Gulati Institute to Host Seminar on Kerala’s Post-COVID Development Challenges

Speedy Summary

• The Gulati Institute of Finance and Taxation (GIFT) is organizing a two-day national seminar titled ‘Post-COVID Development Challenges and Response: Kerala through the lens of State budgets’ from August 5, 2025.
• Kerala Finance Minister K.N. balagopal will inaugurate the seminar.
• GIFT director K.J. Joseph stated that the event aims to address development issues in Kerala since the COVID pandemic, with over 50 experts sharing insights during the two days.
• The seminar will explore how recent state budgets have served as instruments for tackling developmental challenges and structural transformation.
• kerala has achieved top rankings in Sustainable Development Goals (sdgs), especially in education, health, and social welfare sectors; though, developmental challenges remain due to factors like climate change-induced natural disasters.
• Distinguished professor M.A. Oommen will preside over the inaugural session.

Read more

Indian Opinion Analysis

The upcoming seminar by GIFT provides an vital platform for assessing Kerala’s post-COVID development trajectory using state budgets as a lens. As one of India’s leaders in SDG achievements across key sectors such as health and education, Kerala has established itself as a model state while simultaneously grappling with pressing developmental concerns exacerbated by climate change impacts.By convening experts from diverse fields to debate these critical issues, this initiative could foster greater academic scrutiny on practical solutions for bridging gaps between sustainable growth aspirations and on-ground vulnerabilities. Among its benefits might potentially be input for refining future budgetary policies that balance immediate needs with long-term structural evolution-something key not just for Kerala but potentially transferable across other Indian states dealing with similar challenges.