Kerala: KM Mani to present his 9th budget

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Finance Minister K.M. Mani, who has been a legislator for the past 45 years, will create a record of sorts Friday when he presents his ninth state budget in the assembly.Mani, 78, heads the Kerala Congress (Mani) -- the third biggest partner of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF)."I am more happy because this is going to be my first budget in a quarter century and this time it would be a corrective budget to the one that former finance minister Thomas Issac presented a few months back," said Mani.The last time that Mani read out a state budget was in 1986."My job tomorrow (Friday) would be reinforcing the foundations of the last budget that Issac presented and renovating it in a manner that Kerala is set on the road of development. The next budget that would be presented in March would be actually my first full-fledged budget," added Mani.