Kerala Government

Kerala seeks Rs 24,000 cr special package to tide over liquidity crunch

Emphasising the need for more central funding, Kerala on Friday demanded a special package of Rs 24,000 crore to tide over the state's liquidity stress as well as Rs 2,000 crore for relief works at Wayanad, which was devastated by landslides earlier this year. In a pre-Budget meeting here, Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal also sought continuation of the GST (goods and services tax) compensation scheme to states until systemic issues are fully corrected and the original promise of GST revenue is attained. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, finance ministers from other states and senior officials, among others, were present in the meeting. "We reiterate our demand for a special package of Rs 24,000 crore to tide over the current liquidity stress by scheduling it over a period of two years from 2025-26," Balagopal said. Citing that substantial resources are required for relief works in Wayanad, he urged the government to provide a special package of Rs 2,000 crore in the

Consider excluding Rs 120 cr from airlift charges: Kerala HC to Centre

The Kerala High Court on Wednesday asked the Centre whether it can exclude around Rs 120 crore from the Rs 132 crore demanded as airlift charges for rescue operations carried out by the IAF in the state since 2006. A bench of Justices A K Jayasankaran Nambiar and Easwaran S said if the Rs 120 crore was freed up in this manner, the amount can be utilised immediately for the rehabilitation of the landslide victims in Wayanad. The bench asked the Centre to consider giving permission to temporarily free up the Rs 120 crore and relaxing the NDRF/SDRF norms so that the amount can be utilised for the rehabilitation purpose. "It is for a noble cause, so the central government should not have a problem," the court said and listed the matter on January 10, 2025 to await the Centre's response on the aspect. During the hearing, the bench also said that the sending of the bill of Rs 132 crore as airlift charges in October right after the state sought financial assistance from the Centre for ...

Congress accuses Kerala CM Vijayan of acting with 'dictatorial mindset'

The opposition Congress in Kerala on Wednesday accused the ruling CPI (M) of being "intolerant" towards other political parties and denying them the freedom to freely function even in the home village of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The Marxist party and CM Vijayan were acting with a "dictatorial mindset", which is unacceptable, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan told reporters here. He was speaking after visiting the recently vandalised new Congress booth committee office at Venduttayi near Vijayan's hometown of Pinarayi. The Congress has charged the CPI(M) with "orchestrating the vandalism" on Saturday last. Terming the incident as "highly unfortunate" and "condemnable", he said, "It was in the home village of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan that the office of a political party was vandalised and set on fire." The LoP sought to know what kind of democracy prevailed in the state as other political parties were not allowed to function even in the home village of the CM. Sathe

Kerala open to discuss new projects with Adani group: State min P Rajeev

Kerala is not averse to discussing any new project with the Adani group and will do so only if there is a "win-win" situation which benefits the people of the state as well, a senior state minister has said. However, the southern state is not keen to have any big industries which will cause pollution and ecological damage, P Rajeev, the Minister of Law, Industries and Coir, told PTI. The comments from the minister come even as there seems to be some unease among southern states when it comes to dealing with the Adani group, especially after the second richest Indian Gautam Adani and others faced charges of bribing officials to secure contracts. Rajeev said Kerala has a big investment from the Adani group in the Vizhinjam Seaport near its capital Thiruvananthapuram and added that the current government decided to go ahead with the project signed by the predecessors only because the benefits accrued to the state and its people through the ambitious transshipment port. He also clarifi

Kerala govt failed to utilise central funds for Wayanad rehabilitation: BJP

The BJP on Sunday accused the Left government in Kerala of "failing" to utilise the central funds in the SDRF and the NDRF for the relief and rehabilitation of Wayanad landslide survivors and carrying out "fake propaganda" against the union government. The saffron party said that the Narendra Modi government has provided sufficient funds to Kerala through the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and the the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF). "The Pinarayi government is sitting on available funds and blames the Centre," senior BJP leader and Union Minister Prakash Javadekar alleged in a social media post. In a hard-hitting X post, he said the Centre has allocated over Rs 500 crore for this purpose through SDRF, which already has a balance of approximately Rs 700 crore. "The state has failed to utilise the Rs 700 crore in the calamity fund. People world over have donated to CM Relief fund. This is also not used. This is the hypocrisy of LDF and UDF, and their fake propaganda has

Wayanad landslide: No information on Centre's relief aid, says Kerala govt

Stepping up its attack on the union government over the lack of assistance for the landslide survivors of Wayanad, the Kerala government on Sunday said it was yet to get any information regarding the amount to be allotted to the state for their relief and rehabilitation. The Left government reminded that the state and the Centre were not enemy nations, but part of the same Constitution and requested the Centre to act as a "guardian angel" during the time of tragedies. Revenue Minister K Rajan said the state government has submitted all the details in connection with the landslide and the union government has not notified it so far if there was any mistake in the figures provided by them. The figures of the loss suffered during the landslide had to be submitted by the state initially and it was done without any fail, he told reporters here. Later, the state had submitted the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) in accordance with the norms. There was also no information about the

