Upcoming foreign tours of Ministers have drawn flak from the Opposition.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and General Education Minister V. Sivankutty are visiting Britain, Norway, and Finland purportedly at the invitation of the foreign governments.
Officials said the Ministers would evaluate the mode of education in the European nations and weigh whether it held any lessons for Kerala. The Ministers would also use the trip to woo investment.
Tourism Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas is scheduled to travel to Paris to attend an international travel mart. He hopes to use the visit to spotlight Kerala as an international tourist destination. Cooperation Minister V.N. Vasavan is reportedly travelling to Bahrain for official purposes.
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president K. Sudhakaran said Mr. Vijayan and his Cabinet colleagues were junketing off to luxurious foreign destinations when the State's financial situation was shaky. Kerala's monthly expenditure pegged at ₹14,500 crore had exceeded ₹15,000 crore post-Onam. The State's spending had grossly exceeded its revenue. Kerala might slip into overdraft. However, Mr. Vijayan appeared to care less.
Mr. Sudhakaran said Mr. Vijayan's earlier trip to Europe ostensibly to study river management had yielded Kerala no tangible benefit.
Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal defended the foreign tours. It was essential for Kerala's development. The State was a ₹10-lakh crore economy and booming market. Kerala bought more Mercedes Benz cars than Oman.
Foreign trips are not confined to Ministers and officials alone. The government is sponsoring farmers to go abroad and study new cultivation methods to improve yield and beat climate change.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) State secretary M. Govindan also defended the tours. He said they were imperative for Kerala's progress and development. He said official tours made no dent in the State's public finances. Indeed, they opened avenues to increase revenue by ushering in fast-paced development.
The foreign tours have also triggered a public debate. Social media was awash with memes trolling the government. They also prompted recriminations from the television media commentariat.
