The Kerala budget presented on Friday has put the total losses caused by the twin landslides in Wayanad seven months ago at ₹1,202 crore.

The fifth and final budget of the second Pinarayi Vijayan government has earmarked ₹750 crore for the first phase of reconstruction and rehabilitation in Wayanad against the total requirement of ₹2,221 crore as mentioned in the post-disaster needs assessment document prepared by experts.

State finance minister K.N. Balagopal, who presented the budget for 2025-26, said 254 lives were lost in the Mundakkai-Chooralmala disaster on July 30 last year and 44 people were still unaccounted for. As many as 2007 houses were destroyed and thousands of people lost their livelihood, Balagopal said.

The budget document said money received from the Chief Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund, State Disaster Management Authority, central grants, CSR initiatives, sponsorships and other contributions from public entities and private individuals would be used to rebuild the affected areas.

An economist in Kerala told The Telegraph that the ₹750-crore outlay for Wayanad might not be adequate.

“There are various other funds received from several stakeholders, which I guess the state government will utilise eventually. Until then, they can keep on complaining that the Centre has not given any funds and the people in the two panchayats in Wayanad will continue to suffer. Once the two townships are completed within the next two years, the contract for which has been awarded to the 100-year-old Uralungal Labour Contract Co-operative Society, the Left government pat itself on the back for bringing back the lost glory of Wayanad,” the economist said.

Balagopal also announced a few other projects for the hilly district of Wayanad.

“A total of ₹50 lakh is provided for the preparation of detailed project report and preliminary activities for airstrips in Wayanad; ₹3.5 crore is earmarked for improving the Project Elephant in Wayanad; ₹6 crore is earmarked for activities of plantation sector, which includes ₹3 crore for the preliminary activities for setting up of Climate Smart Coffee Project (CSCP) in Wayanad,” Balagopal said.

This CSCP is an initiative under the aegis of the Kerala Development and Innovation Strategic Council (K-DISC) and the industries department. The project aims to create an authentic brand called “Wayanadan Kappi”, which would be introduced both in local and international markets.