Kerala CM writes to railway minister, cites 'safety violations' in jobs

Chief Minister Vijayan said that it was apparent that they had not got any training or imparted with awareness of safe working near railway tracks

Intervention of Centre, RBI needed to curb cyber financial fraud: Kerala CM

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday stressed on the need for a comprehensive cybersecurity framework for the financial ecosystem to address the increasing incidents of online financial fraud. He pointed out that the state has already sought joint intervention from the Centre and the Reserve Bank of India in this regard. With the growth of technology, cybercrime is also on the rise by the day, and the cyber police division of the state police is working effectively to check such frauds, the CM said. He was replying to a submission by Anvar Sadath (Congress) in the state assembly. "The state police have been creating widespread awareness through social media pages to guard against cyber financial frauds," the CM said. In Kerala, cyber police stations are there in all districts, and a toll-free number and exclusive website have been launched for people to lodge complaints against cyber crimes, he said. "Over 30,000 bank accounts involved in such frauds have already been

Kerala govt officers need CM's approval for official visits: Raj Bhavan

This clarification followed Governor Arif Mohammed Khan's recent statement regarding officers visiting the Raj Bhavan without prior authorisation from the CM

Kannur airport yet to get 'point of call' status from Centre: Kerala govt

The Kerala government on Friday said that Kannur airport was yet to receive 'point of call' status, enabling foreign airlines to operate services from there, despite several representations to the Centre and a recommendation by a parliamentary standing committee in favour of that. State Parliamentary Affairs Minister M B Rajesh made this submission in the Assembly on behalf of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in response to UDF MLA Sajeev Joseph calling the CM's attention to the necessity of increasing the number of flight services from Kannur airport and to develop it into international standards. Rajesh said the issue of granting 'point of call' status to the airport was raised before the Centre several times. The CM himself met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu over this matter, he added. "The CM has submitted a memorandum to the Civil Aviation Minister on September 28," he said. A parliamentary standing committee has also recommended ...

LDF govt agrees to debate Thrissur Pooram disruption issue in Assembly

The LDF government on Wednesday agreed to debate in the House an adjournment notice moved by the UDF opposition to discuss the need for a judicial probe into the disruption of the iconic Thrissur Pooram festival in April this year. State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs M B Rajesh, speaking on behalf of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, said that the adjournment notice' contents were similar to the notices moved on the last two days of the House. He contended that the opposition's intention behind moving the notice was to create a "political smokescreen" and raise in the Assembly the "wrong propaganda being spread through the media outside the House". "We will discuss the issue raised in the notice to reveal the opposition's true intentions," he said. In view of the government being agreeable to discuss the matter, Speaker A N Shamseer said the issue would be taken up at noon. The adjournment notice was moved by UDF MLAs, including Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, Anoop Jacob and K K

One more test negative for Nipah, 134 fall under high-risk category

Kerala Health Minister Veena George said on Thursday that the Nipah virus test result for another individual who had been in contact with the 24-year-old man who died of the virus in Malappuram last week has come negative, bringing the total number of negative results to 37. She said this after a high-level meeting led by her reviewed the situation here. Speaking to reporters, the minister said that two more people have been added to the contact list, both of whom are in the high-risk category. Among those on the contact list, 81 are healthcare workers. The minister said a total of 177 people are on the primary contact list, while 90 are on the secondary contact list. Out of those on the primary list, 134 individuals fall under the high-risk category. "Today, two people with symptoms have been admitted to the Manjeri Medical College Hospital. Including these two, a total of six people are undergoing treatment at the Manjeri Medical College Hospital, while 21 people are being treate

World Bank experts meet Kerala CM Vijayan, praise state's education reforms

In a significant boost to Kerala's efforts to revamp its higher education system, a team of World Bank experts on Monday met with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, praising the state's reforms and expressing interest in a collaborative initiative to draw international students to the state. The World Bank experts, including Nina Arnhold (Global Lead for Tertiary Education), Denis Nikolaev (Senior Education Specialist), and Ambarish Ambuj (Consultant, Education, South Asia Region), met the CM at his office here to discuss a potential partnership, according to an official release. The project seeks to attract foreign students to Kerala and improve the overall higher education system, with a focus on sustainability and social justice. "The World Bank representatives were impressed by the reforms taking place in the higher education sector. They expressed interest in collaborating with the state Higher Education Council to attract foreign students to Kerala as part of a related project,"

Kerala govt employees to get Rs 4,000 Onam bonus: How to check?

