Thiruvananthapuram, May 26: Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan on Tuesday held his first official meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman after assuming office, seeking greater Central support for key development initiatives and raising concerns over the state’s financial condition.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi after the meetings, Satheesan said the discussions focused on Kerala’s development priorities, infrastructure requirements and strengthening cooperation between the state and the Centre. He said the state government had sought assistance for several major projects that it considers vital for Kerala’s long-term growth and economic progress.

The Chief Minister said he highlighted Kerala’s current financial difficulties during the meetings and informed the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister that the government plans to release a detailed white paper on the state’s financial status in the first week of June.

“We discussed Kerala’s present situation and future development priorities. A comprehensive picture of the state’s financial position will be presented through the white paper,” Satheesan said.

According to him, the discussions also covered issues related to Centre-state relations and certain administrative challenges faced by Kerala. He said both Prime Minister Modi and Sitharaman responded positively and assured that the concerns raised by the state government would be examined.

Satheesan also drew attention to major infrastructure projects, particularly the National Highway expansion programme in Kerala. He noted that the state government had contributed ₹5,580 crore towards land acquisition for highway development and transferred the amount to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

He urged the Centre to exclude this contribution from Kerala’s borrowing limit calculations, arguing that the expenditure was made to facilitate critical infrastructure development and should not add to the state’s financial burden.