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.”