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A2A;Kerala’s tradition of anti-incumbency has arguably been the result of poor performance in office by a series of governments hobbled by the state’s all-pervasive and dysfunctional politics. This time, however, the outgoing UDF government led by Oommen Chandy is campaigning on a remarkable record of achievement. No single five-year government in Kerala’s history has achieved so much in a single term. Source: UDF’s Impressive Record May Drive its Comeback in Kerala: TharoorKochi MetroKochi Metro is an under-construction metro system for the city of Kochi in Kerala, India. The first phase is being set up at an estimated cost of₹5181 crore (US$770 million)Vizhinjam International Sea PortVizhinjam International Seaport is a proposed port by the Arabian Sea at Thiruvananthapuram in India. The total project expenditure is pegged at ₹ 6595 crores over three phases and is proposed to follow the landlord port model with a view to catering to passenger, container and other clean cargo.Kannur International AirportKannur International Airport (IATA: -, ICAO: VOKN) (Malayalam: കണ്ണൂർ അന്താരാഷ്ട്ര വിമാനത്താവളം) is an upcoming International Airport under construction at Mattanur in Kannur District, 25 kilometers from the citiesKannur and Thalassery, in the state of Kerala, India. It is being built on a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model by the Kannur International Airport Ltd (KIAL).Once completed it will be the fourth and largest international airport in Kerala after Calicut, Cochin and Trivandrum making it the only state in India to have four international airports. Kannur International Airport will be the second greenfield airport to be set up in Kerala. The project is spread over 2,000 acres (810 ha).Proposed Bullet Train ServiceThe first phase of study regarding the Thiruvananthapuram-Kannur high-speed rail corridor project has been completed. The study conducted by DMRC says...Read more at: TVM-Kannur high-speed rail: 430 km in 145 minutesJana Samparka programmeUnfazed by the grim political challenges awaiting the Congress-led UDF in the Lok Sabha polls, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has been visiting several places the state with his 'Mass Contact Programme' by directly engaging with people, mostly the less privileged, and pulling crowds.The second phase of the unique outreach campaign, which won the UN award for public service in July, has already seen Mr Chandy meeting hundreds of people in four districts and the exercise is to be completed by the year-end covering the remaining 10 districts. In the three editions of Chief Minister's Mass Contact Programme, a total of 7.89 lakh petitions were resolved, out of a total of 12.5 lakh. In 2011, out of the 5.45 lakh petitions, 2.97 lakh were resolved; in 2013, out of the 3.21 lakh petitions, 3.20 lakh were resolved and in 2015, out of the 3.83 lakh petitions, 1.72 lakh were resolved. The programme received the 2013 UNPS award.CM's Distress Relief FundTill December 31, 2015, Rs 540 crore has been disbursed through the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund and Rs 6.27 crore disbursed to people outside Kerala. It was just Rs 120.24 crore that was disbursed during the period 2006-11.Karunya lotteryRaised Rs 1,200 crore and enabled the government to provide treatment to 23 lakh patients, including free care for cancer patients, a first in India; subsidised medicines for the less well off; and proper supply of medicines to government hospitals and dispensaries. Dozens of welfare schemes abound in other areas, including 35 kilos of free rice to those living below the poverty line.Up to Rs 2 lakh is given as treatment assistance. The income from Karunya Plus was also made part of this fund. The returns from the sale of lotteries in Kerala in 2010-11 were Rs 557 crore, which touched Rs 5445 crore in 2014-15. The commission of lottery sellers has been raised to 26%.Amballoor Electronic ParkAmballoor is located about 25 km from Ernakulam city. It is located along the Ernakulam - Thalayolaparambu main road. The site for the proposed project is a marshy area full of weeds and coconut palms. Only 10 families reside in this area.First of Its Kind in StateElectronic Park will be the first of its kind facility in the state. The park is being envisaged as an electronic hub to promote the manufacture and assembly of hardware, as well as the supporting infrastructure.Trivandrum AND Kozhikode Light MetroIn 12 June 2013, the State Cabinet gave clearance for an agreement to be signed between KMCL and DMRC. The DMRC will receive 3.25% of the ₹55.81 billion (₹ 35.90 billion for Thiruvananthapuram and ₹ 19.91 billion for Kozhikode) in general consultant fees. The agreement was signed on 19 June 2013. DMRC appointed interim consultant of the Rs 6728 crore Light Metro rail projects at Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram. DPR submitted to Union government for approval. Kerala Rapid Transit Corporation formed for the implementation of the project.Economic growth higher than national averageBased on current price, Kerala's economic growth has been 17% compared to the national growth rate of 17.5%. In 2011-12, Kerala registered 17% (India 15%), in 2012-13 it was 13% (India 13.3%), 2013-14 it was 13.4% (India 11.5%) and in 2014-15, Kerala registered a growth rate of 12.3% compared to the national growth rate of 10.50%.PSC AppointmentsAppointments to 1,39,192 persons through PSC till October 31, 2015, which is an all time record. After a gap of five years, 1182 differently-abled were given jobs. 1950 differently-abled persons, who were in service for 179 days from 1999 to 2003 by creating 2677 supernumerary posts.16 Medical CollegesAfter 35 years, the number of medical colleges in the State has risen to 16 from 5. New medical colleges started in Manjeri, Idukki and Palakkad. Cochin Cooperative Medical College has been taken over by the government. Work progressing on medical colleges in Thiruvananthapuram, Konni, Kasaragod, Wayanad and Harippad. Steps taken for the takeover of Pariyaram Medical College and for the elevation of Parippally ESI Hospital in Kollam to medical college. New dental colleges started at Alappuzha and Thrissur. Total number of MBBS seats risen from 900 to 1250.Rs 1156 crore for providing 585 medicines free of costIncluding 69 medicines for the treatment of cancer, 585 medicines are given free of cost to all category of patients at government run hospitals. Already Rs 1156 crore has been spent for the purpose. 39 Karunya pharmacies started to check prices of medicines and medicines sold at reduced prices of 20 to 93 per cent.Comprehensive Healthcare SchemeWith an objective to bring various healthcare assistance schemes under one roof, families with annual income of less than rupees three lakhs will come under the Comprehensive Healthcare Scheme, announced in the State Budget for 2015-16. Through a smart card, beneficiary can avail of assistance up to Rs 2 lakhs and would benefit 42 lakh families.Welfare Pensions Worth Rs 15,911 croreFour types of welfare pensions from the department of social justice worth Rs 14,400 crore; eight types of pensions from the department of Labour worth Rs 1511 crore and the farmer’s pension from the department of Agriculture worth Rs 400 crore have been disbursed. Pension from Social Justice Department goes to more than 32 lakh people. Welfare pensions are disbursed by the 18th of every month. An average of Rs 240 crore is spent through local self-government bodies for the disbursal of welfare pensions and Rs 14,400 crore spent in a five-year period. Per month Rs 600 is spend on all categories of labour pensions and reaches 17.60 lakh beneficiaries. In 2013, disbursal of farmer’s pension to small and medium scale began at the rate of Rs 600 per farmer above the age of 60. Total beneficiaries in this category stand at 3.35 lakh and Rs 400 crore spent within a period of two years.Strong Social Welfare Measures2546 persons were given treatment and 1922 persons follow-up treatment under the free cancer treatment scheme for children up to 18 years. Project ‘Thalolam’, providing free treatment to seriously ill children of up to 18 years was implemented in 15 hospitals. 8146 new persons were provided free treatment and 2355 persons follow-up treatment.Persons assisting bedridden patients round-the-clock are being provided monthly financial assistance through the project – Aswasa Kiranam. There are 63,544 beneficiaries in this category. It was just 680 persons when this government assumed office. The aim is to provide assistance to 90,000 in the current financial year.Free Cancer TreatmentFree cancer treatment through the Sukritham project is now available at RCC Thiruvananthapuram, Malabar Cancer Centre, medical colleges at Thiruvananthapuram, Alalppuzha, Kottayam, Thrissur, Kozhikode and General Hospital Ernakulam. RCC secured the NABL accreditation through a Rs 117 crore expansion programme. Cancer institute and research centre is getting ready in Kochi. Mammogram unit started at General Hospital Thiruvananthapuram. Facilities for cancer treatment made available in all districts of Kerala.Mother and ChildImplemented free delivery related treatment and neonatal care up to 30 days, under the Mother and Child project. Newborn screening to detect genetic disorders and 59 neonatal care centres started at 59 hospitals. Started school health programme that provides treatment and medicines to 48 lakh students in 13,270 schools.17,000 to benefit from teachers’ packageThe new teachers’ package will benefit 17,000 recognized aided teachers serving in regular posts till March 31, 2015.Neera ProductionFarmers given permission to tap alcohol-free Neera from coconut trees after amending the 112-year-old Abkari laws. Licence issued to 173 coconut producing federations and three pilot Neera production centres sanctioned under Kerala Agriculture University. State Coconut Development Corporation is in charge of marketing. By tapping Neera, an