Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday told Parliament that the Kerala government has not utilised disaster relief funds sanctioned by the Centre, alleging the money remains unspent.
The remarks came during a Lok Sabha exchange after Congress MP Manickam Tagore accused the Union government of bias in releasing funds to opposition-ruled states such as Tamil Nadu and Kerala. He also questioned whether conditions and delays were being used to block funds.
Responding to the charge, Sitharaman said opposition-ruled states—particularly Kerala—were not drawing down allocations made by the Centre. She said ₹311.95 crore had been approved under the National Disaster Response Fund.
She added that ₹72 crore was earmarked for rescue and relief work in Wayanad, which was affected by a landslide, but claimed the state had not used the amount so far.
