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Kerala Cabinet on Wednesday approved the draft white paper on the financial position of the State.
The white paper will be presented to the Assembly on Thursday.
The Cabinet decided to take over four schools which had been closed down under orders from the courts.
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Thiruvananthapuram: Tax evasion is the main reason that caused financial crisis of the State, Finance Minister T .M. Thomas Isaac said in the Assembly on Wednesday.
In reply to a question from K. V. Abdul Khader (CPI-M), the Minister said that high rates of corruption, outdated technologies in Commercial Taxes Department and inefficiency in revenue collections led to revenue loss. Stays issued on tax collection resulted in mounting of arrears. Of the tax arrears of Rs. 12,906 crore, Rs. 76 crore was under dispute.
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Chief Minister Pinarai Vijayan told the Assembly on Wednesday that the government would not resort to any vindictive transfers against employees belonging to pro-Opposition unions.
The Chief Minister was responding to a notice given by P. T. Thomas (Congress) for moving an adjournment motion seeking discussion on large scale transfer of government employees by the new government.
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CPI Member V. Sasi was elected as Deputy Speaker of Kerala Assembly on Wednesday.
Mr. Sasi won 90 against 45 polled by I. C. Balakrishnan of Congress. One vote was declared invalid. Five members including O. Rajagopal (BJP) did not vote. (Two UDF members and one LDF member were absent).
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Thiruvananthapuram: The Assembly began a three day discussion on the motion of thanks to the Governor for his address on Tuesday.
S. Sarma (CPI-M), who moved the motion, said that the people’s mandate for the LDF was to present a corruption free government and overcome the crisis in various spheres.
The previous government had failed to spend Plan funds totalling Rs. 26000 crores. Under its rule, growth in various sectors such as agriculture, industries and real estate had slackened. It had failed take any remedial steps.
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