Thiruvananthapuram: Amid a severe financial crisis faced by the Kerala state government, the state Finance Department sanctioned Rs 35 lakh for purchasing a new luxurious car for Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan spark controversy. Following the controversy, the state Finance Minister, KN Balagopal, came up with a justification for spending Rs 35 lakh on the car.
Balagopal said that purchasing a Kia car worth Rs 35 lakh is not a significant issue for the state’s financial crisis. He explained that it is part of security measures for the CM to purchase Kia’s new Carnival Limousine model car, which has more security features. In response to the controversies, the state Finance Minister Balagopal stated in his reply speech that there is no situation where things will come to a standstill because of the financial crisis of the state. He also added that the state Department of Treasuries is not stopping any funds for the state.
Balagopal’s justification comes just days after Joseph, a native of Chakkittapara, committed suicide for not receiving social welfare pension from the Kerala state government. The explanation given by the Kerala government to the High Court in the petition of Adimali native Mariyakutty, who staged a protest with a begging pot for not receiving welfare pension from the state, was that it was due to a financial crisis.
In November 2023, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman criticized the Kerala government for diverting allocated funds from the Central government, spending them according to the state ministers’ preferences, and favoring certain entities.
It is noteworthy that the new Kia car purchased apart from the Toyota Innova Crysta black purchased for the CM just around 6 months back, which also faces controversy. On one side, the state government is diverting funds for the Chief Minister and other ruling Ministers’ preferences. On the other side, the state government is blaming the Central government, asserting that it is not providing funds to the state.
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