The Enforcement Directorate has issued a Rs 466-crore FEMA show cause notice to Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, former finance minister Thomas Issac, and the CM's chief principal secretary K M Abraham in the KIIFB Masala Bond case.
The Kerala government's budget for 2010-11 also proposed to extend the ambit of welfare schemes like employment guarantee and food subsidy, reduce taxes on tourism, beer and wine and impose fresh ones on direct to home services and jewellery shop owners.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he congratulated his friend T M Thomas Issac for, what he sarcastically said, taking over as "Finance Minister of Somalia".
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, along with his ministers, sat on a dharna in front of the Reserve Bank of India office in Thiruvananthapuram protesting against the Centre's move to "destroy" the cooperative sector in the state under the cover of demonetisation process and also took pot shots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The budget, presented by Finance Minister Thomas Issac, focused on infrastructure development, strengthening of social welfare measures, steps to enhance safety of women, giving impetus to public education and health. It is the second budget by the ruling CPI(M)-led LDF after it came to power last year.
In a bid to discourage junk food culture,a 14.5 per cent 'fat tax' on burgers, pizzas and pasta will be levied.
Continued lack of consensus at next meeting could cast shadow on GST rollout by April 1.
The BJP scripted history by opening its account in the state assembly.
Scripting history, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday stormed to power in Assam bagging a government in the north east for the first time dethroning the Congress which also lost Kerala while Jayalalithaa and Mamata Banerjee retained power in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal with spectacular victories.
Voters are disillusioned with the two rival fronts in the state and there are no effective alternatives either. G Sreedathan explains
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