Mon Mar 10 10:57:40 UTC 2025: ## Kerala Government to Streamline Welfare Fund Boards, Increase Pensions

**THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, March 10, 2025** – The Kerala government plans to improve the efficiency of its welfare fund boards, Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal announced in the Kerala Assembly on Monday. Addressing concerns raised by the Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) regarding the boards’ operations, Mr. Balagopal stated that pensions would not be reduced but increased, with three pending installments to be disbursed in the upcoming fiscal year.

He dismissed the UDF’s criticism as insincere, highlighting that 14 boards—six self-funded and eight government-aided—currently distribute pensions on time. Mr. Balagopal further emphasized the significant increase in pension spending under the current and previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) governments, contrasting it with the spending during the UDF’s tenure (2011-2015). The LDF government’s spending is projected to reach ₹55,000 crore by the end of its term, significantly exceeding the ₹9,011 crore spent by the UDF government.

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