THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Finance Minister K.N Balagopal presented the state's first paperless budget on Friday. 

The opposition, on the other hand, criticised him for presenting the budget on an iPad, claiming that there was a period when the minister was in the vanguard of anti-technology protests because the CPI-M was staunchly opposed to it.

Balagopal rose through the ranks of the party through the students' movement and the president's youth wing, eventually becoming the all-India president of both the student and youth wings. Explaining the stance of the CPI-M, Congress veteran and two-time former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said that in the 70s, the CPI-M opposed tractors, in the 80s they opposed computers.

"When I was Finance Minister (1991-94), the Left unions went bananas and destroyed computers in one of my departments because we were trying to computerise. Unfortunately, in Kerala, who is doing the work is more important than what is being done " he said.

Speaker M.B.Rajesh interrupted during the budget presentation this morning, pointing out that this is the first time the state has presented a paperless budget.

Officials in Kerala declared 2022 to be the Year of Tourism

Officials in Kerala declared 2022 to be the Year of Tourism

Kerala Revenue Dept to be democratized, implements National Housing Park