text: Kerala govt earmarks ₹20,000 crore in annual budget to tackle Covid-19 | Latest News India – Flash News24
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  Kerala govt earmarks ₹20,000 crore in annual budget to tackle Covid-19 | Latest News India
  From the Covid-19 package ₹2800 will be spent towards the health emergency situation and ₹8900 will be disbursed to people who are in crisis due to the loss of livelihood and ₹8300 towards the interest of subsidy provided to various sectors to tide over the crisis.
  PUBLISHED ON JUN 05, 2021 12:39 AM IST
  Kerala finance minister K N Balagopal on Friday presented the maiden budget of the second Pinarayi Vijayan government earmarking ₹20,000 crore to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. He also set aside ₹1000 core to provide free vaccination to people above 18 years in tune with the government's pre-poll announcement that vaccines will be made free to all residents of the state.
  Presenting the revised budget he said the government would ensure health and food for all and it will do everything possible to avert a third wave of the pandemic. He said money won't be a constraint and new revenue sources will be found after the state comes out of the pandemic. He also announced a revival package for coastal areas and aid to the successful women-oriented poverty eradication programme "Kudumbhasree." No new tax was suggested in view of the prevailing situation.
  "Money won't be a constraint in meeting health needs of people. We will do everything possible to avert a possible third wave," he said. His predecessor T M Thomas Iassac had presented a full budget in February and since the Left Front government returned to power it was a mere continuation of Issac's proposals.
  But the opposition called the budget a "sly jugglery of figures sans any substance." "It is a mere jugglery of figures to hoodwink people. The government has made no fund allocation in the budget to boost the Covid-damaged economy. And it has no idea how will increase its revenue," said opposition leader V D Satheesan.
  The two main revenue earners of the state, liquor and lottery, are in limbo with the onset of the pandemic. The state beverages corporation which runs foreign-made Indian liquor outlets in the state said recently that it suffered losses of ₹1000 crore in the last two months. The state is under lockdown since April 7.