India News | Pinarayi Vijayan Releases 'White Paper of Facts', Says 'debt Burden Came Down' During LDF's Tenure
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Rejecting the government's claims on the state's finances, Vijayan said the LDF government had reduced the debt burden during its tenure.
Thiruvananthapuram (Keralam) [India], July 14 (ANI): Keralam Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday released a "White Paper of Facts" in response to the White Paper issued by the United Democratic Front (UDF) government, claiming that it contains "factually incorrect statements"
Vijayan said the document was intended to place the facts before the people.
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"The UDF government has stuffed its White Paper with factually incorrect statements. We released the White Paper of Facts to expose these before the people," he said.
Rejecting the government's claims on the state's finances, Vijayan said the LDF government had reduced the debt burden during its tenure.
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"The claim that the state's total liabilities increased uncontrollably during the ten years of the LDF government is false. During the LDF's tenure, the debt burden actually came down. By concealing the actual figures, the present state government is propagating that the state's debt is more than Rs 5 lakh crore. The campaign that Kerala witnessed extravagance is also false," he said.
He further said, "The state government is attempting to justify the blockade-like financial policies imposed on the state by the BJP-led central government.The disruption of the programmes that had already been announced clearly indicates that there will be a breach of promises," Vijayan said.
On June 4, the White Paper on Keralam finances, tabled in the state's legislative assembly, painted a grim picture of the state's fiscal health, stating that the new United Democratic Front (UDF) government inherited a severe financial crisis marked by mounting debt, rising liabilities and persistent treasury stress.
The major findings in the financial report revealed that Keralam's total public debt has reached Rs 5.07 lakh crore, while nearly 77 per cent of the state's revenue is being spent on committed expenditures such as salaries, pensions and interest payments, leaving limited fiscal space for developmental activities.
The report noted that capital expenditure on development remains among the lowest in the country. It said Keralam's capital expenditure stands at just 1.3 per cent of its Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), one of the lowest among Indian states, despite the state running one of the highest fiscal deficits.
It further highlighted the severity of the treasury crisis, stating that the state relied on Ways and Means Advances for 262 days in 2025 and remained in overdraft for 84 days during the year.
Keralam Chief Minister Satheesan said his government has also inherited pending liabilities amounting to Rs 48,733 crore, including dearness allowance (DA) and dearness relief (DR) arrears payable to government employees and pensioners, the report said. (ANI)
(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)