Thiruvananthapuram: The utilisation of LIFE Mission funds in 2025-26 shows a clear imbalance, with the urban component recording low spending while rural segment used almost the entire amount released, as per govt data. More significantly, the gap is even sharper between what was allocated in the budget and what was actually released during the year.As per local self dept’s order issued on April 13, funds were released to PSTSB account (public sector treasury savings bank account), a govt-controlled bank account maintained in the treasury system where departments or schemes like LIFE Mission park funds released to them, under two heads — Urban LIFE Mission and Rural LIFE Mission.For urban LIFE Mission, the budget estimate was Rs 140 crore. However, only Rs 24.30 crore was released during the financial year. Of this, only Rs 7.98 crore (32.84%) was actually utilised and Rs 16.32 crore remained unspent as on March 31, 2026.For rural LIFE Mission, the budget estimate was Rs 580 crore. Govt released Rs 212.59 crore and only Rs 4.16 crore remained unspent at the end of the year. This shows Rs 208.42 crore (98.04%) was utilised.In total, against a combined budget estimate of Rs 720 crore, govt released only Rs 236.89 crore, and even this wasn’t fully spent. The balance remaining in PSTSB account as on March 31, 2026, was Rs 20.48 crore, which govt has ordered to be recovered.The latest figures follow a similar pattern seen in the previous financial year too. In 2024-25, the state made a budget allocation of Rs 692 crore for LIFE Mission under local self-govt department. However, finance department released only Rs 247.36 crore to the mission. From this, govt later took back Rs 136.89 crore to manage the financial situation.As a result, the actual spending under LIFE Mission in 2024-25 was just Rs 110.46 crore, despite a much higher budget provision. This effectively meant that out of Rs 692 crore allocated, around Rs 582 crore remained unspent and was taken back to the treasury.The trend over the past two years shows that while sizeable amounts are provided in the budget for LIFE Mission, the actual flow and use of funds remain much lower.“A major portion of the funds is taken back at the end of the financial year to manage treasury liquidity. This shows how deep is state’s financial stress,” said a finance department official.In 2025-26, this gap is visible even within the released amount, with the urban component recording low spending. Read along with the 2024-25 figures, the latest govt order indicates that a significant share of allocated funds is either not released during the year or remains unspent before being returned to the treasury at the close of the financial cycle.
