Thiruvananthapuram | The revised Kerala Budget for 2026-27 presented in the Assembly by Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Friday gave a major push to the sports and cultural sectors, announcing projects, including an international-standard football stadium in Malabar, a film city in Kochi and a cultural park in Kozhikode.
In a move likely to enthuse football fans, especially in north Kerala, Satheesan announced the construction of a world-class football stadium in the Malabar region and allocated Rs 50 crore for the project.
Referring to the state's passion for football, he said a world-class stadium was essential to systematically identify and train football talent and host prestigious international matches.
"Recognising the immense passion and profound love for the game among football fans in Kerala, an international standard football stadium equipped with ultra-modern facilities will be constructed in the Malabar region. An amount of Rs 50 crore is allocated for this project," he said.
In the first budget of the UDF government after coming to power, Satheesan also announced 'Vision 2036', an initiative aimed at nurturing athletes for the 2036 Olympic Games.
Under the programme, children with exceptional sporting talent will be identified and provided intensive training to enable participation in national, international and Olympic competitions, he said.
The budget also proposed steps to construct an international stadium at Chelad near Kothamangalam in Ernakulam district.
The cultural sector received a significant boost with announcements, including the J C Daniel International Film City-Chitranagaram in Kochi, M T Vasudevan Nair Cultural Park in Kozhikode and a music academy in memory of renowned ghazal singer Umbayi.
The film city project, for which Rs 100 crore has been earmarked, is aimed at strengthening the Malayalam film industry.
"Granting formal industry status to cinema, creating a permanent venue for the international film festival, forming robust anti-piracy cells and cultivating an environment to attract premier national and international film productions are targeted through this project," Satheesan said.
The government also announced the establishment of a cultural park in Kozhikode in memory of noted litterateur M T Vasudevan Nair, allocating Rs 50 crore for the initiative.
The park will feature facilities for traditional art forms, including Kathakali, Koothu, Thullal, Theyyam, Oppana, Mappilappattu, Margamkali, Ayanippattu and various tribal art forms.
Satheesan said that the park will also have spaces for screening short films and documentaries by Gen-Z creators, contemporary dance and music performances, cinema theatres, a library, an art exhibition hall, an art gallery, a history museum, a literature-language museum, a voice museum archiving writers and other eminent personalities, dedicated zones for children and senior citizens, recreational spaces, food courts, bookshops, art material shops, tourist guest houses and dormitories.
"A dedicated Cultural-Tourism Trust will be formed for the professional management of this cultural park," the chief minister said.
Reacting to the announcement, Aswathy Nair, daughter of M T Vasudevan Nair, said she was happy that the Kerala government had decided to establish a cultural and literary park in honour of her father.
She said her father had never wanted a memorial and had often maintained that his books and films would keep his memory alive.
However, she recalled discussions with him about creating a unique centre for culture and literature featuring a large library, reading spaces, performance theatres, film theatres and bookshops.
"It was after a lot of thought that I had presented this idea to the government a few weeks ago and frankly, I am surprised and grateful that they approved the idea so quickly. Looking forward to seeing this materialise. And that too in Kozhikode, his favourite place. Thanks to Chief Minister V D Satheesan," she said in a Facebook post.
Among other allocations, Rs 10 crore was earmarked for renovation of the historic Thekkinkadu Maidan in Thrissur district.
An amount of Rs 1 crore was allocated for establishing the Aranmula Kannadi Exclusive Exhibition Centre and Training Centre.
To preserve the memory of Saint Chavara, Rs 1 crore was allocated for continuation of construction works relating to the 175-year-old room, monastery building and historical and cultural museum at the Koonammavu.
The annual grant provided to the 52 Palliyodams, the main organisers of the Aranmula Boat Race, was increased from Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000.
The government also announced the organisation of the Malabar-Thindis Cultural Biennale centred at Ponnani.
An amount of Rs 1 crore was provided as grant to establish a cultural centre and museum in memory of artist Namboothiri with the assistance of the Namboothiri Trust.
Satheesan also announced that Rs 1 crore has been allocated for the construction of a memorial to the late actor Salim Kumar in Ernakulam district.
A sum of Rs 1 crore will be provided as initial expenses to establish a music academy in memory of renowned ghazal singer Umbayi.