average monthly income of Rs 2100 is expected from a coconut tree.42,225 acres of land to tribal people Project‘Aasikkum Bhoom’ (the desired land) has provided land ranging from 25 cents to one acre. 524 landless scheduled tribe families were given 184 acre of land through the project. In the TRDM rehabilitation programme of landless scheduled tribes 6814 families were given 8971 acre of land. Based on ‘Right to Forest Land Act’ 25,649 persons residing in the forests were given possession certificates and 33,070 acres of land provided.Subsidy of Rs 837.27 crore for checking price hikeGovernment was able to check rise in prices of essential commodities by distributing them at subsidized rates. Compared to Rs 344.31 crore given as subsidy to Supplyco during the period of the previous government, the subsidy amount has been Rs 538.37 crore during the period of the current government. Rice was also included in the subsidized category of items in 2014-15 and 95,188 metric tons of rice was distributed at reduced price. Rs 44.4 crore was given to Horticorp for the supply of vegetables at reduced rates.Currently, through the 20,428 outlets of Nanma Stores under the ConsumerFed, 10 essential commodities are being distributed at 20% less the rate in the open market. ConsumerFed has already been provided Rs 254.50 crore compared to the Rs 117.71 crore given by the previous government.Rs 300 crore for 15,000 Coastal Houses15,000 houses built free of cost to homeless fishermen in the State. Rs 300 crore was provided for the purpose. Flats were also provided to 450 fishermen families for which Rs 48.75 crore was spent. Financial assistance for house construction hiked from Rs 50,000 to Rs 2 lakh, which will be provided as 100% subsidy.3.86 lakh petitions resolved at revenue adaalatOf the 4.72 lakh petitions received at the revenue adalats held in all districts of the State, 3.86 lakh were resolved. Orders also issued for effecting mutation the next day itself, following the registration of land. Earlier, this was allowed only after a period of 30 days from the date of registration.2132 Arrested in 'Operation Kubera'14,155 raids were conducted and 2132 persons arrested as part of 'Operation Kubera' meant for nabbing privately run loan mafia. Rs 466 lakh was seized as part of the operation. The government also launched focused operations that included 'Operation Suraksha' for checking the activities of thugs and anti-social elements; 'Subha Yatra 2015' for creating awareness on traffic rules; 'Operation Vatsalya' for tracing missing children and 'Operation Clean Campus' for preventing use of narcotic drugs inside campuses.Land Provided to 10,271 FamiliesThree cents of land each were provided to 10,271 families, under the 'Zero Landless' scheme. Districts of Kannur, Kasaragod and Idukki became the first in the country to become 'zero landless'. Phase II of the scheme is progressing.Title Deed to 1.24 lakh PersonsTitle deeds given to 1.24 lakh persons within a period of four years, compared to Rs 84,606 title deeds during the period of the previous government.IT Exports Touch Rs 15,000 CroreIT sector in Kerala has grown to the extent of direct employment to one lakh persons and income generation of Rs 15,000 crore from IT exports. It was just Rs 3000 crores worth IT exports when the UDF government came to power in 2011. The annual income on rentals from Technopark and InfoPark is now Rs 70 crore. With the commissioning of phase 1 of SmartCity and CyberPark, IT exports from Kerala would reach Rs 18,000 crore in 2016 and two lakh direct employment.Number One in MSMEs in the CountryKerala topped the nation in terms of number of enterprises and employment generation in a national survey of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, based on population and land area. During the period 2006-11, only a total of 31,995 MSME units were registered and 2.23 lakh job opportunities and an investment of only Rs 3247.11 crore, compared to the last four financial years that saw 51,899 new MSMEs, 2.97 employment opportunities and investment of Rs 8225.05 crore.SC Medical CollegeFor the first time in the country, a medical college was started under the department of Scheduled Caste in Palakkad in 2014-15. Rs 24.33 crore was spent for project. Of the total admissions, 70% is for scheduled caste students and 2% for students belonging to the scheduled tribe.35th National GamesKerala won acclaim for organizing the 35th National Games in a commendable manner. 1.52 crore people took part in 'Run Kerala Run' a publicity campaign held at 7000 centres in Kerala, which found a place in the Limca Book of World Records. As part of the national games, nine playfields were built and 17 got modernized. For the first-time in India a green-field stadium was built through public-private partnership in Thiruvananthapuram. All medal winners of Kerala were given cash awards and jobs.Domestic Milk Production Increased by 83.08%Achieved 83.08% increase in domestic milk production. State's milk production in 2011 was 67% of the domestic demand. Stability ensured for milk price and steps taken to check price of fodder. Year-long subsidy provided to farmers for purchasing fodder. Production of milk has reached 11 lakh litres from 6.42 lakh litres five years ago. The daily import of milk by Milma from neighbouring States in 2010-11 has come down from 6.5 lakh litres to 2.2 lakh litres.Timely Interventions in NRK IssuesGovernment helped 3835 persons who were stranded in strife torn countries like Iraq, Libya and Yemen to return home safely, for which Rs 1.43 crore was spent. Provided assistance to Malayalees during floods in Jammu Kashmir, Uttarakhand and for their safe return back home.Free Power Supply to Life-Support UsersPeople on life-support systems are being provided with free-of-cost power supply. Power connection given to houses of less than 100 sq m on lands not under anyone's possession. Consumer given the choice for purchasing meters directly from the manufacturer for avoiding the meter rent to KSEB.LED Bulbs at Token RatesTwo LED bulb of nine watts, costing Rs 400 each are being given to households at a token rate of Rs 95.Four By-Passes @ Rs 1466 croreFour by-passes worth Rs 1466 crore are nearing completion. Completed the 28.1 km long, Rs 145 crore Kozhikode by-pass in 18 months. By-passes in Alappuzha (Rs 348.43 crore), Kollam (Rs 352.05 crore) and Thiruvananthapuram (Rs 621 crore) are fast progressing. Rs 1824 crore sanctioned for renovation of roads in 2016.28 More Municipalities28 panchayats that have attained urban characteristics made municipalities and Kannur municipality elevated to corporation. 15 B grade municipalities elevated to A grade and 17 C grade municipalities to B grade.1.75 crore Digital CertificatesAs part of Project e-District, 1.75 crore digital certificates issued till December 10, 2015. 24 types of certificates are issued online by the Revenue department. All the 14 districts of Kerala are included in the 50 e-Districts in India. Completed the procedure for providing 1 GB connectivity in all grama panchayats, making Kerala the first digital State in India.Emerging KeralaWork has commenced on 56 projects, worth Rs 32,137 crore that were submitted during the global investor meet - Emerging Kerala. Of these projects, 14 projects of Rs 23,334 crore are under the department of Industries. Projects like BPCL Downstream, Kochi Petrochemical Park, Poly Isobutene project, BioNutra Park, Biomedical Devices Hub are some of the projects that would add to the outlook of Kerala in future. Already, projects like the joint venture by Mercedes Benz and the department of Higher Education, Bosch and department of Higher Education, Kids Lab by BASF India and the department of Science and Technology have started.Massive Participation in Start-UpsThe Start-Up village at Kalamassery in Kochi has become a role model for rest of the country. Within a short period, student and youth entrepreneurs have come up with 7000 odd concepts and have registered at the Start-Up Village. These young entrepreneurs are provided 4% grace marks and 20 per cent relaxation in attendance. During 2014-15 the turnover of start-ups from IT and IT related ventures was Rs 7.84 crore. Basic facilities for the start-ups were provided through government IT parks and Micro, Medium and Small-Scale clusters.Rs 20 lakh Loan to Young Entrepreneurs'Young Entrepreneurship Summit' held to assist youth with innovative industrial ventures to become young entrepreneurs and 'We Mission' meet held for the first time in India for women. Angel fund was formed to create initial capital and Seed fund to give additional assistance to young entrepreneurs. Incubation Centers were formed in colleges to realize the business concepts of students. For encouraging young entrepreneurs, Kerala State Entrepreneur Development Mission was formed. Already 2,834 ventures have been selected for the Rs 20 lakh interest-free loan scheme. 5000 persons were given training. Financial assistance provided to 650 ventures, out of which 450 have become fully functional. This scheme has provided direct jobs to 3000 persons and indirectly to almost the same number.Rs 220 crore National WaterwayThe 205 km Kollam-Kottappuram National Waterway, the only one in the State is getting ready for inauguration. For commencing the transportation of goods, Rs 150 lakh has been sanctioned for the construction of permanent berths at Udyogamandal and Chavara. The whole project is of Rs 220 crore.Rs 24,000 crore for PanchayatsRs 24,000 crore from Panchayat Plan fund provided to panchayats, which is an all-time record. For its activities in decentralization of power and empowerment of democracy, at the national level, Kerala stood second in 2011-12 and 2013-14, third in 2012-13 and took the first spot in 2014-15. Kollam district panchayat bagged the national award for the comprehensive welfare and development activities. Idukki and Veliyanadu block panchayats; Nadaapuram, Kaviyur, Marangattupally, Maneedu and Iraviperur grama panchayaths also won national awards. Kerala also won the national award for digitization of grama panchayats.Rs 3000 crore Japan drinking Water ProjectThe Rs 3000 crore Japan Drinking Water Project has been implemented successfully in Thriuvananthapuram, Meenadu (Kollam), Cherthala, Kozhikode and Pattuvam (Kannur). 