Fund-raising plan: Kerala and Centre to hold talks

Sources said that Kerala would submit before the North Block officials the urgent requirement of a sum of Rs 50,000 crore to overcome the financial crisis, including payment of salaries.
Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal.
Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal.File photo

KOCHI : An official-level meeting between Kerala and the Centre will be held in Delhi on Friday to resolve the financial crisis faced by the state.

This follows the Supreme Court direction on Wednesday to Kerala and the Centre to hold a meeting and find a solution to the issue.

Sources said that Kerala would submit before the North Block officials the urgent requirement of a sum of Rs 50,000 crore to overcome the financial crisis, including payment of salaries.

Kapil Sibal, appearing for Kerala, on Wednesday submitted before the apex court that a total of Rs 13,608 crore additional borrowing was within the entitlement of the state but it would require Rs 50,000 crore to fully tide over the current financial crisis.

This will be the second meeting between Kerala and the Central government within a matter of weeks to resolve the financial crisis faced by the state.

Earlier, a four-member delegation led by Finance Minister K N Balagopal met top Union finance ministry officials on February 15 in Delhi.

The interaction happened after the prodding by the apex court on February 13.

However, the meeting did not yield any “breakthrough”, according to Balagopal.

The intervention of the Supreme Court came after the Kerala government approached the apex court alleging that the Centre was encroaching upon its exclusive powers to manage state finances by imposing borrowing restrictions.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will travel to to Delhi on Sunday and has lined up meetings on Sunday and Monday.

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