Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan
| Photo Credit: THULASI KAKKAT
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has claimed that “a partially correct picture” about Kerala’s financial status is being spread by a section of people.
He was speaking at an event to mark the fourth anniversary of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government at a convention centre at Cheruvannur in Kozhikode district on Tuesday (May 13, 2025).
Mr. Vijayan said that those who were supposed to portray a clear picture about the State were not doing their job to protect their own vested interests. The real picture was being covered up and the changes happening in Kerala were not being presented, he said.
“The message coming out is that there is a severe financial crisis here. That is only partially correct. It is also being claimed that development works are not being taken up in the State. This is factually incorrect,” Mr. Vijayan said.
Development works
The Chief Minister pointed out that the government had been able to take up development works by increasing its own revenue over these years.
He said that the State’s own tax revenue had increased from ₹47,000 crore to ₹81,000 crore in three years. In the 2023-24 financial year, the contribution of own revenue to the State’s total revenue was 72.84%. The State’s total revenue had also gone up from ₹55,000 to ₹1,04,000 crore in three years, Mr. Vijayan claimed.
He alleged that those who portray a wrong picture about the State were not interested in its development. “People with such anti-development mindset need to be called out,” Mr. Vijayan said.
He said another propaganda being spread was that the State’s debt burden was exorbitantly high. The public debt of a State can be calculated only after comparing it with domestic production. If there was a huge difference between the domestic production and the public debt, it was a cause for concern, he said.
“In Kerala’s case, this difference is found to have been declining over the years,” he said.
The Chief Minister also spoke about the steps being taken to promote private investment in the State and reduce extreme poverty.
An interaction with select 500 people from various walks of society was also held.
Minister for Public Works P.A. Mohamed Riyas, Kozhikode Mayor Beena Philip, among others, were present.
Published – May 13, 2025 01:06 pm IST