41 lakh people are getting the benefit.4.5 Crore TouristsState Tourism Department is placed second in terms of contribution to the State’s GDP, which is 10%. In 2011-14, the State received 4.53 crore tourists and earned an income of Rs 87,754 crore.Backward Classes Development Department, CorporationsBackward Classes Development Department, Backward Classes Development Corporation, Backward Classes Commission and Minority Commission and Kerala State Welfare Corporation for Forward Communities Limited to promote the comprehensive development and welfare of the economically backward sections among the forward communities of Kerala were formed. Loans worth Rs 1003.83 crore were disbursed by Backward Classes Development Corporation to 1.40 lakh people. Converted Christian Development Commission under the Backward Classes Development Department gave loans to the tune of Rs 28.09 crore to 10,534 people.Rs 6082 crore Through AswasAswas project was launched with the objectives of reducing loan arrears due to Cooperative Societies and Banks and also to provide relief to those struggling with loan repayment. Through the project, Rs 6082.19 crore was collected in terms of arrears and benefits of Rs 935.14 crore provided to loanees.Three Flyovers Worth Rs 212 croreNearing completion are the flyovers at Palarivattom (Rs 72.60 crore) and at Edappally (Rs 108.77 crore). The Rs 30.17 crore Kanjikuzhi flyover in Kottayam town will be completed in 18 months' time.245 Bridges of Rs 1600 croreConstruction of 245 bridges in different districts has been completed for which Rs 1600 was spent. The tenure of the current government witnessed the construction of maximum number of bridges in the State.Rs 2,403 crore KSTP Phase IIReceived World Bank assistance for the Rs 2,403 crore Phase II project of KSTP. Under this project, nine roads of 363 km is being developed as per international standards. They are Kasaragod-Kanhangad, Pilathara-Pappinissery, Thalassery-Valavupara, Thiruvalla by-pass, Chengannur-Ettumannur, Ponkunnam-Thodupuzha, Punalur-Ponkunnam and Perumbilavu-Perinthalmanna. The project will be over by September 2018.Construction of Six Major Roads of Rs 3,272 croreConstruction of Ramapuram-Nalambalam Darshanam road (Rs 50.75 crore), KanjikuzhiVettathukavala-Karukachal road (Rs 45.35 crore), Karamana-Kaliyikkavila NH (Rs 263 crore), Kuttippuram-Puthuponnani road (Rs 54.22 crore), Vallarpadam-Kozhikode coastal road (Rs 117.14 crore), Airport-Seaport road (Rs 216.97 crore) roads have become an asset to Kerala's basic development.Rs 100 crore Sewerage Plant at MuttatharaA Rs 100 crore sewerage treatment plant with capacity of 107 MLD has started functioning at Muttathara in Thiruvananthapuram. Steps are being taken to start plants at Kozhikode, Kochi and Kollam. Work on the first Septage Treatment Plant in the country has been completed at Brahmapuram in Kochi.Plastic Wastes at Rs TwoClean Kerala Company has been formed for the collection and processing of wastes. Kerala is the first State in the country to collect plastic wastes and e-wastes by giving money. Steps are being taken to start the first plastic processing plant in Kochi Corporation. Clean Kerala Company is collecting plastic wastes at a rate of Rs 2 per kg and e wastes at a rate of Rs 25 per kg. So far, 150 ton e-waste and 134 ton plastic waste have been collected. Discarded CFL bulbs, CDs and tube lights are also collected.Online Payment of Electricity BillAll section offices of KSEB Ltd have been computerized. Centralized Customer Care and Call Centre started for the consumers to register complaints and to get essential information. Online payment system provided for payment of electricity bills. Provided internet based remittance of electricity bills in all section offices.Electricity reaches 1.7 lakh rural homes1.7 lakh rural houses provided electricity connection through Rajiv Gandhi Rural Electrification Scheme. 65,659 houses that come under the BPL category were given free of cost electricity connection. Rs 201.64 crore has been spent for the project.Record Financial Assistance to Public SectorAn all-time record financial assistance of Rs 899.90 crore has been sanctioned to 44 public sector undertakings under the Industrial department. e-Tender and e-Payment facilities introduced. Procedure completed for implementing e-Auction system in public sector undertakings.Rs 6,510 crore Spent on MNREGSMarked changes affected in the rural sector by spending Rs 6,510 crore through MNREGS. Each year, an average of 17 lakh families got employment. During 2006-11, the amount spent was just Rs 1508 crore. Work-time re-scheduled from 9 am to 5 pm. and the daily wage of Rs 150 was raised to Rs 227 in 2011. Assistance for education of children and gifts during Onam season were also provided to the families of workers by the government. Electronic Fund Management System introduced in all grama panchayats to credit wages of labourers directly to their bank accounts.Three lakh New Pipe ConnectionsThree lakh new pipe connections provided. Drinking water made available through 2.07 lakh publics taps. The target is to provide 4.19 lakh new connections this year.Paddy Procurement: 1.5 lakh Farmers to BenefitAchieved good progress in paddy procurement. In 2014-15, 5.50 tons of paddy was procured from 1.25 lakh farmers. Support price of paddy became Rs 21.50. 1.25 lakh farmers got the benefit.Raw Coconut ProcurementFor the first time in the State, a record 70213.69 tons of raw coconut was procured by KERAFED. For units that undertakes processing of raw coconut to copra, apart from the price of coconut the government is giving Rs 500 as financial assistance for a quintal of copra. The procurement price of raw coconut is Rs 25.Compensation to Crops Damaged by Wild AnimalsCompensation to crops damaged by wild animals can be given four times. The maximum is Rs 75,000/- Treatment assistance to those injured in wild animal attack has been raised to Rs 75,000. Sanction has been given to kill wild boars that destroy crops, subject to certain conditions.Stamp Duty: Benefits Worth Rs 1800 croreThe Stamp duty for partition, release, gift and settlement deeds executed between family members have been reduced to Rs 1000 and registration fees reduced by 1%. This will benefit 49 lakh people by Rs 1800 crore in terms of Stamp duty and Rs 300 crore in terms of registration fees.Undervaluation: Benefit of Rs 403 croreOne-time settlement scheme was implemented to settle arrear undervaluation cases. All undervaluation cases of title deeds involving land transactions of less than five cents in panchayats have been exempted. This will benefit about two lakh people by Rs 100 crore. 1,31,111 undervaluation cases were settled through one-time settlement scheme by paying a token amount as fee, which benefited that much number of families by Rs 303 crore.Motorized Tri-Scooters to 5010 PersonsMotorized Tri-Scooters were given to 5010 persons through the State Handicapped Persons’ Welfare Corporation and LSGs. Janani and Jathik, two mobile phone applications that utilizes GIS to monitor the health of newborn babies in Attapadi was introduced.Schemes for Endosulfan VictimsThose endosulfan victims who are getting disability pension from LSGs are given Rs 1700 per month and Rs 2200 to those who are not getting pension. Other endosulfan victims, suffering health issues are given monthly financial assistance of Rs 1200. Students in families affected by endosulfan are given Rs 2000, Rs 3000 and Rs 4000 as assistance for studying up to Plus Two. A special fund has also been sanctioned by Kasaragod district collector for the treatment of these students. Rs 51.30 crore has been sanctioned to the district collector for giving compensation of up to Rs 5 lakhs to victims of endosulfan.Hearing Ability to 581Cochlear implantation surgery done on 620 children through the Sruthi Tharangam project. The inability to hear was identified in these children at a very young age and got included in the project. The government gives Rs 5.10 lakh for a cochlear implantation surgery.Classical Language Status and University for MalayalamMalayalam University started at Thunchan Parambu and achieved Classical Language Status for Malayalam. Malayalam language got this status along with Tamil, Kannada, Telugu and Sanskrit. Viswa Malayala Mahotsavam celebrated after 34 years.Technology UniversityKerala Technological University set up under the department of Technical Education. All engineering colleges in the State are members of this University. 50,000 students will get the benefit.Police UniversityNational University for Police Sciences and Security Studies started. Graduate and postgraduate courses will be conducted on subjects related to police. Facilities for research will also be provided.Sree Narayana Studies in School SyllabusSree Narayana studies have been included in Malayalam and Social Science text books of class seven. In connection with the centenary celebrations of Daiva Dasakam of Sree Narayana Guru, the prayer song was published bearing the picture of the Guru. A topical book to evaluate the visionary values of Daiva Dasakam published. Rs 4 crore has been sanctioned to Sivagiri Sreenarayana Dharmasangham Trust for the constructing of a Convention Centre.720 new busesA subsidiary corporation by the name of KURTC started and 320 buses sanctioned. Purchase order given for buying 400 buses in the next phase. Bus terminals at Thiruvananthapuram, Thiruvalla and Kozhikode were commissioned on BOT basis. 