Kerala Spends Rs 200 Billion During Onam Celebrations

04 Sep 2025 CW Team

Of the total spend, Rs 121 billion was allocated towards salaries, pensions, bonuses, and festival allowances for government employees and pensioners. A further Rs 18 billion was disbursed as welfare pensions benefiting 6.2 million recipients, helping households manage festive costs.

Food Kits and Festival Allowances

To support the state's most vulnerable, Rs 342.9 million was spent on the distribution of free food kits, each containing 15 essential items. These were given to 603,000 AAY card holders.

Festival allowances saw a substantial rise across categories of contractual and scheme-based workers:

ASHA workers received Rs 1,450 (up from Rs 1,200)
Anganwadi workers, Balavadi helpers, and ayahs: Rs 1,450
Pre-primary teachers and ayahs: Rs 1,350
BUDS school staff, palliative care nurses, Mahila Samakhya messengers, Kishori Shakti counsellors: Rs 1,450
Noon meal workers: Rs 1,550
Saksharata Preraks and special school staff: Rs 1,250
SC/ST promoters, tourism lifeguards, Homeguards: Rs 1,460

Market Interventions and Transport Aid

To curb inflation and ease festival shopping, the government released Rs 2.62 billion to Supplyco and Consumerfed for the subsidised sale of essential commodities. Ten-day mega fairs were held at district centres, while five-day fairs took place across 140 assembly constituencies.

In addition, Rs 1.22 billion was sanctioned to KSRTC for employee salary and bonus disbursal. The corporation granted a Rs 3,000 bonus to each staff member.

Finance Minister Balagopal remarked, “All families in the state have benefitted from the government’s steps to make Onam festivities affordable. The effective market intervention programmes helped control the prices of commodities.”

The Kerala state government incurred expenditure totalling Rs 200 billion during the recent Onam season, covering regular financial obligations such as salaries and pensions, as well as festival-related allowances and subsidies, according to Finance Minister K N Balagopal.Of the total spend, Rs 121 billion was allocated towards salaries, pensions, bonuses, and festival allowances for government employees and pensioners. A further Rs 18 billion was disbursed as welfare pensions benefiting 6.2 million recipients, helping households manage festive costs.Food Kits and Festival AllowancesTo support the state's most vulnerable, Rs 342.9 million was spent on the distribution of free food kits, each containing 15 essential items. These were given to 603,000 AAY card holders.Festival allowances saw a substantial rise across categories of contractual and scheme-based workers:ASHA workers received Rs 1,450 (up from Rs 1,200)Anganwadi workers, Balavadi helpers, and ayahs: Rs 1,450Pre-primary teachers and ayahs: Rs 1,350BUDS school staff, palliative care nurses, Mahila Samakhya messengers, Kishori Shakti counsellors: Rs 1,450Noon meal workers: Rs 1,550Saksharata Preraks and special school staff: Rs 1,250SC/ST promoters, tourism lifeguards, Homeguards: Rs 1,460Market Interventions and Transport AidTo curb inflation and ease festival shopping, the government released Rs 2.62 billion to Supplyco and Consumerfed for the subsidised sale of essential commodities. Ten-day mega fairs were held at district centres, while five-day fairs took place across 140 assembly constituencies.In addition, Rs 1.22 billion was sanctioned to KSRTC for employee salary and bonus disbursal. The corporation granted a Rs 3,000 bonus to each staff member. Finance Minister Balagopal remarked, “All families in the state have benefitted from the government’s steps to make Onam festivities affordable. The effective market intervention programmes helped control the prices of commodities.”

Infrastructure Transport

06 Feb 2026

Lucknow Metro East-West Corridor Consultancy Contract Awarded

The Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation has awarded the first construction-related consultancy contract for the Lucknow Metro East West Corridor to a joint venture of AYESA Ingenieria Arquitectura SAU and AYESA India Pvt Ltd. The firm was declared the lowest bidder for the Detailed Design Consultant contract for Lucknow Metro Line-2 under Phase 1B and the contract was recommended following the financial bid. The contract is valued at Rs 159.0 million (mn), covering design services for the corridor. Lucknow Metro Line-2 envisages the construction of an 11.165 kilometre corridor connecting Cha..

Infrastructure Urban

06 Feb 2026

Div Com Kashmir Urges Fast Tracking Of Jhelum Water Transport Project

The Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir has called for the fast-tracking of the Jhelum water transport project, urging district administrations and relevant agencies to accelerate planning and clearances. In a meeting convened at the divisional headquarters, the commissioner instructed officials from irrigation, public health engineering and municipal departments to prioritise the project and coordinate survey and design work. The directive emphasised removal of administrative bottlenecks and close monitoring to ensure timely mobilisation of resources and contractors. Officials were told to in..

Infrastructure Urban

06 Feb 2026

Interarch Reports Strong Q3 And Nine Month Results

Interarch Building Solutions Limited reported unaudited results for the third quarter and nine months ended 31 December 2025, recording strong revenue growth driven by execution and a robust order book. Net revenue for the third quarter rose by 43.7 per cent to Rs 5.225 billion (bn), compared with Rs 3.636 bn a year earlier, reflecting heightened demand in pre-engineered building projects. The company’s total order book as at 31 January 2026 stood at Rs 16.85 bn, supporting near-term visibility. EBITDA excluding other income for the quarter increased by 43.2 per cent to Rs 503 million (mn),..