Keralam’s Kochi Corporation in a tight spot over Plan fund utilisation
So far, the Corporation has received only ₹7.89 crore of ₹23.67 crore Plan fund allocation from State govt. However, even this has effectively been reduced to ₹80.70 lakh after deductions at source
As the fiscal year nears its end, the Kochi Corporation finds itself in a precarious situation regarding the utilization of Plan funds. The Corporation has only received a fraction of the ₹23.67 crore allocation from the Keralam government, with the actual amount after deductions standing at ₹80.70 lakh. This reduction in funds has been criticized by the Opposition LDF, who argue that the State government's allocation has been drastically cut from the previous LDF government's ₹133 crore.
Furthermore, the funds have yet to be provided for the LIFE Mission and scholarships for over 50 differently abled applicants from the previous year. The Corporation is currently having to rely on its own funds to execute works that were tendered, as approval for projects has been secured from the District Planning Committee through loans.
However, Mayor V.K. Minimol has defended the Corporation, stating that it effectively has more funds than ever before, citing the Central Finance Commission grant of around ₹83 crore in tied and untied grants, along with the State government's allocation of ₹23.67 crore. Despite this, the Central government allocations are still pending.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