10 multi-axle Volvo buses have been rolled out for service by spending Rs 10 crore. ePayment system and courier service started.See Kuttanad Double Decker'See Kuttanad' service started by using two double-decker passenger-cum-tourist boats that can accommodate 90 persons each. 45 steel boats are currently in operation. Bio toilet facility provided on passenger boats.Zoological ParkZoological Park is turning into a reality in Thrissur. e-Auction facility introduced for auctioning of wood. 390.50 lakh saplings distributed as per Haritha Keralam project. Kutti Vanam project started. 700 posts of tribal watchmen created and appointment given.215 core for SettlementsFor the development of 436 Scheduled Caste settlements in which 50 or more families are living, Rs 215 crore has been sanctioned at the rate of Rs 1 crore each for developing 215 settlements. So far Rs 94.42 crore has been spent and development activities at 25% of the settlements completed.Rs 665 crore for Buying Land; Rs 568 crore for House ConstructionThe financial help that is being given to the landless and homeless belonging to the SC category has been increased from Rs 75,000 to Rs 3.75 lakh in rural areas, Rs 90,000 to Rs 4.50 lakh in municipal areas and Rs One lakh to Rs 6 lakh in Corporation areas. Assistance for construction of houses increased from Rs One lakh to Rs Three lakh. Installments of grants given at a lower rate to beneficiaries earlier have been given remaining installments at higher rate. Rs 664.86 crore was given to 29,465 families for buying land and Rs 568.33 crore to 24,141 families for construction of new houses.Rs 43 crore for 43 Model ColoniesThe Model Colony project for which Rs One crore is being spent for one ST colony has so far come up with 43 model colonies at a cost of Rs 43 crore.Janani Janmaraksha SchemeThe scheme provides pregnant women belonging to ST community and lactating mothers with monthly financial assistance of Rs.1000, starting from the third month of pregnancy and up to 12 months after delivery has so far benefited 11,000 persons. Debt Relief To 12,216 Persons Loans worth Rs 140 crore, taken by 12,216 persons belonging to the ST category from banks and various other institutions had been written off. These were loans of up to Rs One lakh, pending payment as on 01-04-2014.Snehaveedu to 30,308By combining the general housing project of ST Development department, housing project using HUDCO loan, Indira Awas Yojana project of Rural Development department and the housing project of panchayats, the amount for constructing 30,308 houses under the comprehensive housing project, started in 2015-16 was increased from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 3.5 lakh.Package for Primitive TribesThe package for primitive tribes worth Rs 148 crore saw 8001 persons getting the benefit of land, house, basic facilities and livelihood. 12 New Taluks, 31 New Villages 12 taluks and 31 villages were newly formed. Manjeswaram, Vellarikundu, Iritti, Thamarassery, Kondotti, Pattambi, Chalakkudy, Idukki, Konni, Kattakada, Varkala and Punalur are the new taluks.Title Deed for Revenue LandSteps taken to amend laws for providing title deeds to people who are living in revenue land for years. This will be completed within the tenure of this government.Coastal Ship TransportationCostal ship transportation project started. Commenced merchant ship service from Kollam, Beypore, Azheekal ports to ports in other States. As part of the project, ships transporting one ton of cargo will be given an incentive of Rs 1 for a km and Rs 1 for a km for passengers. Ponnani has become the first PPP port in the State.CIAL - Total Solar Powered AirportCIAL has become the first airport in the world to totally run on solar power. Work on the new Rs 1000 crore international terminal has begun. It has registered a record increase in terms of passengers and cargo.Debt Relief ProjectsRelaxed interest rate to those who repay short term agriculture loans without default, debt relief projects to members of SC / ST who have taken loans from cooperative societies and banks and special debt relief project for fishermen implemented.Rs 300 crore Cancer Care CentreRs 300 crore cancer care centre, equipped with the most modern of facilities, coming up in Kozhikode district at the initiative of cooperative bank. Flat complex is also coming up in Thiruvananthapuram.Vegetable Farming in 90,533 HectaresArea of vegetable farming increased from 42,447 hectares in 2011-12 to 90,533 hectares in 2014-15. Production also increased from 8.25 lakh tons to 15.32 lakh tons. Vegetable farming carried out on commercial basis through 2479 clusters of farmers in 12,400 hectares of land. 22 lakh vegetable seed kits were distributed to school students and women free of cost and achieved vegetable farming in household premises.Vigilant KeralaVigilant Kerala project started with public participation to combat corruption. Welcome to Vigilant Kerala Web Portal started as part of the project. If convinced that there is conviction in a government project or work then that can be post on website. Facility in place at Vigilance and Anti Corruption Bureau for receiving complaints through social media.Jail ChapatiChapati making unit started at Thiruvananthapuram Central Prison and food processing units started at Thiruvananthapuram, Kannur, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kollam and Kozhikode prisons for providing quality food to the public at rates lower than the market rates. The income from this was Rs 8 crore in 2014. Rs 26 crore solar projects of 1078 KW capacity implemented at different prisons. CCTV system provided at Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, Kannur and Ernakulam prisons at a cost of Rs 4.20 crore.Water Tax: 7253 Complaints RedressedIn the adalats that were conducted in all districts of the State, 7253 complaints related to arrears in water tax were resolved.Rs 1769 crore Rural Drinking Water ProjectUnder the rural drinking water project, 209 projects, estimated at Rs 1769 crore are being implemented and that too in a manner that a person gets 70 liters of drinking water per day. Taking into account the outstanding implementation of accelerated rural drinking water projects, Kerala Water Authority received an additional amount of Rs 169.70 crore from the Central government.Pipes Worth Rs 445 croreRs 445.37 crore spent for laying quality pipes. Use of concrete and AC pipes avoided. The diameter of drinking water pipes in the city area has been fixed at 150 mm and 80 mm in rural areas. The new drinking water projects should only use MS (mild steel), DI, PVC, PE pipes. PVC pipes should not be used where the diameter exceeds 160 mm. This new pipe policy has been formulated to prevent bursting of pipes. As part of the measures to prevent pipe bursts, Mild Steel pipes were laid from Aruvikkara to Peroorkada, replacing the old ones.22 Arts and Science CollegesFor the first time in the history of Kerala, 22 Arts and Science colleges were started in the government sector. 320 courses were also sanctioned in government-aided colleges.IITIndian Institute of Technology will come up in an area of 400 acres at Kanjikode in Palakkad District.Rajiv Gandhi Knowledge Centre for Career Studies and ResearchRajiv Gandhi Knowledge Centre for Career Studies and Research formed for the education and training of fishermen children and youth in the coastal area.22,300 Students Admitted to Plus Two62 government higher secondary schools and 167 aided higher secondary schools sanctioned. 22,300 students given admission to plus two courses in the 110 newly allotted 110 batches in the government sector and 336 in the aided sector.Aided Status to Buds SchoolsAided status given to special schools that are having strength of more than 100 students including Buds schools. In-principal approval has been given for granting aided status to special schools having strength of more than 50 students.Italian Marines to Abide by Indian LawsThe two Italian marines who shot dead fishermen off the Kerala coast were eventually made to abide by Indian laws and face trial in India.Kerala Model HealthcareKerala has become the first State in India to have Allopathy, Ayurveda and Homoeo hospitals in all panchayats. Kerala has also become a totally Ayurveda State by starting Ayurvedic treatment centers in all panchayats. Department of Ayush formed by coordinating the treatment streams of Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy. Permanent Ayurvedic treatment centers were started at 77 places where the treatment was not available. 343 posts were created for this and postings done. 110 Homoeo dispensaries started and 446 new posts created and postings done.Rs 61 crore for Sabarimala Master PlanWorks worth Rs 61.27 completed as part of Sabarimala Master Plan, which is meant for providing basic facilities. Rs 10 crore given for Zero Waste Sabarimala project. Waste processing plant started at Sannidhanam. Works of walkway canopy, eight queue complexes and underpass from Pamba to Sannidhanam completed. Swami Ayyappan road readied for tractors to ply. Arogyabhavan at Pamba, Rs 523 crore renovation and repair of roads to Sabarimala undertaken. Rs 7 crore new bridge at Kanamala for making travel from Erumeli to Pampa easy and Rs 8.14 crore worth roads (14 m wide) with sidewalks at Nilakkal, facility for parking more than 10,000 vehicles, water-tank of 10 lakh liter capacity and two bore wells constructed. The roads to Sabarimala were renovated by spending 518 crore in connection with the pilgrimage season. Works of major roads leading to Sabarimala (75.2km) under heavy maintenance scheme and with five years guarantee were completed. These roads were constructed under heavy maintenance project which has a guarantee of 5 years. 