Open to have meeting with Kerala government, Centre informs SC
The Centre on Tuesday informed the Supreme Court that it is open for a meeting with the Kerala government to discuss the financial issues.
Attorney General R Venkatramani apprised the bench of justices Surya Kant and KV Vishwanathan that the Union Government is open to the meeting with the Kerala Government. AG Venkatramani also submitted that it came after giving due regard to suggestions made by the court regarding the meeting of the Centre and the state government.
Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal for Kerala Government apprised the court that a delegation from Kerala can arrive on Wednesday and the meeting could take place. AG assured to arrange the meeting.
The court asked the Centre and the State governments to identify the issues of discussion among themselves. The court posted the matter for further hearing next week.
Earlier in its affidavit, the Kerala Government said that Central Government accounts for approximately 60 per cent of the total debt or outstanding liabilities of India.
In an affidavit, the Kerala Government said that Centre can’t control the debt of state and the justification put forth by the Union Government to control the borrowings of the Kerala State are fallacious, exaggerated and unjustified.
Kerala’s financial health and debt situation have attracted adverse observations from successive Finance Commissions as well as the CAG and it is one of the most financially unhealthy states as its fiscal edifice has been diagnosed with several cracks, The AG said in a note submitted before the court.