Kerala Government

There's no denying that the new Kerala CM is swimming in a sea of sharks. He must prove that he can fend them off

The state government officially released the notification for the allocation of portfolios among its cabinet members, with Chief Minister VD Satheesan retaining several key departments

Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Wednesday said that his government has decided to scrap the Silverline high-speed rail project, an ambitious initiative of the previous LDF administration. Satheesan said at a press conference here that the notifications with regard to acquiring land for the project will be revoked. Besides that, the government will also recommend withdrawal of the criminal cases lodged against those who opposed the Silverline project, and it will be subject to the court's decision, the CM said after a Cabinet meeting chaired by him. The cabinet also decided to extend the validity of the public service commission's rank lists till November 30, as hardly any appointments were made during the election period, Satheesan said.

The UDF government on Tuesday announced the formation of a special committee to prepare a white paper on Kerala's financial position, following the first UDF Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister V D Satheesan. The decision was taken at a high-level meeting of senior Finance Department officials chaired by the chief minister. According to a CMO statement, the committee will be headed by former Cabinet Secretary Dr K M Chandrasekhar. Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) K R Jyothilal has been appointed as the Convener. The panel will also include economist Dr Narayana and Centre for Development Studies (CDS) Director Dr Veeramani as members, the statement said. The white paper is expected to provide a clearer picture of the state's financial health and help guide future policy decisions, the statement added. The UDF has been alleging that the state's finances were in trouble due to mismanagement under the Left rule, an allegation that was strongly rejected by then Finance Minis

V D Satheesan on Monday took oath as Kerala's Chief Minister, and Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office to the Congress Legislature Party leader here. Satheesan took oath in the name of God. Besides Satheesan, his 20-member Cabinet will also be sworn in by the Governor. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, among others, attended the swearing-in ceremony. Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled states, former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Left leaders, and BJP representatives also attended the ceremony. Thousands of Congress workers arrived in the state capital from across Kerala for the event. The Assembly elections to the 140-member House were held on April 9, with the results declared on May 4. The Congress-led UDF won 102 seats, while the LDF secured 35 and the BJP won three.

Vadasseri Damodara Menon Satheesan, who was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Kerala on Monday, is a lawyer-turned-politician from Kochi who rose through the ranks of the Congress party with a reputation for sharp speeches and organisational discipline. Known for his calm public style and aggressive attacks on the Left government inside the Assembly, V D Satheesan--called VD or VDS by his supporters--became the face of the Congress revival in Kerala after he was made Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly five years ago. As Leader of the Opposition, Satheesan put the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left government on defensive mode on various issues, including alleged nepotism and financial irregularities, pushed the Congress towards younger leadership and a more energetic campaign. He led the Congress-led UDF to power in the April 9 polls, marking the alliance's return to power in Kerala after a decade. Supporters see him as practical and accessible, while critics say his biggest

The decision was taken at a meeting of newly elected Congress MLAs at the KPCC headquarters, ending days of internal deliberations over the state leadership

The 61-year-old leader is widely credited with the United Democratic Front's (UDF's) historic 102-seat victory in the 16th Assembly elections held last month

Kerala is likely to know the name of its next Chief Minister later on Wednesday, with indications that the Congress high command could make an announcement before noon. The delay in the decision has kept the camps of three top contenders--AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan and senior leader Ramesh Chennithala on edge. As the Congress leadership continued discussions over the selection of Kerala's next Chief Minister, party leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday met former Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) presidents in Delhi to gather their views and help end the prolonged uncertainty. Sources said the Kerala leaders called to Delhi by the party leadership during crucial discussions on Tuesday expressed their views on the Chief Ministerial choice, with the names of Venugopal, Satheesan and Chennithala figuring prominently in the consultations as the high command continued its deliberations. Former KPCC chief K Muraleedharan, after meeting Gandhi

As lobbying intensifies among the three top contenders for the chief minister's post, senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan on Saturday said the party high command was likely to take a final decision on Kerala's next CM within 24 hours. The UDF's sweeping Assembly poll victory in Kerala has triggered a wave of lobbying and demonstrations by the supporters of senior leaders V D Satheesan, Ramesh Chennithala and K C Venugopal, urging the Congress leadership to select the respective leaders as the new CM. "The information from Delhi is that discussions on the chief ministerial candidate will be completed within 24 hours," Muraleedharan told reporters. Acknowledging public fervour, he emphasised that flex boards and marches alone would not determine the leadership. He added that the views of MLAs and coalition partners would also be considered by the Congress leadership. "I will not publicly reveal what I told the high command representatives. I have conveyed the sentiments of the pe

HDFC Bank management and India's banking regulator denied any governance or financial problems at the lender, but its stock fell 12 per cent over three days after Chakraborty's exit

Chief Minister pointed out that the existing FCRA, 2010, is sufficient to address any actions that go against public interest

