Kerala seeks urgent financial aid for Wayanad; KV Thomas meets FM Nirmala Sitharaman

By Aishwarya Nair | First Published Oct 10, 2024, 3:23 PM IST

Kerala's special representative in Delhi, Prof. K.V. Thomas, met with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to request immediate central assistance for the Wayanad disaster and to address pending GST issues raised by the state.

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala's special representative in Delhi, Prof. K.V. Thomas, met with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to request urgent central assistance for the Wayanad disaster and to push for swift decisions on issues related to GST raised by the state. The meeting took place at the Union Finance Minister's office.

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KV Thomas, in a press release, stated that the Union Minister assured him she would discuss the matter with the Prime Minister and take swift action to release aid for Wayanad. Thomas highlighted that despite several states receiving central assistance following natural disasters, Kerala has yet to receive aid. The Union Minister explained that the delay was due to certain differences between central and Kerala guidelines.

Sitharaman assured KV Thomas that the GST issues raised by Kerala would be resolved soon. She mentioned that she has already had multiple discussions with Kerala’s Finance Minister and, if necessary, further talks could be held in the presence of the Chief Minister to address any remaining concerns. Kerala’s position is that the current 60-40 central-state GST revenue sharing should be revised to 50-50, and cess and surcharges should gradually be phased out, ensuring a fixed percentage of all revenues is allocated to states.

Kerala also requested a more flexible approach from the central government regarding loans for state development and financial needs. The Union Minister promised to address these matters shortly.

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