Kerala Governor Rajendra Viswanath Arlekar ,in his maiden policy address to the state Assembly on Friday, marking the start of the Budget session, emphasised the fiscal constraints state is grappling with due to diminished Central support.

In his two-hour-long address to the Assembly, he stressed that the government remains dedicated to realizing the vision of ‘Nava Keralam’, ’ notwithstanding the constraints posed by limited resources. Arlekar said that despite the state government’s efforts to mobilise its own revenue, Kerala has been facing stress on government finances due to the deferring of revenue deficit grants and cessation of GST compensation.

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In fact, Governor Arlekar’s policy address appeared to signal an arguably different dynamic in the Raj Bhavan- LDF government relationship. Through his policy address, he seemed to have pulled the gubernatorial office back to its conventional role of functioning as the state government’s voice

“Kerala’s share in the Central divisible pool has steadily declined from 3.875 per cent during the 10th Finance Commission to 1.925 per cent under the 15th Finance Commission,” he said.

Highlighting the impact of the cessation of GST compensation and revenue deficit grants, coupled with restrictive conditions on Centrally Sponsored Schemes and borrowing limitations, the Governor said , “These have posed significant fiscal challenges for my state government.”

He said the state government is committed to the completion of a township for Wayanad landslide victims within one year. He added that the government was also taking steps to address extreme poverty and housing issues. The Governor added that the aim of the government is to make Kerala a state without landless people .

“With limited resources at hand, we are doing our best to achieve the goals of providing guaranteed housing for all and eradicating extreme poverty,” he said, adding that Kerala’s development trajectory has garnered global attention from scholars.

“Our achievements have been widely acclaimed both within the country and abroad,” he said

In the agricultural sector, he said the government is in the process of doubling farmer’s income and digital disbursement of assistance will be implemented to promote rice farming. In the fisheries industry, innovative technology will be introduced in aqua culture to make it remunerative.

The Governor further said that the government will address growing non communicable diseases. Health system resilience will be enhanced through one health programme.

He said that 64,006 families in extreme poverty had been identified, with efforts underway to uplift them. Additionally, over 4.24 lakh families have been provided housing under the flagship ‘Life Mission’ scheme, with another 1.13 lakh families signing agreements for homes.

Earlier, the Governor was warmly welcomed by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Speaker AN Shamseer, and Parliamentary Affairs Minister MB Rajesh, marking his first visit to the state Assembly.