LDF govt fails to submit funds utilisation certificates to Centre

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government has failed to submit the utilisation certificate for the first instalments of funds it received under various central schemes, said a top Kerala BJP leader on Monday.

State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Kummanem Rajasekheran said this after holding a meeting of lawmakers of the party from Kerala.

The BJP’s two Members of Parliament from the state — Suresh Gopi and Richard Hey, the Anglo-Indian nominee — attended the meeting convened by Rajasekheran. Besides, Kerala Assembly legislator O. Rajagopal and Rajeev Chandrasekher, a Keralite who is a Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka, were also present.

“After collecting the first instalments in various centrally-sponsored schemes, the state government has failed to submit the utilisation certificate and hence the second instalment is not being issued. Without doing it (submitting the certificate), there is no use blaming the Centre,” said Rajasekheran.

The meeting also decided to ensure that from now on, a team of experts conducted detailed studies in various fields here and submitted report to the Centre to seek their help in moving forward.

“The traditional industries in Kerala are in a bad shape and we have already brought it to the attention of Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani, who has promised to visit Kerala and look into the issue,” said the state BJP chief.

The meeting also decided to form a cell in Delhi that would take up all issues concerning Kerala with the Centre.

The meeting was called to take stock of the various issues that need to be presented before BJP National President Amit Shah, who will be in the state for three days in the first week of June.