The Union Budget presented on Tuesday offers a mixed bag for Kerala, even as it left the State disappointed on many counts as many of its expectations have not been met.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal have criticised the Budget stating that it had failed to meet the expectations of the people.
The State's demands for an AIIMS-model medical institute and support for the ambitious SilverLine semi high-speed rail project also remain unaddressed in the budget. The State had sought sector-specific packages for giving a fillip to sectors such as agriculture and MSME and a special package for NRI returnees.
What the PM GatiShakti programme, which include a 25,000 km initiative to expand national highway network holds for the State remains to be seen. Such is also the case with the railway plans for 400 new Vande Bharat trains and the decision to bring 2,000 km of rail network under Kavach.
The State stands to get a share from Budget allocation of ₹ 1 lakh crore meant to assist States “in catalysing overall investments in the economy.”
MSME units in the State are expected to benefit from the decision to extend the national-level Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) for MSME up to March 2023 and expanded the guarantee cover by another ₹50,000 crore. Sops for MSME also include a decision to facilitate additional credit of ₹2 lakh crore.
That said, the State government has roundly criticised the Budget for not providing adequately for the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. According to the government, the 2022-23 allocation of ₹ 73,000 crore is ₹25,000 crore less than the revised estimates for 2021-22.
The amount for COVID vaccination also has dipped to ₹5000 crore, according to the State.
Some of the institution-specific allocations are as follows: The Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) has been earmarked ₹ 115 crore in 2022-23 while the other Department of Space facilities in Thiruvananthapuram -- Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) and the ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU) -- will benefit from a ₹ 10,534 crore allocation under the space technology component.
The Cochin Port Trust has been earmarked ₹23.88 crore, the Cochin Shipyard Ltd. ₹400 crore, and the National Centre for Earth Science Studies in Thiruvananthapuram, ₹13.9 crore.
