A day after being sworn into office, the UDF government in Kerala on Tuesday formed an expert committee to study the state’s finances and prepare a white paper within 10 days.
Chief minister VD Satheesan chaired the first meeting of the special committee on Tuesday, said an official familiar with the matter. Former vice-chairperson of the State Planning Board KR Jyothilal will head the committee, which will also include KR Jyothilal, additional chief secretary (finance), D Narayana, former director of Gulati Institute of Finance and Taxation and C Veeramani, director of the Centre for Development Studies in Thiruvananthapuram.
The “white paper” will help the state government in finding new avenues to bolster revenues and plan a schedule to implement many of its election guarantees, including a hike in social welfare pensions, aid for female college students and free rides in state-run buses for women.
Satheesan, in a press meet after his swearing-in on Monday, promised that the government would assess the current liabilities of the state in terms of salaries and pensions— areas where it is incurring heavy expenditure— as well as sectors displaying a revenue downfall. The white paper will also the handling of state finances under the decade-long LDF regime under former CM Pinarayi Vijayan.
In 2023, Satheesan, then the Leader of Opposition, had brought out a ‘white paper’ in the Assembly to flag the state’s heavy public debt.
{{/usCountry}}In 2023, Satheesan, then the Leader of Opposition, had brought out a ‘white paper’ in the Assembly to flag the state’s heavy public debt.
{{/usCountry}}After Satheesan was chosen as the CM, senior Congress leader AK Antony had asked the public to give the new administration some ‘breathing space’ to implement its promises .