Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala Congress president Mullapally Ramachandran on Saturday asked Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to first cut down his extravagance, before forcing state government employees to contribute to the CM Covid Relief Fund.

Ramachandran, a former Union Minister said Vijayan's weekly TV programme is a big waste and is costing the exchequer hugely as in a year it costs Rs 6.37 crore and by the end of five years it would be Rs 31.85 crore.

Vijayan's government completes four years next month.

"This programme is nothing but a PR exercise and is being done by the CPI-M backed party TV channel which gets Rs 2.25 lakh per episode. A similar programme was done during the Oommen Chandy's regime and he used only the state-run organisation and aired it on Doordarshan," said Ramachandran.

He pointed out another wasteful expenditure which the state has to bear - the website of Vijayan, maintained by a private agency and it costs a bomb - Rs 4.23 crore, when this could be done by state-run agencies.4

"A helicopter has come and the government is paying Rs 2 crore every month and this should be given back. Then there are five cabinet rank posts, which is costing the state Rs 8.64 crore every year and has eight advisors, where a huge cost is being incurred. All these wasteful expenditures if reduced, will fill up the treasuries and it should be done," said Ramachandran.