Kerala

Kerala's youngest organ donor, 10-month-old Aalin, to receive state honours

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

Kerala to launch India's first graphene policy to become global tech hub

State unveils incentives, ₹200 cr innovation hub to attract investors

Kerala 1st state to frame urban policy, expects 80% urbanisation by 2050

Kerala on Friday became the first state in the country to frame a comprehensive Urban Policy, laying out a long-term development roadmap as it moves rapidly towards an urban future. The policy envisions Kerala in 2050 as "a continuous network of climate-smart cities and towns, ensuring scientific planning and good governance." The state cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, approved the draft Urban Policy prepared by the Local Self Government Department, marking the culmination of nearly two years of sustained work, a CMO release said here. The initiative was first announced in the 202324 state budget. In December 2023, the government constituted the Kerala Urban Policy Commission, bringing together national and international experts. The commission submitted the Nava Kerala Urban Policy report to the Chief Minister in March 2025. To hold wider discussions on the report, the government organised a global conference in Kochi in September. Ministers, mayors,

Congress names Tharoor co-chairman of campaign committee for Kerala polls

The Congress on Thursday set up two key panels for the upcoming Kerala Assembly polls, with Ramesh Chennithala and Shashi Tharoor appointed chairman and co-chairman, respectively, of the party's campaign committee. Tharoor's appointment assumes significance as it comes days after he met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi for redressal of his grievances, after which he said "all is good" and "we are all on the same page". Since then, Tharoor has been seen speaking prominently for the Congress, and also initiated the discussion on the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha. Congress president Kharge has approved the proposal for the constitution of the campaign committee and the manifesto committee of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee for the upcoming Assembly elections, a party statement said. While Chennithala has been named the chairman of the campaign committee, Tharoor has been appointed its co-chairman. Congress MP Shafi Parambil will be the

Trade union strike disrupts normal life in Kerala, transport services hit

The nationwide strike called by trade unions against the Centre's Labour Codes brought normal life to a standstill across Kerala on Thursday. Though the state government declared a dies-non for government employees, attendance at offices was expected to remain low as transport vehicles remained off the roads. The General Administration Department of the state government issued an order stating that unauthorised absence of an officer on account of the strike shall be treated as "dies-non". The pay for the day on which the strike is taking place will be withheld from the salary if officials do not report for duty, the order said. No leave would be granted to teachers and government employees except in cases of personal illness or illness of close relatives, examinations, maternity leave or other unavoidable reasons, the order added. Apart from government offices, shops and businesses were also likely to remain closed due to the nationwide 24-hour strike. Travellers were among the w

Kerala enters execution phase of ₹42,000 cr rare-earth corridor project

Bids close for extraction project as Centre backs corridors in four states

Centre must withdraw direction to stop paddy bonus in Kerala: LDF convener

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,

Datanomics: Kerala becomes first state to unveil 'Elderly Budget'

Though hailed as a first-of-its-kind initiative, nearly two-thirds of Kerala's elderly budget for FY27 goes towards pensions the state is obligated to pay

Kerala Budget: ₹14,500 cr for pensions, honorariums of ASHAs hiked

Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal on Friday presented the budget for the financial year 2026-27, announcing allocation of Rs 14,500 crore for social security pensions and hiking honorariums for ASHA and Anganwadi workers. Presenting the second Pinarayi Vijayan-led government's sixth budget in the Legislative Assembly, Balagopal announced that the honorarium of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) and Anganwadi workers has been hiked by Rs 1,000 per month and that of Anganwadi helpers by Rs 500. The pay of pre-primary teachers and literacy mission motivators has been increased by Rs 1,000 per month and the daily wages of school cooking staff have been raised by Rs 25 per day, he said. The budget also announced Rs 3,700 crore for the Chief Minister's Stree Suraksha Scheme.

Comrades and Comebacks: Why the Left still matters in India today

India needs Left ideas of equality and humanism now more than ever, argues Saira Shah Halim in her book

Kerala CM Vijayan calls for unity to defend secularism, federalism on R-day

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday targeted the Centre, saying the spirit of the Constitution and democratic values were facing unprecedented challenges, and called for unity to defend secularism and federalism on the occasion of Republic Day. Extending Republic Day greetings, Vijayan said in a Facebook post that the day renewed the proud memories of India becoming a sovereign, democratic republic, even as conscious attempts were being made to undermine the principles of secularism and federalism enshrined in the Constitution. He said the Constitution was not merely a legal document, but the soul of the idea of India that celebrates diversity and guarantees equal justice. The chief minister said the occasion called for vigilance against forces attempting to weaken the vision of "unity in diversity" and impose a monolithic ideology. "The federal concept of a strong Centre with empowered states is facing serious challenges. We should stand together against policies that