The Kerala government on Tuesday decided to allocate Rs 1 crore each to district collectors to strengthen measures to deal with summer-related challenges across the state. The decision was taken at a meeting on summer disaster mitigation chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Officials have been asked to remain vigilant about issues such as drought, drinking water shortages, wildlife attacks, lightning, heat-related health problems and fire incidents during the coming months, a CMO release said here. The chief minister directed that district-level preparedness meetings be held and local bodies prepare heat action plans. A model plan has already been prepared by Moodadi grama panchayat in Kozhikode district, and other local self-government institutions have been asked to follow a similar approach. Authorities have also been asked to conduct a wide public awareness campaign on heat safety. The health department will start special heat clinics, while primary health centres will

In a landmark move to address the complexities of the Artificial Intelligence era, the Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education (KITE) has published the 'Cyber Safety Protocol 2026'. KITE is the technology wing of the General Education Department of the state government. This comprehensive framework is designed to ensure a secure digital learning environment and robust cyber defences for students across Kerala's public school system, an official statement said here on Sunday. Developed through a meticulous analysis of emerging AI-driven challenges and cybercrimes, the protocol aligns with existing legal standards to provide targeted directives for institutional heads, teachers, parents, and students, it said. KITE CEO K Anvar Sadath said the initiative encompasses 13 core objectives, including fostering awareness regarding the risks of sharing confidential data with Generative AI, cultivating critical thinking toward digital content, identifying misinformation, and nurtur

The Union Cabinet is understood to have approved on Tuesday the Kerala government's proposal to change the name of the state to Keralam, sources privy to the development said. The move came ahead of the Kerala assembly elections expected to be held in April-May. The Kerala Assembly on June 24, 2024, had unanimously adopted a resolution urging the Centre to officially change the state's name to Keralam. Following the assembly resolution, the Union cabinet, in a meeting held on Tuesday, is believed to have approved the state's name change from Kerala to Keralam, sources said. It was the first cabinet meeting held at the recently inaugurated Seva Teerth, the new PMO building. The Kerala Assembly had passed the resolution for the second time because the Ministry of Home Affairs, which reviewed the first resolution, suggested some technical changes. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who had moved the resolution, wanted the union government to change the southern state's name fr

Kerala's youngest organ donor, a 10-month-old girl who gave a new lease of life to five children, will be accorded a farewell with state honours, the government said on Saturday, a day after she was declared brain dead and donated her vital organs. Aalin Sherin Abraham, who was critically injured in a road accident near Pallam in Kottayam on February 5, was declared brain dead on Thursday at a private hospital in Kochi. With her parents' consent, six of her organs were donated, making her the youngest organ donor in the state, officials said. In a post on 'X', Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the passing of the child in the road accident had deeply saddened everyone and that she would be bid farewell with official honours at her funeral, scheduled for Sunday. Later in the day, an order was issued directing the district authorities in Pathanamthitta to make arrangements to place wreaths on the infant's mortal remains on behalf of the chief minister and the state government. The

LDF convener T P Ramakrishnan on Saturday demanded that the Centre immediately withdraw its direction given to discontinue the additional incentive bonus provided by the Kerala government for paddy procurement. In a statement, Ramakrishnan said the Union Finance Ministry's Expenditure Secretary has written to the state chief secretary seeking withdrawal of the additional bonus given by states. The Centre has taken the stand that the additional incentive leads to excess procurement of wheat and rice across the country, creating a financial burden on the public exchequer, he said. According to him, the letter also states that the additional bonus encourages higher cultivation of foodgrains and leads to increased production. Ramakrishnan alleged that such an intervention would weaken the country's food self-sufficiency. The state government provides an additional incentive of Rs 6.31 per kg for paddy procurement, he said, adding that the Centre's share is often not released on time,

The Supreme Court will examine whether the Enforcement Directorate can invoke Article 226 to file writ petitions before High Courts, after appeals by Kerala and Tamil Nadu governments

VACB has detected corruption and widespread irregularities in the KSEB during 'Operation Short Circuit', a state-level surprise inspection conducted to unearth malpractices in the utility, officials said on Saturday. The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) in a statement said the 'Operation Short Circuit' was conducted based on information received regarding large-scale irregularities, corruption, and nepotism in the awarding of contracts of Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) with the connivance of officials. Similarly, the bureau received information that some officials were accepting bribes in the form of commissions from contractors and clearing bills without proper inspection of works. The inspection was carried out at 70 selected electrical section offices across the state, from 10.30 am onwards on Friday. The contract works executed by KSEB over the past five years were subjected to scrutiny, VACB said. During the inspections, Vigilance found that 41 officials acro

The Karnataka Border Areas Development Authority (KBADA) has said the Kerala governor has promised a thorough review of the Malayalam Language Bill, 2025, following concerns raised over its impact on Kannada-speaking linguistic minorities in Kasaragod district. A KBADA delegation met Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Wednesday and submitted a memorandum to him seeking the stalling and reconsideration of the Bill, which mandates Malayalam as the first language from Classes 1 to 10 in all government and private Kannada-medium schools in the district. "The bill proposed by the Kerala government is wholly unconstitutional and is against the interests of the large number of Kannada-speaking linguistic minorities residing in Kasaragod district of Kerala," the KBADA said in a press release. It pointed out that a similar bill was rejected by the president in 2017 and noted that the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs has repeatedly advised Kerala to protect the interests of ...