Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has asked department heads to prepare projects on a time-bound basis after studying the Union government’s budget in detail so that the state can secure more funds from the Centre. The departments should assign tasks related to this to teams of officials, and instructions should be given within two weeks, the CM said. A review meeting should be conducted every month under the supervision of the Chief Secretary.

The decision was  taken in a high-level meeting held online to discuss plans to utilise the projects announced in the Union budget. There were complaints about the lackadaisical approach of the departments, which led to the failure to secure central government funds due to delays in the timely implementation of projects. Taking this into account, the CM has asked the departments to avoid delays in submitting the necessary certificates.

The government will file a representation to the central government citing the state's demands and dissatisfaction with the lack of proper allocation of funds. MPs from Kerala will be asked to put pressure on the government by raising this issue vehemently in Parliament. Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal, former minister K.V. Thomas, and top officials participated in the meeting.