Latest news with #K.N.Balagopal
The Hindu
24-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Kerala Financial Corporation posts net profit of ₹98.16 crore in 2024-25
The Kerala Financial Corporation (KFC) has posted a net profit of ₹98.16 crore for the financial year ending March 31, 2025, reflecting a 32.56% increase from the previous year. This is the highest profit in the corporation's history. The corporation's loan portfolio also has crossed the ₹8,000 crore-mark for the first time, reaching ₹8,011.99 crore. The KFC also said on Saturday that its net worth has increased to ₹1,328.83 crore, underlining robust financial growth. The State government has infused a capital of ₹920 crore into KFC, including ₹500 crore during this current LDF government's tenure, Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal said. 'This support has enabled KFC to offer loans to MSMEs at interest rates starting from just 5%. The growth of KFC mirrors the broader progress in Kerala's industrial sector.' Mr. Balagopal said. The infusion of ₹200 crore in share capital in 2024–25 had helped KFC to significantly strengthen its Capital Adequacy Ratio (CRAR), now at 28.26%, well above the RBI-mandated minimum of 15% for NBFCs. In addition, KFC achieved notable progress in asset quality, bringing Gross NPA down to 2.67% from 2.88% and net NPA to 0.61% from 0.68%. During 2024-25, KFC sanctioned ₹4,002.57 crore loans to MSMEs, start-ups and other sectors. The total loan disbursement stood at ₹3,918.40 crore and the total loan recovery, at ₹3,980.76 crore.
The Hindu
23-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Kerala NGO Union State conference in Alappuzha from May 25
The 62nd State conference of the Kerala NGO Union will be held at Camelot Convention Centre, Pathirappally in Alappuzha, from May 25. It will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at 3.30 p.m. on Sunday. A total of 948 delegates, including 304 women, will participate in the three-day event. Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal, former Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac, CPI(M) leader C.S. Sujatha and others will speak at various sessions during the conference.
The Hindu
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Kottarakara to host Women's International Film Festival from May 23
The sixth edition of the Women's International Film Festival (WIFF) will be held at Kottarakara in Kollam from May 23 to 25, showcasing a curated selection of films by women. Organised by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy under the Department of Culture, the three-day festival aims at celebrating women's voices through feature films and documentaries featuring multiple genres and geographies. Around 25 films will be screened at Minerva cinema in Kottarakara. The line-up includes works in segments such as World Cinema, Indian Cinema, and Malayalam Cinema. The festival will also feature entries by women filmmakers who garnered attention at the 29th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK). Apart from film screenings, the festival will also host open forums and cultural programmes. Delegate registration opens online at 11 a.m. on May 16 via The delegate fee, including GST, is ₹472 for general viewers and ₹236 for students. Offline registration will be available at the festival organising committee office at Chanthamukku, Kottarakara, from May 18. To encourage wider participation, accommodation for delegates travelling from other regions will be available at the Kerala Institute of Local Administration, Kottarakara. For details, call 94961 50327. The festival is part of the 'Comprehensive Kottarakara' initiative launched by Minister for Finance K.N. Balagopal.
The Hindu
10-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Desire 2025 conclave highlights AI job prospects and ethical considerations
Desire 2025, an education conclave, inaugurated by Finance Minister K. N. Balagopal at Kottarakara Government Higher Secondary School on Saturday presented the emerging opportunities, changing job scenarios, and ethical issues in the AI sector for students. Speaking at the event, the Minister pointed out that such initiatives are helpful in providing accurate guidance to students amidst the information overload brought about by artificial intelligence technology. 'Changes in basic amenities and other areas in line with the changing world have also occurred in Kerala. The service of tech-savvy youth should be utilised for the country,' said Mr. Balagopal, who added that Kottarakara will become a major centre in the IT sector. The upcoming IT park, Zoho company's IT centre in Neduvathur, and the Work Near Home project will not only provide employment but also ensure the skill development of the new generation. The conclave featured nine sessions where experts interacted with students. In the first session, Achuth Sankar S. Nair, a bioinformatics expert and teacher, spoke on the topic 'Job Opportunities in the AI Era.' He said AI will give a new impetus to fields like robotics, thereby creating new job opportunities. 'Predictive policing, which can detect and prevent criminal tendencies through body language, will become widespread with the advent of AI. The influence of AI will be limited in areas requiring human discretion such as art, sports, and law,' he said, urging the students to become proponents of AI and to learn programming. The other sessions were on topics including new-generation jobs, youth confidently overcoming changes, the magical possibilities of science and technology, environment-friendly tomorrows, security in the digital world, a small start towards financial management, let's transform this world, and let your creative spirits awaken. Ramya Girija, Amar Rajan, Arun Surendran, Shibu K. N., Sankari Unnithan, Nisari Mahesh, Sreekutty O. U., and Kuku Parameswaran interacted with the students. Desire 2025 was held as part of 'Samagra Kottarakara', a two-year project for the comprehensive development of the constituency. Around 1,000 students representing 32 schools in the constituency participated in the event.
The Hindu
07-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Chadayamangalam panchayat to get modern headquarters
A modern headquarters building with advanced facilities is being constructed to make the functioning of the Chadayamangalam grama panchayat more efficient. Inaugurating the construction at the old bus stand grounds on Wednesday, Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal said modernisation of government facilities was as important as the overall development of the State. Ensuring hassle-free services to everyone was a priority. 'The offices are being renovated for the benefit of tens of thousands at the grassroots level,' he said. The plan for the new building had been prepared as part of the grama panchayat's 2024-25 Annual Plan. The estimated cost was ₹1.10 crore and the new building would be constructed at the site where the old cultural centre was located. The three-storey building would house offices for the panchayat president, secretary, standing committee chairpersons and members, as well as a library-reading room, a meeting hall, and waiting area for the public. Minister for Dairy Development and Animal Husbandry J. Chinchurani, who presided over the function, said the construction of the building would be completed in a timely manner. 'Funds for the construction work will be provided from the MLA fund. Numerous development activities in the constituency are continuing without interruption. The construction of the mini-civil station, registration office, and rest house will begin soon,' she said. Chadayamangalam block panchayat president Lathika Vidyadharan and other officials were present.
