Kerala

Today's opinions examine AI as a global security and jobs risk, Kerala's new government, India's vulnerabilities within Brics and the valuation challenge in family-business succession.

The Kerala CM is using his time to build a UDF legacy. But for him, life may not be this tranquil forever plain politics 

Keralam Minister Sunny Joseph said on Saturday that the state would press for the exclusion of inhabited areas, agricultural lands and plantations from the Ecologically Sensitive Area proposed in the Centre's latest draft notification. Speaking to reporters, Joseph said the state was finalising its response to the draft notification issued by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on July 27 and would submit its recommendations within the stipulated timeframe. "The Government of Keralam is committed to studying and submitting amendment proposals and protecting the best interests of the state," the Environment minister said. He said the state had recently held detailed discussions with a five-member high-level team of scientists appointed by the Union Environment Ministry to consult states on the issue. The discussions were held under the leadership of Chief Minister V D Satheesan and attended by Joseph, Forest Minister Shibu Baby John, Revenue Minister AP ...

Ministers in Keralam on Friday backed Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi amid a controversy over the publication of her memoir, 'Belonging: A Journey of Love', in India. The reactions came after Penguin Random House India said it was not the publisher of Sonia Gandhi's memoir. Earlier this month, American publisher Alfred A Knopf, an imprint of Penguin Random House, announced that the book would be released on November 10. The statement came after a report in The Indian Express claimed that the publisher had backed out after Gandhi refused to make "editorial changes" to the manuscript. Higher Education Minister Roji M John, in a Facebook post, praised Sonia Gandhi for refusing to alter her memoir and recalled the personal tragedies she had faced, including the assassinations of former prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. John said Sonia Gandhi had initially sought to stay away from politics but later took up the leadership of the Congress due to ...

Petitioner argued Arsenicum Album had not undergone requisite clinical trials; court said a separate petition could challenge alleged non-compliance with protocols

V D Satheesan said proposed restrictions on taxes and levies on mineral rights and mineral-bearing lands could weaken states' constitutional and fiscal autonomy

Chief Minister of Keralam V D Satheesan on Tuesday flagged off two containers from Vizhinjam, marking the commencement of EXIM operations from the international seaport here. Satheesan was accompanied by state Minister for Industries, Information Technology, and Commerce P K Kunhalikutty and Congress MLA M Vincent. In an X post, the CM said that the state government held strategic discussions with diverse investor groups to explore key opportunities for scaling EXIM operations at Vizhinjam to the next level. "To ensure seamless commercial expansion, the government is committing comprehensive support, regulatory facilitation, and infrastructure backing to help investors expand global export activities through the port," he said. "The same Arabian Sea, which has shaped our nation for centuries and welcomed travelers from all over the world with open arms, is today opening the historic door to the development of a new era Keralam. Let us move forward together into the new era of ...

President Droupadi Murmu has given assent to a bill to rename Kerala as Keralam, with the legislation now becoming a law. The Lok Sabha passed the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, on Tuesday, followed by the Rajya Sabha the next day. In the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said the Kerala Assembly passed a resolution in 2024, urging the Centre to bring a law to change the name of the state to Keralam. "The bill provides that the State of Kerala will be known as the State of Keralam, and hence there is a proposal to rename the State of Kerala to Keralam," he said. The Kerala government had forwarded a resolution passed by the state assembly regarding the name change to the Centre in June 2024. Subsequently, President Murmu referred the Bill to the state legislature for its views, following which the Assembly adopted a unanimous resolution agreeing with the Bill. The Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill provides for the alteration of the state's name

Chief Minister VD Satheesan on Thursday said serious irregularities had come to light in Kerala PSC and necessary action would be taken after the investigation is completed. Addressing a press conference here, Satheesan said "shocking information" had been received regarding the alleged irregularities in the Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) and that a serious investigation was underway. The state government has ordered a Crime Branch probe into examinations conducted by the PSC and appointments made to government services under the previous CPI (M)-led LDF regime. "A serious investigation is taking place in the PSC based on reports that widespread irregularities are happening there. I cannot say much; all the information we have received is shocking. Isn't that why we are conducting an investigation," he said. "It is not right for me to comment on it while the investigation is ongoing. A very serious investigation is taking place based on very serious allegations that came up

Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Thursday said the amendment to the MMDR Act passed by the Lok Sabha is against federal principles as it seeks to take away the rights and ownership of the states over their lands, and therefore, the legislation will be strongly opposed. Satheesan, addressing a press conference here after a cabinet meeting, said that the state government's opposition to the legislation will be communicated to the central government. The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026. The CM said that the legislation seriously affects Kerala. He claimed that by way of the amendment, the states' rights and ownership over land -- which is item 18 in the state list of the 7th schedule under the Constitution -- is sought to be brought under the control of the central government. He said that without exempting coastal areas and forests, through a provision of 'mineral bearing land' in the amendment bill, the Ce

The UDF government in Kerala is likely to order a probe into alleged irregularities and procedural lapses in the previous LDF government's efforts to bring football legend Lionel Messi and the Argentina team to the state. Indicating the possibility of an investigation, state Sports Minister O J Janeesh on Wednesday rejected former minister V Abdurahiman's defence of the proposal and alleged that government machinery was misused to facilitate financial gains for a private individual. Janeesh said there was no substance in Abdurahiman's claim that the government had not suffered any financial loss in connection with the proposed event. He alleged that official procedures were not followed from the beginning and that there was a lack of transparency in selecting the sponsor and dealing with the proposal. "The government machinery was misused for a private event management company. From the Chief Secretary to the district collector, police and Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA

Kerala released just 36.6 per cent of its MPLADS allocation to vendors, while Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh recorded the largest gaps when measured in absolute rupees

Kerala's floods are becoming more frequent, with the state suffering nearly ₹20,000 crore in losses since 2021 as climate risks intensify across vulnerable districts

With more than one in five residents aged 60 or above and fertility well below replacement level, Kerala is confronting the challenges of an ageing population before the rest of India

Kerala plans to tackle its fiscal crisis through investments, blue economy, land reforms, diaspora funding and a silver economy, says CM V D Satheesan

Enforcement Directorate told the Adjudicating Authority that CMRL's former MD admitted payments to Veena Vijayan were made because of her personal relationship with then Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan

The Directorate of Higher Secondary Education (DHSE) is expected to announce the Kerala Plus Two SAY Result 2026 soon on its official website

Satheesan speaks about the impact of the West Asia war, a proposed high-speed rail project in the state and the Adani group's stake sale plan in the Vizhinjam port project

Bihar is retaining teachers and reducing dropout rates but needs to improve school enrolment

The Tata Group is planning a Rs 10,000 crore shipbuilding project in Kerala that could mark its entry into commercial shipbuilding, subject to the state government's approval.