Kerala unveils round-table mechanism to fast-track budget project delivery
Kerala will hold round-table conferences from Sept 16-18 to plan implementation of 73 budget projects, aiming to fix delays and improve coordination.
The Kerala government has approved a new mechanism to ensure that projects announced in the state Budget are implemented on time and with greater efficiency. Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan announced the decision after the State Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, stating that the initiative is designed to address past delays and strengthen the credibility of Budget announcements.
As part of the plan, the government will organise round-table conferences in Thiruvananthapuram from September 16 to 18. The sessions will bring together officials from various departments along with think tanks, policy experts, academics, research institutions, development partners, financial bodies, investors, industry representatives, and startups. The aim is to develop detailed implementation plans for major projects.
The revised Budget had announced 73 projects spanning over 40 departments. Of these, 63 require coordination across multiple departments, while the rest fall under individual departments. The Chief Minister noted that inter-departmental coordination has often been a major cause of project delays. The new mechanism seeks to address this by clearly defining responsibilities, setting implementation timelines, and determining suitable implementation and economic models for each project.
The projects have been grouped into six clusters, with 34 selected for detailed discussions. A knowledge partner has been appointed to support the exercise. The round-table conferences will assess each project's scope, strategic objectives, and key components, after which Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) will be prepared.
Satheesan added that terms of reference for the exercise have already been prepared, and projects were categorised and allotted to respective departments at the time of the Budget announcement.
In other decisions, the Cabinet appointed a panel of senior advocates to handle cases on behalf of the state. It also raised the retirement age of District Judicial Officers to 62 years, following Supreme Court directions. Former Kerala High Court judge C. Pratheep Kumar was appointed Ombudsman for Local Self-Government Institutions. Additionally, the Cabinet sanctioned ₹5 lakh from the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund to the survivor of an assault in the ICU of Kozhikode Government Medical College in 2023.