Kerala FM calls for unity among communities, refers to US tariffs in Budget speech
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): The 2026-27 budget speech by Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal saw a call for "unity" among the various communities and highlighted global issues like the tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump and the incarceration of the Venezuelan President by him.
Balagopal said that "unity of Keralites" was the greatest treasure and the guarantee for the future growth and prosperity of the state.
It will help to attract foreign tourists, entrepreneurs and capital to our state, he said.
Balagopal said that the government has earmarked Rs 10 crore for a project to analytically record the history of the religious and cultural fraternity of Kerala so that people of "other lands" may also learn about it.
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It will also help to combat against the "highly venomous communal snakes" trying to destroy the unity of Kerala, he said.
"They have tried many times to poison the serenity of life in Kerala. We have so far been able to combat these poisonous elements by creating a defence of love and unity.
"But we have to realise that these venomous snakes spewing religious nationalism are not the ones who quickly admit defeat and retreat. We must see that they are active with new strategies to communally divide, polarise and subjugate the Keralites. The new strategy preached by ‘election experts’ is to stigmatise those who create the defence of public unity against communalism," Balagopal said.
He said that it was by recognising and respecting various religions and cultures that Kerala reached where it is now.
"Even in the legend of Lord Ayyappa and Vavar, there are yarns of religious harmony laced intricately together. This unity and fraternity may be astonishing to the people of many other lands.
"We have to take forward this historic fraternity of Kerala with more strength and spirit. History of the religious and cultural fraternity of Kerala has to be recorded analytically. The government intends to introduce a project for this, an amount of Rs 10 crore is earmarked for it."
Balagopal also referred to the tariff's imposed by Trump and said that his policies have created severe uncertainties in world trade and commerce.
"There is no doubt that this has adversely affected India and Kerala as well. It has also severely affected the export of our marine products," he said.
The minister further said that the central government yielding to Trump’s threats have adversely affected the state’s tax revenue.
"The details of the new free-trade agreement signed by India and the European economic community have not been revealed completely. However, there is a strong concern that this will have a negative impact on our dairy farmers and industries. In order to deal with the situation, we need to be prepared in advance," he said.
Balagopal, referring to the incarceration of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by the US, said the world was "rolling back from the democratic order" and it was quite "apprehensive".
"The incident that the head of a state is being arrested from the President's house by America and incarcerated by violating all international laws was very rare even in the dark eras of colonial rule.
"Such incidents are a warning to us as well. We, the Keralites should unite and move forward for the best interest of the state. We can overcome any crisis if we stand united for the interest of the state. Our history teaches us so. Let us uphold the interest of our state and move forward to the future, together," he said in his budget speech.
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Ayodhya GST Deputy Commissioner under probe over alleged fake disability certificate: Official
Mau (UP) (PTI): Prashant Kumar Singh, who resigned as GST Deputy Commissioner on Tuesday in protest against alleged "objectionable" remarks by Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand against Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, is under probe over the authenticity of his disability certificate, an official said here.
Mau Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Sanjay Gupta said on Wednesday that a complaint seeking re-examination of Singh's disability certificate was filed in 2021, and the investigation was being conducted at multiple levels, including the Health Department, the Office of the Divyangjan Ayog and higher administrative authorities.
After Prashant Kumar Singh announced his resignation in Ayodhya, where he has been posted, his brother Vishwajeet Singh alleged before the media that the GST officer had secured his government job using a fake disability certificate.
According to the CMO, the disability certificate in question was issued in 2009. A complaint seeking re-examination of the certificate was filed in 2021, and since then, the verification process has been underway.
“This matter has been in my knowledge since 2021 and the inquiry process has been continuing since then,” Gupta said.
He said that following the complaint, the officer was summoned twice before the divisional disability medical board for assessment of around 40 per cent disability, but he failed to appear on both occasions.
Gupta said that on December 19, the Health Department issued an official letter seeking directions from the Director General of Health Services in the matter.
A copy of the letter was also sent to the complainant, Vishwajeet Singh.
The entire case has been communicated to the office of the Divyangjan Ayog, Gupta said, adding that all required procedures at their level have been completed and further action will be taken after receiving instructions from higher authorities.
Responding to claims that the disability pertains to an eye-related condition considered rare even at the age of 50, the CMO said that only an expert medical board can give a final and authentic opinion on such issues.
"There is no pressure on me of any kind. The entire process is being carried out in a transparent manner and strictly as per rules,” Gupta said, adding that the matter is currently pending before the Divyangjan Commissioner, the Health Directorate and other higher institutions concerned.
Further action will be initiated once directions are received, he said
Singh had on Tuesday resigned in protest against Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand's alleged "objectionable" remarks against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, saying that he was deeply hurt by what he described as recent attempts to divide the country on the basis of caste and religion.
Singh said that he was stepping down in support of the government, the Constitution and the country's elected leadership.
"From the holy land of Prayagraj, Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand has made objectionable remarks against our state's elected leader, who is constitutionally holding the post," he said.
As a government servant bound by service rules, Singh said, he could not remain indifferent to such developments, he had said.
Jyotish Peeth Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati had lashed out at Chief Minister Adityanath after police allegedly stopped him and his followers from going in a chariot for a holy dip in the Ganga during the Magh Mela in Prayagraj on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya on January 18.
A day later, the Magh Mela administration issued a notice to Avimukteshwaranand, asking how he was projecting himself as the Shankaracharya of Jyotish Peeth despite a Supreme Court order saying that no religious leader could be anointed as Shankaracharya of Jyotish Peeth until the disposal of an appeal.