124 km roads were renovated with a guarantee of three years.Centres for Imparting SkillStarted, the Kerala Academy for Skills Excellence, the nodal agency for providing skill excellence to the youth. Under this, Nursing Institute for Career Enhancement and Centre for Excellence in International Security at Thiruvananthapuram and Enlightened Skills Programme in Oil and Rig stated at Angamali. Indian Institute of Infrastructure and Construction started functioning at Chavara in Kollam. IIIC would soon start to function for making labourers skilled for undertaking model construction works of high standards at Chavara.Benefit to 10 lakh WorkersMore than half a century old Kerala Shops and Commercial Establishment Law and Rules amended in a timely manner. There are norms in the law for providing experience certificate to workers / employees, appointment order and hostel facility, which are to be given by the owner. The new law ensures crèche facility for the children of women workers, retiring room, clean toilets, seating facility inside retiring rooms and facility to deposit sanitary napkins. About 10 lakh workers will benefit through this amendment.Three Welfare Projects for WorkersAbout 10 lakh plantation workers, 2.5 lakh coir workers has been included in the Aam Admi Beema Yojana, which ensures comprehensive insurance protection from accidents to the families of workers in the unorganized sector. Rs 75,000 for death due to accident and permanent disability, Rs 30,000 for natural death and Rs 37,500 for partial disability are being given. Scholarships are also given to the children of those enrolled in the project and studying from classes 9 to 12 (including ITI), the amount being Rs 1200 per month. CHIS Plus project has been implemented for giving an additional amount of Rs 70,000, apart from the Rs 30,000 given for treatment of serious illnesses. This is for members of Comprehensive Health Insurance, meant for treatment assistance. Implemented Sanjeevani scheme for giving financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh to the descendants in the event of accidental death of a family head, who is a member of the Comprehensive Health Insurance and CHIS plus schemes.Minimum Wages RevisedWages were revised on two occasions in the plantation sector and were the highest increase in the history of the State. The new rates for rubber, coffee, tea and cardamom are Rs 381, Rs 301 and Rs 330 respectively. Wages were revised in the cashew sector too. Fair wages were also revised for the motor workers. Steps are being taken at a fast pace to renew minimum wages in all labour sectors that have completed its term. Minimum wages renewed in 16 labour sectors. In addition five new labour sectors included in the list of minimum wages.Nokku Kooli abolishedNokku Kooli has been banned State-wide. Complaints can be registered by calling the call centre number 155214 or the toll-free number 180042555214.Eleven Autonomous CollegesEleven autonomous colleges started in the State. Autonomous status awarded to Thiruvananthapuram Mar Ivanios College, Kollam Fathima Matha College, Changanassery S B, Sacred Heart, Maharajas College, St Theresa's College, Rajagiri College, Farook College, MES Mambadu, St Josephs Devagiri and St Thomas Thrissur. Over a period of time, these colleges can start new courses. In future, they will become autonomous universities. They can prepare syllabus, conduct exams and can announce results independently. Autonomous colleges will get aid from UGC.Wages Protection SystemWages protection system implemented for giving wages through banks to workers employed in different private sectors. Kerala is the first state to implement such a project. The officials of Labour department can now monitor online whether the wages as prescribed by the law are reaching the workers.Five Projects for Construction of HousesKerala State Housing Board freed from the loan liability to HUDCO by paying Rs 730.67 crore inclusive of interest. Five projects Saphalyam, Santhwanam, Sayoojyam, Saubhagyam and Grihasree were formulated to provide houses to the people belonging to all sections. The Budget share for the housing sector in these five projects was Rs 2,077.65 crore during 2010-11. This was increased to RS 3,259 crore during 2014-15. 2064 persons belonging to lower income group having 2 or 3 cents of land as their own has been given assistance for construction of homes ranging from 30 sq m to 60 sq m, under the Grihasree housing project. Rs 55.59 crore given to 8,235 houses under M N Laksham Veedu reconstruction project and 218 houses reconstructed at Bangladesh colony at Rs 15 crore. 216 flats under Saphalyam project for constructing flats to those belonging to the weaker sections at Chathannur in Kollam, Chelannur in Kozhikode, Chottanikkara in Ernakulam, Puthukadu in Thrissur are under construction. 500 more flats will be constructed in the second phase.Major LawsRight to Service Act: This law ensures that the public gets the required service within a stipulated period of time.Healthcare Service Persons and Healthcare Service Institutions (Prevention of violence) Act: Intended to prevent violence against healthcare service personnel and prevention of violence and property loss of healthcare service institutions.Kerala Prohibition of Charging Exorbitant Interest Act: Law for banning exorbitant interest rates on loans and for giving rigorous punishment for taking excess interest. More effective measures for the protection of river banks and for checking sand mining.Kerala Lifts and Escalators Act: For the erection, maintenance and security of lifts and escalators in Kerala.Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University Law: For the establishment of Malayalam University to enrich the studies and research on Malayalam language, literature and culture.State Minority Commission Act: Formation of the commission for the educational progress, welfare, protection and empowerment of minorities.State Youth Commission Act: Formation of a commission for the preparation of projects for making the youth well educated, empowerment and also for the protection of the rights of youth.Kerala Anti-Social (prevention) Activities Amendment Act: Amendment to make KAPA more rigorous and flawless.Fish Seed Law: Law to check production quality, marketing and storage of of fish seeds. CESS on KSRTC tickets to provide more facilities for commuters and for the social security of employees. Law to protect the interests of investors in different financial institutions.Devaswom Recruitment Board Law: Law to form a recruitment board for making appointments to various posts.APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University Law: Law pertaining to the formation of Science and Technology University to encourage scientific and technological education.Real Estate Regulation Law: Law for the formation of a regulatory authority for controlling and supporting the real estate sector.Expatriate Indians (Keralites) Commission Act: Law for the formation of a commission to protect the interests and welfare of the expatriate Keralites inside the State. Law for the formation of a State Commission for forward communities. Law that allows PSC to undertake University postings.Malayalam Language (propagation and enrichment) Bill: Law that ensures adaptation of Malayalam as the official language, its usage at all levels and its propagation, enrichment and sustenance.100-Day MagicOut of the 107 programmes announced 102 could be completed within 100 days. 24x7 Call Centre, Disclosure of Personal Assets, Whistle Blower System, Settlement of Moolampilli, Chengara struggles and Enhanced security to Padmanbha Swamy temple were implemented successfully.Seven Streams ProjectsSeven-Stream Projects were implemented following the 100-day magic of the government. Seven paths were announced to attain the aim of development and care. The Seven-Stream Projects were announced on 17 November 2011. A total of 664 projects were announced under the seven streams. 91.71% of the projects have been achieved.RecognitionsCM’s Jana Samparka Paripadi received the UN Award for Public Service in 2013. It was for the first time that a chief minister in the country was selected for this prestigious award.CM’s Website received the Web Ratna Award of the Union government in 2012. Kerala received the IBN 7 Diamond State Award for its performance in the fields of education, health, environment and poverty alleviation.India Today State of the States Award in 2013 for achieving outstanding growth in the fields of education, macro economics, agriculture, consumer market and investment.Kerala received the first prize of the Union government in 2014-15 for its performance in decentralization of power and empowerment of democracy. The responsible tourism project implemented at Kumarakom won the Ulysses Prize, known as the Oscar in tourism sector.The publicity event ‘Run Kerala Run’ a mass run for National Game witnessed the participation of 1.52 crore people and earned a place in the Limca Book of World Records. The mass run was arranged at 7000 centers across Kerala.Kerala has continuously received the Energy Award from 2012 instituted by the Ministry of Power.Kerala also received the India Power Award in 2014 and the award of the Ministry of Power in 2015 for implementing the most number of Pico hydro electricity project.Courtesy: Achievements of UDF Government in Kerala : Ready Reckoner

