THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Despite facing a severe financial crisis, the Kerala government has approved a significant increase—over three times the previous amount—in the funds allocated to the Governor’s office (Raj Bhavan). Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal issued an order sanctioning an additional ₹25 lakh under the head of ‘Discretionary Grants’ for the Raj Bhavan.
The special allocation was made by relaxing treasury controls based on the direct instruction of the Chief Minister.
The budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year already earmarks ₹25 lakh under this specific head. The newly sanctioned additional ₹25 lakh takes the Governor’s expense under the Discretionary Grants to a staggering ₹50 lakh. This figure marks an increase of over three times compared to the expenditure of ₹16.25 lakh in the 2023-24 financial year under the same category. The order for releasing the funds was issued by the Finance Department yesterday.
Neither the government nor the Governor has provided a clarification on the necessity for such a large additional sum. The Raj Bhavan’s Additional Chief Secretary had requested the funds in a letter to the Chief Minister on August 18. The current financial year’s budget allocation for the Raj Bhavan’s overall expenses is ₹13.94 crore. With this extra grant, the total expenditure for the Raj Bhavan is set to escalate sharply this fiscal year.
