Thiruvananthapuram: Following the extravagant ‘Keraleeyam’ program, the state government is now set to organise a tennis tournament in the name of the Chief Minister. While grappling with a severe economic crisis, the government’s decision to host the ‘CMS Cup International Tennis Tournament’ has raised eyebrows. A sum of Rs 40 lakh has been allocated for this event, a move that comes on the heels of the Finance Department’s recent approval of Rs 13 lakh for the Speaker’s trip to Ghana.
The government’s extravagant spending on such events, despite the state’s dire financial situation, has drawn sharp criticism. The Gulati Institute of Finance and Taxation, a state-run institution, has identified an alarming increase in the state’s public debt.
Simultaneously, Kerala has been constantly requesting additional borrowing capacity from the central government. If this pattern persists, the state could find itself in a precarious situation where borrowing is primarily used for the repayment of existing debt. Even though the state’s own institutions have sounded this warning, the government continues to overspend, potentially leading to a severe crisis in the near future.
