Thiruvananthapuram, June 13 (IANS). There is a lot of speculation in the political circles of Kerala regarding the less public presence of Chief Minister and Finance Minister VD Satheesan in recent times. During this time, all eyes are on his upcoming first state budget, which is to be presented on June 19.
This budget will prove to be decisive for the direction of the new government and will test Satheesan’s transformation from a vocal critic of the Pinarayi Vijayan government to a policy maker.
Ahead of the Budget, Satheesan is constantly shuttling between his official residence, Cantonment House, and the picturesque Kovalam guest house, where he is holding closed-door discussions with a select team of advisors.
At the center of these discussions is Kerala’s tight economic situation. Senior bureaucrat and his secretary Ratan U. Helping them by playing. The budget is likely to focus on identifying new revenue sources so as not to further burden the population struggling with rising costs.
It is expected that the focus will be on finding new revenue sources, so as not to put further pressure on the public struggling with rising costs.
Despite being an MLA for nearly 25 years, Satheesan’s administrative experience has mostly come from the opposition benches. But these years can now prove to be his biggest asset.
From 2006 to 2011 and again from 2016 to 2026, Satheesan was one of the most vocal voices questioning the financial management of Left governments. He repeatedly challenged former finance ministers Thomas Isaac and later KN Balagopal, analyzed their budgets, and raised questions on debt, expenditure, and revenue. Now, the same questions are coming before them again.
The white paper released on May 29 has limited their options. The challenge before Satheesan is not just to present the budget, but to convince the general public that it will provide them relief.
Will the fuel cess imposed earlier be withdrawn, thereby bringing down petrol and diesel prices? Will government employees get relief through payment of long pending Dearness Allowance (DA)? After women get the benefit of free travel in state-run normal buses from Monday, June 15, will the government announce more schemes for them?
–IANS
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