Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government will spend Rs 1,000 crore for implementing development projects proposed during the public outreach programme, Nava Kerala Sadas. The decision was announced by state Finance Minister K N Balagopal while presenting the budget on Monday. 

“A total of Rs 1,000 crore will be allocated for carrying out the development projects proposed during the Nava Kerala Sadas. In effect, it will also be an anti-recession measure and all 140 constituencies will benefit from it,” Balagopal said. He did not name the projects though.

A sum of Rs 35 crore was allocated for the formation of infrastructure projects proposed during the Nava Kerala Sadas. Of this, Rs 25 crore each will be allotted to one constituency. The projects will be finalised by top officials including the planning secretary, planning board member and secretaries of concerned departments. 

The minister said high-standard and affordable projects which envisage a future in Kerala were being planned. Balagopal termed Nava Kerala Sadas a notable chapter in the democratic system of governance. He said it was for the first time in the world that a chief minister and his entire cabinet travelled across the state and sought opinions from the people.

The massive exercise kicked off from Kasaragod on November 18, 2023, and concluded in Thiruvananthapuram on December 23. It courted several controversies, especially over how the CPM cadre and police manhandled the Congress activists who staged a series of black flag protests against it. The opposition Congress-led UDF had boycotted the event terming it political propaganda and a financial splurge.