Employees enrolled in contributory pension schemes, as well as retired pensioners, will receive Rs 1,000 each as a festive bonus

Onam gift: Kerala govt announces two-month pension for 6.2 mn beneficiaries

The CPI(M)-led Left government in Kerala on Friday announced disbursement of a two-month pension for over 60 lakh beneficiaries, marking an Onam gift. Announcing the decision, state Finance Minister K N Balagopal said that Rs 1,700 crore has been allocated for this purpose. "Around 62 lakh people will receive Rs 3,200 each for Onam. This is in addition to the one month's pension that is currently being given," he said in a statement here. The decision to disburse the Social Security and Welfare Fund pension to beneficiaries starting next week is seen as an attempt by the Left government to regain its mass base, lost during the Lok Sabha polls. Earlier, the CPI(M) and its allies had attributed their humiliating defeat in the Lok Sabha polls to delayed settlement of dues and recommended a course correction. In the polls, the LDF won just one seat, while the Congress-led UDF secured 18 seats, and the BJP opened its account for the first time in the state's political history. Balagop

Kerala wins top performer award in lists of business-centric reforms

In a huge endorsement of its highly conducive business ecosystem and transparent and inclusive service delivery mechanism, Kerala has emerged as the country leader in two categories of business-centric reforms and seven categories of citizen-centric reforms in the ranking of the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The award was presented at the Conference of State Industries Ministers held on Thursday at Palash Hall (Grand Ball Room) of the Yashobhumi Convention Centre, New Delhi, according to an official release here. Union Minister of Commerce Piyush Goyal presented the Business Reforms Action Plan '22 (BRAP 22) award of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) to P Rajeeve, Minister for Industries, Law and Coir, Government of Kerala, at the conference, Udhyog Sangam 2024, said the release issued by the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC). Union Minister of State for Commerce & Industry and Electronics & Information ...

Stars appeal to Kerala CM for policy to address issues in film industry

In a joint appeal, 72 prominent personalities, including author Arundhati Roy, have urged Kerala Chief Minister to enact a law addressing concerns raised by the Justice K Hema Committee report on sexual atrocities against women in the film field. The signatories to the appeal include Supreme Court advocates Indira Jaisingh and Vrinda Grover, actors Aparna Sen, Prakash Raj, Swara Bhasker, musician T M Krishna, a few retired bureaucrats and several journalists who have sought a "360-degree approach" from the state government to achieve the objectives for which the committee was set up. In their letter to the CM, the concerns they have highlighted include the "inordinate focus on the sexual misdemeanours and crimes mentioned in the report" and the "virtual exclusion" of issues like the working conditions in the film industry, lack of contracts, pay disparities, etc. which also find mention the panel's findings. One of the signatories, T M Krishna, in a post on social media platform ...

'Code names for women': Hema committee report shakes Malayalam cinema

The Hema committee, appointed by the Kerala government, highlighted issues faced by women in the Malayalam film industry, including unwanted physical advances even before commencing work

Kerala orders space audit in medical colleges to ensure employee safety

In the wake of protests by healthcare professionals against the rape and murder of a resident doctor at a hospital in Kolkata, the Kerala government has ordered a space audit to ensure safety of the employees in medical colleges in the state. State Health Minister Veena George has directed the Director of Medical Education to carry out the audit, the government said in a statement on Tuesday. The direction was issued by the minister in a high-level meeting of medical colleges called by her, the statement said. The conduct of the space audits has to be ensured at the institution-level by the principals and at the state-level by the Director of Medical Education, it said. The additional measures ordered by the minister to ensure safety in medical colleges in Kerala, include organising mock drills, installing public address systems, CCTVs and alarms, using walkie talkies, intensifying security monitoring and not allowing unauthorised persons to stay inside the hospitals at night, the

In view of PM's assurance, state govt has to make rehab plans: Kerala Guv

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan said with Prime Minister Narendra Modi assuring that resources will not be an issue in rehabilitation of those affected by the landslides in Wayanad district, it is for the state government to chalk out a detailed plan for the same. Responding to reporters' queries here, Khan said the Prime Minister has suggested the preparation of a long-term plan for the rehabilitation of landslide victims, and assured that resource constraints will not hinder its implementation. "I feel very confident after this assurance from the PM. It is a blanket statement," he said. He also pointed out that help for the victims was coming from all quarters across the country. Khan said that on Monday he received Rs 3.5 lakh from Sathrughna Swami temple towards the relief and rehabilitation work. Besides that, his office has been receiving cheques from other parts of the country which have been sent to the Chief Minister's Disaster Relief Fund. "So people are coming forwa