Kerala govt to present its budget on February 5

Thiruvananthapuram: Amidst reports of an acute financial crunch, the Pinarayi Vijayan-led CPI(M) government in Kerala will present its budget for the financial year 2024-25 on February 5.

State Finance Minister K N Balagopal will present the budget on the day during the 10th session of the assembly, beginning on January 25.

A discussion on the budget would be held from February 12 to 14, Assembly Speaker A N Shamseer told a press conference here on Tuesday.

The 32-day-long budget session would begin on January 25 and would be concluded on March 27, he said, detailing its schedule and businesses.

"The 10th session of the 15th Kerala Assembly will begin with the policy address of Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on January 25," the Speaker said.

Three days from January 29 would be dedicated to the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the Governor, he detailed.

The budget would be presented on February 5, he said, adding that the House would not be convened from February 6 to 11.

Various subject committees are scheduled to meet from February 15 to 25 for the scrutiny of the Demands for Grants, he further said.

Major bills that are likely to be considered during the upcoming session include the Kerala State Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, the Kerala Municipality (Amendment) Bill, the Kerala Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Bill, the Code of Criminal Procedure (Kerala Second Amendment) Bill, the Kerala Public Records Bill, the Malabar Hindu Religious and Charitable Institutions and Endowment Bill and so on.

The presentation of the budget by the Left government assumes significance in the wake of the reports of financial crunch suffered by various sectors in the state.