February 13, 2018

Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board: A Frankenstein’s monster or economy’s saviour?

Like the previous budget, the present budget can also be termed a ‘KIIFB budget’, as many of the proposed projects will be routed through KIIFB The Economic Review 2017–18 tabled in the Assembly on February 1, 2018, highlighted the critical […]
February 1, 2018

Kerala Budget: Time to Change the Tune or Face the Music

The Finance Minister of Kerala, Thomas Issac, will be presenting the budget for the financial year 2018–19 on February 2, 2017, a day after the presentation of the Union Budget. The timing of the budget is crucial, as the state’s […]
October 12, 2017

Kerala Wants To Revive Its Failing Economy By Infrastructure Investment Fund Board. This Will Do More Harm Than Good

Kerala is known for its achievements in the fields of healthcare and education. With its health and education indicators on a par with the developed economies, the Kerala model of development has been acclaimed across quarters. The key aspect of […]
December 13, 2016

The Unique Case of Kerala’s Treasury System

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement on November 8, withdrawing the legal tender status of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes has received sundry response from different quarters. Even though various state governments have raised their concerns regarding demonetisation, opposition from […]
August 31, 2016

Fall of Remittance Economy ?

The South Indian state of Kerala is often slated for its low level of industrialisation and deteriorating agriculture sector, subduing employment generation in the state. The unemployment rate of Kerala stands at 7.4%, which is more than three times the […]
August 11, 2016

Shrinking remittances may push Kerala into recession: Thomas Isaac; Livemint, Aug 11 2016

Remittances from the Gulf countries, estimated to be over Rs1 trillion every year by state-level banks, constitute 35% of Kerala’s gross state domestic product Nidheesh M.K. | Aug 11 2016 Kochi: Many Indian workers in the Gulf are losing their […]
August 10, 2016

All Eyes on GST: How Will Kerala Benefit?

The implementation of the long-pending indirect tax reform – Goods and Services Tax (GST) – has become closer to reality with the passing of the GST Constitutional Amendment Bill in the Rajya Sabha on August 3, 2016 and further with approval of […]
July 14, 2016

Kerala Budget: More Political Than Economic?

By Deepthi Mary Mathew and D Dhanuraj* Even before presenting the first budget of the LDF government, Finance Minister Thomas Issac took an anticipatory bail by publishing a White Paper on the State’s finances. It portrayed the dismal condition of the […]
July 13, 2016

The Case of Taxing the Poor Burger in Kerala

Rahul V Kumar, Research Consultant at Centre for Public Policy Research, writes about the recently introduced fat tax by Finance Minister of Kerala in the Kerala Budget 2016-17. In this blog he asks the question of, how do we define […]
July 12, 2016

Downsize Kerala Government to overcome Fiscal Crisis!!

Deepthi Mary Mathew, Research Associate, CPPR-Centre for Comparative Studies, comments on the present fiscal crisis encountered by the Kerala State and suggests downsizing the Government to overcome this crisis.
July 8, 2016

Kerala imposes fat tax on burgers, pizzas in budget; LiveMint, 8th July, 2016

The Kerala budget presented by finance minister Thomas Isaac focuses on strengthening social welfare schemes, public health and education Fri, Jul 08 2016 04 02 PM IST | LiveMint | Nidheesh M.K. Bengaluru: Kerala’s newly elected Left Democratic Front government’s maiden […]
July 7, 2016

Budget Analysis

Tomorrow’s budget is expected to give pointers on the LDF government’s approach to tackling the fiscal challenges that the state is confronting with for the last two decades. The big question is whether the finance minister Dr. Thomas Isaac will […]
June 2, 2016

What should be Kerala Finance Minister Isaac’s top priorities? Experts speak out; The News Minute, 1st June 2016

E-governance, tax administration, encouragement for the startup ecosystem were some of the top priorities they identified. TNM Staff| Wednesday, June 1, 2016 – 11:10 The new LDF government in Kerala rode into power on the promise of “setting things right”, […]
November 14, 2012

How to cut corners – The Times of India

 The Times of India ,  Nov 14, 2012 KOCHI: Cutting down on family expenditure and borrowing could be two strategies that are likely to be adopted by families to cope with rising prices. Nutrition, healthcare and education could be the prime […]
July 1, 2012

Corps in State in Deep Crisis: Mayor and City Development: Seminar ,Saturday 30th of June 2012