Thrissur, 18 June (H.S.) :

A Right to Information (RTI) application filed by a social activist from Thrissur has reignited discussion over the Kerala government’s much-publicised decision to earmark ₹2 crore for promoting world peace in the 2022-23 State Budget. The RTI response from the Finance Department has revealed that the amount was never utilised and that no follow-up action was taken to implement the proposal.

The allocation was announced by then Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal while presenting the 2022-23 State Budget. At the time, he had stated that the fund would be used to organise online discussions and international seminars involving leading peace activists and thinkers from across the world. The objective, according to the budget speech, was to strengthen global peace movements and foster dialogue on international peace initiatives.

The announcement had attracted widespread attention and criticism, particularly because it came at a time when Kerala was facing severe financial challenges. Critics and social media users questioned the rationale behind setting aside public funds for such an initiative when the state was struggling with mounting fiscal pressures.

Seeking clarity on how the money had been spent, a Thrissur-based public activist filed an RTI application with the Finance Department. However, officials initially failed to provide a clear response. It was only after the applicant approached the appellate authority under the RTI Act that the department furnished detailed information.

According to the official reply, the ₹2 crore allocation was neither withdrawn from the state treasury nor spent for any purpose. The Finance Department also stated that no further administrative steps were taken to implement the project after the budget announcement. Since no expenditure was incurred, officials clarified that the state exchequer did not suffer any financial loss.

The RTI application itself drew attention for its satirical tone. The applicant had posed a series of tongue-in-cheek questions, including whether Kerala planned to send MLAs to the United States as part of global peace efforts, mediate in international conflicts such as the current Iran-US tensions, or pursue initiatives aimed at securing a Nobel Peace Prize for the state government.

The Finance Department’s response has once again brought the unusual budget proposal into public focus, highlighting how a widely debated announcement ultimately remained only on paper.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman