With assembly elections looming, the state budget has made a number of major allocations for Kottayam district, with several projects backed by the Kerala Congress (M) and Devaswa Minister VN Vasavan given priority.
A total of ₹25 crore has been allocated to KM Mani Memorial Government General Hospital, Pala, including ₹20 crore for the second phase of radiation oncology block and ₹5 crore for the construction of compound wall. Science City, Kottayam, will receive nearly a quarter of the ₹ 30.70 crore earmarked for science and technology centers across the district.
Meanwhile, the budgetary allocation for the Meenachil Valley Irrigation Project has been increased to ₹ 5.5 crore, with an additional ₹ 2.5 crore provided this year.
An amount of ₹ 10 crore has been earmarked for the construction of a rice mill at Ettumanoor under the Kerala Paddy Procurement Processing and Marketing Co operative Society (KAPCOS), an initiative proposed by Mr. Vasavan. In addition, ₹5 crore has been earmarked for the construction of a heliport under the Kumarakom Tourism Development Project, which also falls under the Assembly of Ministers constituency.
Other key allocations include ₹7 million for the functioning of the Srinivasa Ramanujan Institute for Basic Sciences at Pampady and $11.50 million for various activities of the KR Narayanan National Institute of Visual Science and Arts at Thekkumthala near Pala. Despite legal hurdles in acquiring land for the proposed Sabarimala Greenfield International Airport in Erumely, it has budgeted ₹4.96 crore for project-related expenses, including payments under the EPC contract.
The 447-year-old Kottayam Cheriya Palli (Syrian Orthodox Church of Our Lady, Kottayam), a Marian pilgrimage center, has been allocated ₹2 million to upgrade its facilities under a pilgrimage tourism project. Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam will also benefit from the ₹259.09 crore allocated for strengthening universities under the Ministry of Higher Education.
Published – 29 Jan 2026 18:51 IST
