Kerala Finance Bill 2025 Sparks Debate Amid Tall Claims Allegations

The Kerala Finance Bill 2025, aiming to increase state revenue by Rs 335 crore, faced criticism from the Congress-led UDF for making exaggerated claims. Finance Minister K N Balagopal defended the bill, highlighting increased allocations despite central government constraints. The opposition dubbed it an 'election budget' lacking populist measures.

In a significant move, the Kerala Assembly passed the Finance Bill 2025 on Tuesday, designed to raise state receipts by an additional Rs 335 crore for the fiscal year 2025-26. The bill was approved through a voice vote.

While the state's Finance Minister, K N Balagopal, defended the bill's minimal taxation measures as necessary for boosting Kerala's expenditure to over two trillion rupees, the Congress-led UDF criticized it for making tall claims. The opposition argued that the proposed revenue and expenditure projections were exaggerated.

Despite facing criticism, Balagopal emphasized that the Left government's efforts were increasing Kerala's total revenue to over a lakh crore. He pointed out the increased allocations in various sectors despite central government-imposed financial constraints.

(With inputs from agencies.)