Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is set to meet Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday. Vijayan will be raising, among other things, the special package that has been demanded for landslide-hit Wayanad and also about a possible relief for the hapless Asha workers whose protest entered the 26th day on Friday. Former Congress leader and Union Minister K.V. Thomas, who has become close to the CPI-M-led Left in Kerala, is playing the role of interlocutor between the Centre and the state. Thomas lost his cool when he was repeatedly asked about the steps taken by the Vijayan government to end the ongoing protest of the Aha workers. He said, \”There are other issues and not just the Asha worker protest\” as he walked away from the media in Delhi. The Centre informed the state Finance Department that a loan of Rs 529.50 crore has been sanctioned for various rehabilitation projects in landslide- hit areas. However, the Centre had pointed out that this amount has to be utilised before March 31. The state will be seeking more time for utilisation of funds that have been sanctioned, and will also be seeking a grant also as promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he asked the state government to submit a detailed memorandum during his visit to WayanAD, soon after the tragedy.