Gold, coconut oil and consumption: Inside Kerala's inflation streak

Kerala's retail inflation hit 9.49% in December, topping all states for the seventh straight month, driven by soaring coconut oil, gold prices and rural cost pressures

Priyanka Gandhi writes to PM, seeks loan waiver for landslide victims

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has again written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to direct waiver of loans availed by the victims of the Mundakkai-Chooralmala disaster in Wayanad, the party said on Saturday. The Congress MP has also urged the PM to convert the loans given to the state for disaster relief work as grants, it said in a statement. It further said that after Wayanad did not receive any central assistance related to the Mundakkai-Chooralmala landslides, all the Kerala MPs had met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in person in December 2024. Subsequently, in February 2025, Priyanka had written to the PM pointing out that providing money as a loan for rehabilitation six months after the landslides was "unjust and inhumane", the statement said. She had also requested the PM to waive the loans of the jeep and autorickshaw drivers, small traders and homestay operators who had lost their means of livelihood in the disaster, it said. The Congress MP had again made th

PM Modi targets 'corrupt' DMK, kicks off NDA poll campaign in Tamil Nadu

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said it was time to bid farewell to the "corrupt" DMK government in Tamil Nadu as he kick-started the NDA campaign for the assembly elections in the next few months. "Tamil Nadu is with NDA! I'll be joining NDA leaders at the rally in Madhuranthakam later today," Modi said in a post on X. "Tamil Nadu has decided that it's time to bid farewell to the corrupt DMK Government," the prime minister said. Modi said the NDA's governance record and commitment to regional aspirations were striking a chord with the people of the state. NDA leaders, including the major constituent, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, will participate in the mega poll rally at Madhuranthakam.

PM launches development projects, flags off new train services in Kerala

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in the Kerala state capital on Friday to launch various developmental projects and flag off new train services in the poll-bound state, with the BJP planning a grand welcome, including a massive road show, for him. Modi will flag off four new train services, including three Amrit Bharat Express trains, to enhance regional rail connectivity between Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. In addition to that, he will lay the foundation stone for a CSIR-NIIST Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship Hub in Thiruvananthapuram and launch the PM SVANidhi Credit Card -- UPI-linked, interest-free revolving credit facility. Besides these, he will also lay the foundation stone for a state-of-the-art Radiosurgery Centre at the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology here and inaugurate the new Poojappura Head Post Office. As this is Modi's first visit after the BJP won the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation

Kerala plans India's 1st 'State bacterium' to boost good microbes

Kerala is set to become India's first state to name a 'state bacterium', aiming to boost awareness, conservation, and innovation around beneficial microbes

Kerala under financial pressure due to Centre's curtailments: Governor

The budget session of the Kerala assembly commenced on Tuesday with Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar reading out the Left government's policy which claimed that the state was under financial "pressures" due to the economic "curtailments" placed on it by the state. In his policy address marking the commencement of the 16th session of the 15th Kerala Legislative Assembly, Arlekar said due to the restrictions on the state's borrowing limits and adjustments to the Integrated Goods and Services Tax, led to it being denied Rs 17,000 crore in the 2025-26 financial year. Besides that, it suffered a further "loss" of Rs 4,250 crore due to the "Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) methodology "which deviates from the accepted recommendations of the 15th Finance Commission", he said. Arlekar said that it has raised these concerns before the central government. The concerns raised by Kerala also include the "excessive centralisation of powers" and the union government's "interventions" in t

Rahul Gandhi skips defamation case hearing, next date February 20

Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi did not appear before the MP-MLA court here on Monday in connection with a defamation case against him, following which the court fixed February 20 as the next date of hearing, a case lawyer said. Gandhi, the Raebareli MP, was scheduled to record his statement before the court. However, his counsel Kashi Prasad Shukla informed the court that the Congress leader could not be present as he was in Kerala. Taking note of the submission, MP-MLA court judge Shubham Verma granted Gandhi a final opportunity to appear in person and fixed February 20 for further proceedings, he said. Shukla later told reporters that Gandhi was unable to attend the hearing due to a pre-engagement in Kerala and was likely to be present on the next date. The defamation case was filed in October 2018 by local BJP functionary Vijay Mishra, a resident of Hanumanganj in Kotwali Dehat area of Sultanpur district. Mishra alleged that during electio

'Operation Short Circuit' finds KSEB officials took ₹16.5 lakh in bribes

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

Kerala overtakes bigger states in 2025 personal 4-wheeler EV adoption

Kerala has overtaken more industrialised states in personal electric vehicle adoption, driven by strong middle-class uptake, policy support, and charging infrastructure