The budget also earmarked Rs 1 crore for setting up a statue and cultural centre dedicated to Sree Narayana Guru in Delhi.
As part of the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Mahakavi Ulloor S Parameswara Iyer, a special financial assistance of Rs 25 lakh was announced for the Ulloor Memorial Library and Research Institute, Satheesan said.
Further, Rs 1 crore was allocated to the R Shankar Foundation of Kerala for the construction of a memorial building for former chief minister R Sankar at Pattom, here.
Thiruvananthapuram | The revised Kerala Budget for 2026-27 presented in the Assembly on Friday said that reforms will be made in the land laws to give a boost to the industrial infrastructure aspirations of the state by harnessing its land resources.
Chief Minister V D Satheesan, in his Budget speech, said that acute scarcity of land, limitations in its mobilisation and a lack of legal clarity constitute the most formidable barriers to Kerala's industrial infrastructure aspirations.
He said that while investors were actively seeking land for projects capable of transforming the economy, vast tracts of land held by government departments and public sector undertakings were lying around "unutilised or entangled in red tape".
"To systematically address this structural challenge, the government will formulate a comprehensive land management policy," the CM, who also holds the Finance portfolio, said.
As part of the policy, a robust land management framework will be established, supported by necessary legislation, to create a land bank utilising surplus and unused land parcels belonging to various departments and public sector undertakings, he said.
Besides that, land laws that were relevant in the past will be rigorously reviewed, and outdated statutes will be amended under the Land Reforms 2.0, he added.
Additionally, the procedure for converting land for commercial enterprises will be expedited and a land pooling framework will be introduced for large-scale projects, the CM said.
He said that government agencies like Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (KINFRA) and Infrastructure Kerala Limited (INKEL) will be empowered to handle land acquisition processes and subsequent activities in a timely, transparent, and professional manner.
"This policy will be instrumental in harnessing our land resources for the prosperity of Kerala's economic future and its people," he said.
Revised Budget pledges 'New Kerala' with inclusive growth, sustainable development
Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan, who also holds the Finance portfolio, on Friday presented the revised Budget for 2026 27 in the Assembly, pledging to build a "New Kerala" with inclusive growth and sustainable infrastructure development.
Citing severe fiscal stress, hidden liabilities, lower remittances and inflation as key challenges before the government, the CM unveiled Mission Samudra to build a port-led economy, elevate the state as a global maritime and economic hub.
The government is committed to stimulating the economy through broad-based development strategies, attracting large-scale investments across various sectors, mobilising financial resources for the public exchequer, and ensuring the equitable distribution of wealth, the CM said.
"To achieve these objectives, the government has outlined flagship initiatives," he said.
By integrating Kerala's 600-kilometre coastline, two international ports, one container transshipment terminal, 17 non-major ports, and numerous other water-based resources, the government aims to establish Kerala as a major presence on the global maritime map within the next five years.
The vision is to transform Kerala into a port-led economy by developing a maritime ecosystem that connects roads, seaports, railways, inland waterways, industrial zones, and greenfield cities, he said.
The CM said that Rs 400 crore will be allocated to the Mission Samudra project.
Satheesan said that the government was committed to stimulating the economy through broad-based development strategies and announced Rs 200 crore for turning the state into an aviation and logistic hub centered around its four airports.
Besides that, the government will also launch a Data-based Invest Kerala cell to attract investment by addressing key business bottlenecks, the CM said in his Budget speech.
Fulfilling one of its key Indira Guarantee promises, the government allocated Rs 10 crore in the Budget for the Oommen Chandy Health Insurance Scheme, which provides health insurance coverage of Rs 25 lakh to every family in the state.
The Budget also allocated Rs 600 crore for free travel for women and transgender persons on KSRTC buses under another Indira Guarantee initiative, the first phase of which was rolled out recently.
It also allocated Rs 10 crore as part of developing a silver economy for the welfare of the elderly population of the state, Rs 20 crore for the preliminary work to set up light metros in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode, Rs 50 crore for setting up a football stadium of international standards in the Malabar region and increased the minimum support price for rubber from Rs 200 to Rs 250.
Satheesan also said that the project plan fund has been revised to Rs 30,300 crore from the earlier Rs 35,000 crore announced by the LDF administration and announced an increase in the financial packages for the SC/ST and backward classes.