Kerala fiscal squeeze.

The best finance minister of Kerala has turned into worst finance minister. There is not enough equipment in Mani’s kitty to save the State from financial crunge. The State is in the verge of financial blackout as its employees even denied salary before the X’mas, which is a phenomenon never seen in the history of Kerala.

The veteran finance minister doesn’t know how to mobilize fund in a systematic way. What he knows is a prayer in the Palayam church before the State Budget and installing more Kerala lotteries inviting more people for a state wide begging campaign. Can anyone say this unproductive, unscientific Kerala lottery is something more than public begging. Of course there are many people earn their livelihood by way of selling lottery but this is not the way for a democratic state to protect the unprivileged. Mani has an eye on pension benefits of employees also.

If the revenues have not increased as envisaged in the budget and the expenditure is far above estimates, it is due to the folly of the ministers of the state. Mani now asks to implement tax and non-tax augmenting measures that have already been approved. But before that Mani and other ministers should withdraw ministerial stay given to big defaulters. There are many corporate and abkaris as defaulters to state exchequer and it is the duty of the ministers to take immediate action to collect the dues.

Who knows it is not a ploy of finance minister to enhance to retirement age of state employees in the setting of fiscal squeeze and thereby to withhold the pension benefits of employees. The collection from staff unions in this direction has been made last year itself, it is told.

K A Solaman   
The New Indian Express published on 9-1-14