3 weeks ago
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Kerala’s Chief Minister-designate V.D. Satheesan connected Friday (May 15, 2026) stated that his authorities would effort to cushion the outgo of surviving crisis, including higher commuting and freight costs, driven by the latest hike successful substance prices precipitated by the warfare successful West Asia.
The concern successful West Asia and the United States’ continued naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has throttled the proviso of crude, sending substance and cooking state prices spiralling upward globally.
Notably, Mr. Satheesan, arsenic erstwhile Leader of the Opposition (LoP) successful Kerala, had opposed the erstwhile Left Democratic Front (LDF) government’s contentious determination to levy a societal information cess of ₹2 per litre connected petrol and diesel to subsidise the State’s expansive societal information pension net. It covers implicit 62 lakh persons successful the State, including widows, elder citizens, disabled persons, azygous women and workplace workers.
Kerala authorities LIVE updates - May 15, 2026
Mr. Satheesan had pointedly insisted successful the Assembly that the levy had spiked inflation, upended household budgets, and paved the mode for substance smuggling from neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, wherever per-litre diesel and petrol rates are considerably little compared to Kerala.
The United Democratic Front (UDF), past successful the Opposition successful the State, had besides argued that the substance cess had reduced the State taxation connected substance sales. The enactment had alleged that substance income successful Kerala during the 2024-25 period, which were supposedly astir ₹4000 crore, had dwindled by astir ₹1000 crore, costing the nationalist exchequer dearly.
The UDF had besides attributed the nonaccomplishment successful substance taxation gross to interstate freight and transport operators tanking up successful Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to debar the other ₹2 cess levied successful Kerala. Moreover, it had besides claimed that Kerala sustained sizeable gross losses owing to substance smuggling done its well-networked, porous borders with neighbouring States.
UDF govt. apt to see austerity measures successful Kerala
Provincial governments successful New Delhi, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and Sikkim person ordered a partial work-from-home argumentation for authorities offices and the backstage assemblage arsenic portion of an urgent austerity thrust to conserve substance and, astatine slightest partly, insulate workers from rising commuting costs.
A UDF insider said the caller government, which volition instrumentality the oath of bureau connected Monday (May 18, 2026), mightiness see akin options for Kerala, fixed that different States, including neighbouring Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, are reportedly poised to travel suit.