The penultimate & the last full-fledged budget of Modi government was distinctive in multiple aspects, apart from being the first one post GST with lesser degrees of freedom. As anticipated, the Finance Minister pumped money liberally under schemes targeted at the rural poor, agriculture, infrastructure & social security, even when his Budget math slipped beyond his own targets.Over the last few years, the Union budget has become as more of a media jamboree & most of crucial policy decisions are taken outside the Budget. The Govt typically plays to the galleries by making populist announcement during the budget but takes decisions on levying of tax, unleashing crucial reforms, hiking of tariffs, fares etc. outside of it through a quiet notification. This time also just a month prior to Budget, it unleashed new set of reforms, including 100% FDI in single-brand retail & the construction industry through automatic route, sending the right signals to global investors. Similarly, $33.2 billion bank recapitalisation announcement in Jan’18 goes to the heart of state-run lenders' acute capital shortage & GST council’s decision to reduce rates on several items & services was in accord with the same approach. This budget was unique & crucial in several ways; hence the backdrop of the economic scenario needs to be looked into for a holistic assessmentThe Goods and Services Tax (GST), implemented from July 2017, transformed multiple aspects of the Indian economy. However, the GST has also shorn the Budget of its suspense & mystery by taking away its major burden, the indirect taxes, now under GST Council’s purview. Days before it was presented in the Parliament, Budget occupied the mind space of common Indians; traders would start hoarding items in anticipation of increased taxes, salaried people would postpone their critical purchase decision. The Budget is now mostly about allocations, direct taxes, customs duties & levies. Now, except income tax, there is little in the Budget that would make an instant connect with the masses. Managing Fiscal deficit or a policy like Housing scheme does not evoke the same reaction that cheaper electronic items or costlier branded clothes do. In a way, post GST the powers & influence of finance minister has diminished as the focus of attention has now shifted to GST Council.For Union budget 2018-19 the precarious task before Fin Min was to ensure that all the 4 engines of growth—domestic consumption, private investment, exports & public investment deliver simultaneously; moreover it was expected that we would find solutions for vexed problems such as rural distress, weak employment & revival of private investments.The perennial conundrum of whether PM Modi will choose to stick to the road of fiscal rectitude or, instead, give Finance Minister Arun Jaitley the nod to open the spigots of government spending continues. Slow GDP growth, low GST collections; less quantum of dividends from the RBI & insufficient proceeds from telecom spectrum have upset the fiscal math. At one end, there are those who want a reduction in the fiscal deficit in conformity with the targets: 3.2% of GDP in FY18 & 3% of GDP in FY19. At the other end, there are those who want fiscal expansion to boost growth in the economy through domestic demand in the face of a global slowdown.In either case, this budget was critical, not only in the sphere of economics but also in the realm of politics. In the polity, the government is on the last lap of its tenure, elections are due in 8 states this year & the performance of the economy & underlying policies will be determinant of electoral outcomes.This was also the last opportunity to ply the electorate—in particular, poorer, rural voters & agriculture sector—with fiscal largesse. In India, unlike in Anglo-American advanced economies, such largesse always manifests itself as increased government spending, rather than as tax cuts coz so few people pay direct taxes.Whatever the merits of demonetization or the goods and services tax (GST), it was clear that both would impose short-term costs on the economy for the prospect of medium and longer-term gains. Thus, it was crucial to accentuate the benefits of these measures & establish a road-map to mitigate any adverse impact to the economy.FM pledged in 2015 to bring down corporate taxes over 4 years to 25%, which has happened selectively; but businesses are still waiting for a roadmap on how that will happen all across. U.S has already eased their corporate rates & India has to respond accordingly to woo investors but political considerations had to be factored.Over the last couple of years, the government has taken multiple steps to revive the economy—from ease of doing business to controlling inflation, from reining in fiscal to revival of manufacturing sector, and so on. The final salvo is required to unify all the efforts in a coordinated fashion so that there is a holistic economic revival.Economic SurveyThe Indian economy is expected to expand at 7-7.5% in the next financial year with Agriculture, Education, Employment being areas of focus in the medium term, according to the Economic Survey 2017-18 prepared by CEA Arvind Subramanian. Setting the reform agenda for next year, the Survey elucidates that government needs to work towards stabilizing the GST, completing TBS (twin balance sheet) issues, privatizing Air India & staving off threats to macro-economic stability. The country is seen to be amongst the best performing economies, supported by higher growth,lower inflation, improved current account balance & reduction in fiscal deficit ratio to GDP. GST has given a new perceptive of the Indian economy & new trends reveal that there has been a 50% increase in the number of indirect taxpayers. There has also been a large increase in voluntary registrations, especially by small enterprises that buy from large enterprises wanting to avail themselves of input tax credits. Similarly, there has been an addition of about 18 lakh in individual income tax filers since November 2016 (post demonetization), so ideally increased compliance should bring reduction in the tax slabs/rates.Last year, Eco survey had warned that note ban will adversely impact cash-intensive sectors such as agriculture, real estate & jewellery, which was actually the case. CEA had outlined 3 risks to India's growth in FY18 - note ban, pricey oil, global trade tensions, the first of which was a self-inflicted risk, last 2 still persists. As per CEA, demonetisation temporarily reduced demand & hampered production, especially in the informal sector, which transacts mainly in cash. This shock largely faded away by mid-2017, when the cash-GDP ratio stabilized.One of the most crucial metric the headline inflation has been below 4% for almost a year, from November 2016 & CPI food inflation averaged around 1% during April -December in the current financial year, the Economic Survey 2018 said. The CPI inflation declined to 3.3% during FY 2017-18 (Apr-Dec), one positive outcome was that the economy has witnessed a gradual transition from a period of high & variable inflation to more stable prices in the last 4 years. CEA also admitted perhaps for the first time that the scope for monetary easing is now limited as inflation is surging in tandem with the recovery in economic growth.While the survey was optimistic, it makes a case for policy vigilance to deal with downside risks stemming from rising crude oil prices & any setback to the ongoing recovery of the global economy.OutcomeAs expected, the FM in his last budget played to the galleries keeping elections in mind without being callous towards the consolidation of fiscal path, in short he believed in “Modi” rather than “Moody’s”. PM Modi is well aware that he shall be assessed by his electorate based on development work done & the “growth” in the economy rather than on adherence to the fiscal deficit target. The decision to alter fiscal deficit target for FY18 revised to 3.5% of GDP; Fiscal Deficit target for FY19 at 3.3% Of GDP shall adversely impact the sovereign ratings of India (by firms such as Moody’s, S&P, Fitch),impact bond yields but at the same time revive demand & propel economy. While unveiling the Budget 2018-19, FM said that India has grown on an average of 7.5% in the first three years of the current government & has become a $2.5 trillion economy, adding that it is expected to become 5th largest economy soon.The worrisome part is that the breach in fiscal deficit is despite a cut in capex which implies that had the government stuck to its targeted capital expenditure for FY18, fiscal deficit would have been still higher. The reason attributed to fiscal slippage by FM is shortfall in GST collections & major disruptions in the economy on taxation & regulatory front, which is plausible. We need to worry about the deficit number because a large deficit usually results in higher inflation.PM hailed his government’s last pre-poll budget as a “big step” towards achieving Ease of Business and Ease of Living. Farmers, rural India & healthcare were the main focus of Budget 2018 but the middle class hopes for Income Tax relief were dashed. In a bid to woo the poor & vulnerable sections of the society ahead of the next general elections, FM announced a new flagship National Health Protection Scheme in Budget 2018 to provide health insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh per family per year to 100 million families, this “ModiCare” seems inspired by a similar scheme initiated by erstwhile US President Barack Obama in form of “ObamaCare”. In a country with acute shortage of doctors & lack of quality medical facilities in rural areas, this scheme looks good on paper but could be a nightmare to implement. This can be absolutely game changing if only we get more specifics about it.The biggest bonanza announced for farmers was to provide Minimum Support Price worth 1.5 times of the cost of production for Kharif crops. Further, the government doubled the allocation of funds to boost Food Processing, specialized agro-processing & financial institutions promoted by the government. The government was expected to pay much needed attention to address the rural distress as it has been a key focus area for the NDA government as it constitutes the largest chunk of constituencies for upcoming assembly elections in 8 states.Budget 2018 has set up higher targets for Ujjwala Yojana, Saubhagya & Swachh Mission to cater to lower and middle class sections, providing free LPG connections, electricity & toilets.The Govt set a target of raising Rs 80,000 crore in 2018-19 by selling stake in state-owned assets after surprisingly exceeding its record divestment target in 2017-18. Small Businessmen were adversely impacted by GST roll out & demonetisation. In Budget 2018,FM assuaged their pain by reducing rate of corporate tax to 25%, currently available for companies with turnover of less than 50 crore (in FY16), to companies reporting turnover up to Rs 250 crore in FY17. FM proposed changes in customs duty to promote creation of more jobs in the country & also to incentivise domestic value addition & Make in India in sectors such as food processing, electronics, auto components, footwear & furniture. A big dampener for the stock market was a reintroduction of the Long Term Capital Gains tax on gains of more than Rs 1 lakh in the equity market at a rate of 10%.As for Digital India, this budget focussed on developing the villages of the country. FM announced to provide internet access to rural areas through 5 lakh WiFi hotspots that will be set up in rural areas to provide easy Internet access. On the latest fad, FM stated that cryptocurrency is not legal tender in India but the government will explore its underlying technology, called blockchain, to usher in the digital economy. Policy think tank Niti Ayog will take the lead in implementing policy initiatives ranging from farm sector reforms to establishing a new ecosystem for artificial intelligence.The Finance Minister took good care of the senior citizens & pensioners, allowing complete waiver of tax deducted at source on interest earning of up to Rs 50,000 on bank fixed deposits & post office savings, while extending tax rebate on annual health insurance premium of up to Rs 50K & enlarging the scope of tax exemption on critical healthcare to Rs 1 lakh for senior citizens.For the core of the economy, FM budgeted Rs 5.97 lakh crore infrastructure spend for FY19, which went up by over Rs 1 lakh crore from this year's level. Out of this Railway Ministry led by Piyush Goyal got significant contribution , some Rs 1.48 lakh crore will go towards renewal of 3,600 km rail track, redevelopment of 600 railway stations. Rs 40,000 crore will be spend on developing some 150 km suburban railway tracks.India's defence budget was hiked by a measly 7.81% from Rs 2.74 lakh crore last year, once again dashing the hopes for any major jump in military modernization this year despite heightened tensions with both Pakistan & China along the volatile borders. On the education front, the Budget offered huge sops to the sector, including Rs1 lakh crore allocation, which will be deployed over the next 4 years under the Revitalising Infrastructure and Systems in Education (RISE) programmeThe Budget proved to be a disappointment for the real estate sector, the only good news is in the affordable housing segment as the Centre announced a special fund for the same through the National Housing Bank. There are no changes in Income Tax sops or other direct measures that influence the sector, also the demand-supply dynamics of real estate sector get no further intervention.The sore point of the Budget will be that salaries of MPs being double while the middle class end up paying more taxes. It provided little relief to salaried class as benefits under the proposed Rs 40,000 standard deduction will be neutralised to a large extent by inclusion of transport & medical allowances and 1% hike in health/education cess.To summarize, FM has tried to sell dreams without detailing how the government will achieve them, but he has been prudent without being too populist. Overall, this was a typical pre-election budget & the Govt went all out with grandiose announcements for its target electorate- the farmers, traders & economically backward sections of the society, as they seemed determined to bring “Acche Din” for them at least.Details of the Budget can be found on the following link:UNION BUDGET

This question is a bit broad as the term "business information" is generic. As such, I will use the three sample companies in the question to define business information as company intelligence for sales, marketing, and business research. I am excluding credit as that has been posed as a separate challenge and operates with separate products from sales, marketing, and business research.To further refine the question, I am operationally defining incumbents as companies with revenue greater than $50 million and entered the sales and marketing products space over five years ago.INCUMBENTSAlong with Dun & Bradstreet (DNB), Experian, and Bureau van Dijk (BvD), I am also identifying LexisNexis (LN), Factiva, and Avention as incumbents. Here is a quick overview of each of the incumbents and their offerings:DNBDun & Bradstreet has been collecting company profiles since the 19th century. Their largest segment is Credit, but Sales & Marketing Services is their fastest growing division. DNB provides a varied set of products including Optimizer (batch company enrichment), Hoover's (company profiles), D&B360 (CRM connectors for sales), D&B Direct (API and marketing automation connectors), First Research (US industry overviews), Market Insight (hosted marketing database), and NetProspex (Contact hygiene and enrichment hub in the cloud). They also recently re-acquired D&B Credibility Corp which re-established their position in the SMB market. Of these products, Hoover's and Optimizer are probably the most vulnerable. Hoover's is geared more towards the bottom half of the sales intelligence market where there is significant competition from new entries while Optimizer is a cash cow, but run mostly as a batch service. DNB has indicated plans to build company matching into its NetProspex data hub so the Optimizer risk may be resolved before there is significant market loss.ExperianExperian is more focused on business and consumer credit than business information services. Business Marketing services include Experian Data Quality and digital marketing services. They do not offer a global business research or sales intelligence service.BvDBureau van Dijk provides a top-notch global company database which is available for financial analysis (ORBIS) and sales intelligence (MINT). They also market a set of Catalyst workflow products tied to specific analytical needs such as transfer pricing, valuation, and compliance (e.g. KYC, AML). ORBIS has probably the broadest set of global company financials. Other strengths include global company linkage (they track minority shareholdings), their Zephyr M&A database, original documents (e.g. private company registration forms), and financial analysis tools. Products are available at the global, regional, and country level. Geographically, BvD is strongest in Europe followed by the AsiaPacific region. They have gained little traction in the Americas outside of banking and insurance. Other vulnerabilities are their dated UIs, limited CRM connectors, and lack of marketing offerings.LNLexisNexis is owned by Reed Elsevier and offers two long-established product lines in the business research space: the Lexis line of legal products and the Nexis news database. Their Dossier Suite of products were launched about fifteen years ago and has a very dated user interface and limited workflow tools for sales, marketing, and business research. Dossier offers very deep content but has not received significant capital investment over the past decade. Around five years ago, they built their Prospect Portfolio service for sales reps, but it was late to the market and offers little that wasn't available from the established sales intelligence services.FactivaFactiva is owned by Dow Jones and provides the premier English multi-lingual news archive on the market. Along with company news, they sell a Companies & Executives (FC&E) database. FC&E was targeted to the upper end of the market where it competed against BvD and Avention. The offering, while quite good, never managed to significantly dislodge Avention and BvD. As such, they have slowed investment into the offering over the past few years.AventionAvention provides a global database of companies and executives for sales (iSell) and business research (Global Business Browser). In the past two years, they launched two offerings: The OneSource platform which supports sales and business research along with predictive analytics tools; and DataVision which provides a hosted marketing database for data enrichment and marketing analytics.CHALLENGERSSo now that I've delved into the incumbents, I see the challengers as coming from several corners. I have grouped them into the following categories: Crowdsourced datasets, semantically mined datasets, predictive analytics, and niche datasets.CROWDSOURCEDLinkedIn Sales NavigatorI am including Sales Navigator (SN) amongst the challengers because they only entered the sales intelligence space a few years ago but have SN revenue in the $150 million to $200 million range and see a billion dollar plus TAM (total addressable market) for the offering. They have quickly built out their sales team and have over 200 dedicated sales reps for SN. I don't believe that SN will hit their TAM because of several limitations specific to LinkedIn's crowdsourcing model. First, the service is view only. Users cannot download marketing lists or upload company or contact information to a CRM. This significantly decreases the value of SN for B2B sales and marketing. Second, they do not provide users with emails but instead force them to use InMail, a text only messaging system that lacks branding and templates. LinkedIn could invest in these tools, but then the volume of LinkedIn messaging would explode and annoy their members. Finally, virtually all contact information is personal emails which means that messages are received after hours or within LinkedIn browser and mobile apps.OwlerOwler employs a hybrid model of semantic mining, editorial review, and crowdsourcing. It has significant VC backing ($19.3 million), medium quality company profiles, three sales trigger categories (exec changes, funding, and M&A), high-precision news, and funding data. They are using crowdsourcing for company sizing, determining company competitors, and polling (e.g. CEO favorability; whether the firm will go bankrupt, be acquired, or IPO). Owler is a free service which is asking its user base to help build their company profiles. The plan is to eventually monetize the dataset by licensing it to companies and other data services. The big question is, can they build a sufficiently high quality database to monetize their user base? If so, they could be disruptive