Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government has sanctioned an additional ₹5 lakh towards the air travel expenses of K.V. Thomas, the state’s Special Representative in New Delhi. The order for the supplementary fund was issued yesterday by the Finance Budget Wing.
Details of the Sanction
The additional amount was approved under the budget head 2052- 092- 93- 04- 1. This fund will be disbursed to Odappek, the agency that booked the flight tickets.
- The same budget head is also used to cover the travel expenses of the Resident Commissioner.
- The current order explicitly states that the additional funds are sanctioned for the air travel of both officials.
- However, it’s noted that the Resident Commissioner’s visits to Kerala are rare.
- Significantly, nearly 90% of the expenditure under this specific budget head is reportedly spent on K.V. Thomas’s air travel.
Initial Budget and Escalating Demands
The initial budget allocation under this head was ₹5 lakh. However, the General Administration Department (GAD) had requested an additional ₹6.31 lakh, arguing the existing budget was insufficient.
The GAD’s request to the Subject Committee was to increase the total sanctioned amount to ₹11.31 lakh, explicitly stating that the increase was necessary as K.V. Thomas’s air travel expenses are met from this fund.
Controversy and Future Expenditure
Despite the denial, with four months remaining in the current financial year, it is anticipated that K.V. Thomas will undertake several more trips between Kerala and Delhi. This suggests that lakhs more will be spent from the public exchequer for his travel.
Critics question the benefit the state has derived from appointing K.V. Thomas, who holds a Cabinet rank, as the special representative.
The report also alleges a political quid pro quo, suggesting that the hefty expenditure is a form of political compensation. It links K.V. Thomas to facilitating a confidential discussion in Delhi between Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during the height of the Veena Vijayan “masappadi” (monthly payment) case controversy. The implication is that the government is providing him with lakhs in public funds to stay in his position for the remainder of its term as a return favor.
