Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal
Credit: PTI Photo
Thiruvananthapuram: A meeting held by the Kerala government with the Centre on finances remained inconclusive.
Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal, who led the state delegation, told reporters in Delhi that the centre did not respond positively to any of the woes of Kerala.
Even as the discussion was held as advised by the Supreme Court, the finance ministry officials were maintaining that the case filed by the state against the Centre for interfering into state's finances was a hindrance for taking decisions, said Balagopal.
He also said that official level meetings would continue.
The discussions were held as suggested by the Supreme Court while considering a petition filed by Kerala government accusing the Centre of interfering into state's finances.
Kerala government had also staged a demonstration led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in Delhi in this regard.
Meanwhile, a report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) tabled in the Kerala assembly on Thursday also stated that borrowings by the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) should be also considered as state's liabilities. The CAG also cautioned that increasing off budget borrowings by the state government would lead the state to a debt trap.
The Kerala government has been opposing the Centre's contention that borrowings by KIIFB need to be considered as state's borrowings. Borrowings by KIIFB was one reason cited by the centre for reducing borrowings limits of Kerala.