to company data in the same way as LinkedIn is disruptive to contact data (which basically drove down the price of bios). If they were to expand their sales trigger categories, they could also undermine the value of sales triggers.ZoominfoZoominfo combines crowdsourced emails and direct dial information against a database of mined companies and bios. They probably have the largest set of emails and direct dials for contacts which is a valuable asset. The firm struggled for years as it looked for a stable, long-term business model. Around 3-4 years ago, they began targeting the marketing services space offering data enrichment tools. This pivot (one of many over the years) has been very successful as they grew from low teens to $30 million over the past few years. They are now working on additional marketing automation and CRM connectors.PREDICTIVE ANALYTICSPredictive analytics for sales and marketing is an area of significant development. Analyst David Raab wrote in October, "2015 has been the breakout year for predictive analytics in marketing, with at least $242 million in new funding, compared with $376 million in all prior years combined."Raab VC Investment Chart: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YX3XgjiUhCg/VkTinh2z14I/AAAAAAAACMI/e4TaRRXf_9g/s400/predictive%2Banalytics%2Bfunding.jpgPredictive analytics companies generally license data from other vendors and build a database of business signals from their licensed structured and unstructured data. To a company's marketing database, they map firmographics and business signals to generate lead scores. These scores are available to both sales and marketing and help determine which leads are marketing qualified and which ones should be nurtured. The predictive companies also find net-new leads which are similar to a company's top customers and are beginning to provide product and messaging tips.Predictive companies include LeadSpace, Mintigo, 6Sense, Lattice Engines, Radius, Infer, SalesPredict, InsideSales, and Everstring. The market is still too young to predict which companies will be the eventual winners but all seem to be reporting rapid growth (off of small bases). InsideSales and Radius have the largest VC investments.Amongst the incumbents, Avention is the only firm that has invested in building out predictive tools. The other firms have not made any public investments in this space but could always acquire one of the companies. So far, Fliptop was acquired by LinkedIn and InsideSales acquired C9. Gartner Analysts Todd Berkowitz and Tad Travis complemented the C9 deal’s logic:Sales Acceleration Platform | Predictive Analytics | InsideSales.com offers strong predictive analytics offerings targeted to inside-sales teams for use higher in the sales funnel, with solutions for prospecting and lead scoring (NeuralView). C9’s focus is further down with a predictive opportunity solution for field sales (OppScore). When integrated, the combined offering will represent a comprehensive predictive sales analytics solution. With little overlap in either portfolio or customer base, there is ample opportunity to cross-sell additional modules. However, the combined company will need to bring the capabilities together into a single user interface.Both are driving the move beyond predictive analytics by offering prescriptive analytics capabilities. These will provide actionable recommendations to both sales managers and salespeople; integration will blend those capabilities. For example, C9’s next-best-action capability can become more powerful by leveraging NeuralView’s prescriptive models,” continued Gartner. “When integration is complete, existing C9 clients will benefit from Sales Acceleration Platform | Predictive Analytics | InsideSales.com’s advanced opportunity scoring capabilities including processing external buying signals gathered from social media channels.SEMANTIC MININGSemantic mining is increasingly becoming a method of data collection. The cost is quite low and semantic mining helps solve the data recency issue. Several of the previously discussed vendors employ semantic mining including Zoominfo (bios and company profiles), Owler (sales triggers, funding data), and the predictive analytics companies.To this list I would add the following companies:DataFoxDataFox originally focused heavily on providing investors with information about growing technology companies and financings, but recently entered the sales intelligence space with the launch of DataFox for Sales. DataFox for Sales’ primary information presentation model is lists. While companies can be viewed individually, the product focuses on company lists maintained by DataFox or sales reps. Lists include curated lists (e.g. Fast 500), conference attendees, and shared lists. The company can also identify similar companies based upon semantic analysis of the open web. Another differentiator is their DataFox proprietary predictive score which sums four subscores: Financing, HR, Influence, and Growth.MattermarkMattermark also focuses on rapidly growing companies. Last year they cancelled their last content license and moved to a semantically mined data model. They have a small set of editors for reviewing the results.UnomyProvides company profiles and news mined from the web. They also are list centric.Social123Rapidly growing Social123 mines social media sites (primarily LinkedIn) for contact data. They have several hundred million executive profiles with responsibilities, educational and work histories, etc. To this, they have matched emails. The database is available for licensing or enrichment. If LinkedIn chooses to sue them, it could quickly undermine the company. If not, Social123 could become a big player in the business information space, providing a backdoor method for obtaining LinkedIn intelligence.Whether the data mining model is viable is still TBD. Radius began as a mined company dataset with a focus on SMBs but pivoted into predictive analytics. GageIn mined company and contact data along with news alerts but failed to gain traction and folded last year.Another issue for data mining is completeness. Only half of SMBs have websites and mining fails to resolve key questions such as ownership (is this a company or a brand? if a brand, who owns it? if a subsidiary, who owns it?), company size, and whether the business is ongoing.NICHEOne strategy for business information providers is to develop niche offerings that gather deep info one or a few verticals. These datasets compete based upon data accuracy and industry specific fields not available in general business datasets.Two excellent examples are DiscoverOrg and RainKing that have built editorially researched technology profiles for the top global companies. Both cover approximately 50,000 companies with org charts, executive responsibilities, IT budgets, planned projects, and the firm's IT infrastructure (e.g. vendors and products). Both have globalized their coverage over the past two years and extended into other job functions (e.g. marketing and finance). Along with technology profiles, they have built connectors for CRMs and Marketing Automation Platforms.HG Data has had great success in semantically mining vendor and product data at the company level and then reselling it to predictive analytics companies and tech database vendors (they recently announced deals with DiscoverOrg and Aberdeen Group for populating these fields in their tech datasets).You will find these vertical datasets across many industries including healthcare, energy, banking, and insurance. Most of these are unlikely to directly threaten the incumbents, but building a data ecosystem (think of it as a data version of the Salesforce AppExchange) is beginning to happen. There are a number of these markets from the enterprise software companies on Microsoft Azure, Oracle (Oracle Marketing Cloud for Eloqua, BlueKai), Marketo LaunchPoint, Adobe Marketing Cloud, etc. SFDC indicated that their Accurate Business Information and Company Profiles from Leading Business Data - Data.com platform would build out a data exchange but appears to have backed off that idea. DNB has partnered with a dozen niche data vendors to provide D&B Data Exchange access through Optimizer and D&B Direct.OTHERInsideViewInsideView is a traditional sales intelligence vendor that has extended into marketing services (enrichment, prospecting). They also have built a powerful API that has been leveraged by a broad set of companies not looking to license and host company and contact datasets. When LinkedIn cut off their API last year to many vendors, InsideView stepped up and took over much of this business. InsideView offers a traditional sales intelligence offering combined with strong sales triggers, a buzz feed (social media), and a who-knows-who relationship finder that leverages your co-worker's contacts.BomboraBombora provides intent data collected from B2B media sites. Basically, they can tell you which topics are surging (of high interest) at companies. The data is anonymous, but knowing that employees at company X have significantly increased their searching on specific topics can be quite powerful for programmatic advertising, Account Based Marketing targeting, and predictive lead scoring. Bombora has licensed their content broadly across the predictive analytics space and signed deals with the D&B Data Exchange, DiscoverOrg, and the marketing clouds.I could keep going, but I'm already at 2,500 words. Other firms worthy of mention include DemandBase (programmatic advertising), ReachForce (Cloud hygiene and enrichment), SalesLoft Cadence (campaign management for sales development reps), QuotaFactory (similar to Cadence), DueDil (a rising sales intelligence database in the UK which is looking to expand across Europe), and Artesian Solutions (a UK social selling service which relies heavily on data mining).Note: I am a former Avention employee (2001 - 20010) and consult to a number of the vendors covered below. All information in this analysis is in the public domain.