 crore. Of this 27% is earmarked for local self-government. The debt -GSDP ratio of the state is declining. The fiscal deficit of the state was 4.57% of GSDP in 2020-21. It dipped to 3.61% in 2022-23, and the target for 2023-24 is 3.50%.
The revenue deficit was 2.60% in 2020-21 and it was brought down to 1.96% in 2022-23. These figures show that the government was not inefficient. The state is facing some problems due to the wrong policies of the central government. The own tax revenue of the state has achieved over 20% growth. This is double the growth rate seen during the previous UDF government.
K-FON
K-FON cable laying is complete for 6500 km. Connection equipment has been installed in 26057 offices. Internet connectivity has been given to 11832 offices or institutions. A free connection will be given to 100 families below the poverty line in all assembly constituencies.
‘Kerala roads better than New York's'
The CM recalled his recent meeting with an NRK friend to prove his point that Kerala achieved international-level development. The NRK came along with his son and wife. “The son is pursuing MD in New York and was visiting Kerala after so many years,” Pinarayi said.
“His mother’s house is in Thrissur and her sister resides in Palakkad. So he had to travel on the Thrissur-Palakkad road. The boy was amazed to see the changes here. He said Kerala had changed tremendously. He said the roads here are better than those in New York,” the CM said.
“He was astonished by the journey through that tunnel on the road. He had visited Kerala as a child before,” he added. Pinarayi said the woman too praised the changes here. “His mother said not just the road, Kerala has achieved changes in various fields. People are recognising the changes and are proud,” he said.