Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday informed Kerala’s Special Representative in Delhi, Prof K V Thomas, that the delay in releasing funds to the state for national highway land acquisition was because similar payments were being processed for other states as well.
Prof Thomas met Sitharaman at Kartavya Bhavan in New Delhi ahead of the Union Budget. During the meeting, he raised concerns earlier highlighted by Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal at the pre Budget consultation held this month.
One of the main demands discussed was the reimbursement of nearly Rs 10,000 crore spent by Kerala on acquiring land for national highway projects, the highest such expenditure by any state. Prof Thomas also urged the Centre to release around Rs 8,000 crore pending as GST compensation to the state.
The meeting also covered Kerala’s long standing demand for an AIIMS and steps to improve access to financial support for small scale industries in the state, according to an official press note.
The discussions were a continuation of issues raised by Balagopal in his earlier talks with the Union finance minister.
