Pinarayi Vijayan

No official Bharat Mata image, cannot be allowed in events: Kerala govt

The Left government in Kerala on Friday made it clear that it was not in agreement with the use of the Bharat Mata portrait at the Environment Day event at the Raj Bhavan here as the picture was not authorised as the official version by the Constitution or the Indian government. Kerala Agriculture Minister P Prasad, who boycotted the event at the Raj Bhavan a day ago over the use of the portrait, said that those in constitutional offices cannot convert government programmes into political events. A similar view was also expressed by state General Education Minister V Sivankutty who said that the Raj Bhavan and the Governor were above politics and said that Arlekar should withdraw from the stand taken by him. The government's stand came a day after Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar asserted that there would be no compromise on Bharat Mata. Prasad, while talking to a TV channel, said that no Bharat Mata portrait has ever been acknowledged as the official or authorised version by t

Kerala CM calls for controlled, democratic use of natural resources

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday called for sustainable and environment friendly development in the state and controlled and democratic use of natural resources. In a Facebook post on the occasion of World Environment Day, Vijayan said that currently it is an era of increasing crisis due to climate change and environmental degradation and therefore, collective responsibility to protect the ecosystem is important. "The development of the state should be sustainable and environment friendly. Instead of blind capitalist exploitation, we should ensure controlled and democratic use of natural resources," he said. The CM said that this year's World Environment Day theme was to stop the widespread plastic pollution. He called for building a developed world for future generations while also preserving a healthy nature.

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan not to attend NITI Aayog's Delhi meet

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will not be attending the NITI Aayog's 10th governing council meeting to be held in the national capital on Saturday, according to government sources. The sources said that the CM has designated state Finance Minister K N Balagopal to go in his stead. However, since it is a meeting of CMs, it is not clear whether Balagopal would be able to attend it, the sources said. No reason was given for the CM not attending the meeting. Last year also, Vijayan had not attended a Niti Aayog meeting of CMs in Delhi and had sent Balagopal in his stead. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Saturday chair the 10th governing council meeting of the NITI Aayog, which will focus on states, with a view to make India a developed nation by 2047, according to an official statement. The theme of the meeting is 'Viksit Rajya for Viksit Bharat@2047'.

Centre denying Kerala its rightful share in tax devolution: CM Vijayan

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday slammed the Centre, accusing it of denying the State its rightful entitlement in the tax devolution.

PM Narendra Modi opens Vizhinjam port, says capacity ramp up soon

Port to bring back 75% of India's transshipment cargo from foreign shores

Vizhinjam port showcases New India, India bloc may take note: Sitharaman

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman took a swipe at the INDIA bloc on Friday, noting that the Vizhinjam port showcased "New India" as the-then Kerala chief minister Oomen Chandy of the Congress asked the Adani Group to build it and incumbent Pinarayi Vijayan of the CPI(M) invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate it. She said in a post on X, "Vizhinjam port has showcased New India. Late Shri Oomen Chandy of the Congress invited Adani to build the port, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of the CPI(M) invites Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate it. I.N.D.I Alliance leaders may take note." Modi officially commissioned the Vizhinjam International Seaport in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday, stating that the capacity of this transshipment hub would triple in the coming years, allowing some of the world's largest cargo ships to dock smoothly. He also took a dig at the INDIA bloc and the Congress, saying the presence of Vijayan and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor at the .

Tharoor, Vijayan presence to give 'sleepless nights' to many: PM Modi

PM Modi said, 'I would also like to say to the Kerala chief minister, you are a very strong pillar of the INDI alliance'

PM Modi commissions Vizhinjam seaport, calls it key to economic growth

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday officially commissioned the Vizhinjam International Seaport, here, which was completed at an estimated cost of Rs 8,867 crore, and said the facility will bring economic stability to Kerala and India. Speaking after commissioning the port, Modi referred to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan as a "pillar" of the opposition INDIA bloc and told him and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, both of whom were on the dais, that the inauguration event will give "sleepless nights" to many. However, the person translating his speech did not translate it properly and it prompted the PM to say -- "the message has gone across to whom it was meant". Giving details of the development in the country, Modi said that India was among the top three nations globally on the number of seafarers and in the last 10 years, the capacity of our ports has doubled, their efficiency improved and the turnaround time there decreased by 30 per cent. Modi further said that the seaport has b

Kerala rolls out 'K-Smart' in panchayats to make govt services accessible

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that Governance becomes meaningful only when everyone experiences its benefits and that K-Smart is an effort to realise this vision

Kerala CM's daughter T Veena to be prosecuted in illegal payment case

Opposition Congress is planning a statewide protest, demanding the resignation of the chief minister

Kerala govt to urge Centre to regulate airfares for Haj pilgrims, expats

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Tuesday that the state government would continue to pressurise the union government to regulate the exorbitant ticket charges imposed by airline companies on Haj pilgrims and expatriates. Airline companies are charging huge amounts as ticket fare from Haj pilgrims and expatriate Keralites who come to the home state during festival seasons and on vacation, the CM said while replying to a submission in the state Assembly. A letter has already been sent to the Union Minister of Civil Aviation seeking the intervention of the Centre in this regard, he said. The issue was also discussed during the recent meeting of Members of Parliament ahead of the monsoon session of the Parliament, he said. The Centre, however, adopted a stand that airlines are responsible for setting and revising airfares and, that the government does not interfere in their commercial and marketing activities, Vijayan further said. By removing the restrictions on fixing

Emerging technology hub will be set up at Rs 350 crore, says Kerala CM

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday announced the launch of an Emerging Technology Hub in the state capital by the Kerala Startup Mission. The hub, being developed at an estimated cost of Rs 350 crore will focus on leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) across key sectors including agriculture, healthcare, defence, and renewable energy. Responding to a calling attention motion by Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) legislator Manjalamkuzhi Ali in the Assembly, he added that this hub, being set up on a three-acre site in Technocity, Thiruvananthapuram. Vijayan added that the state government is formulating a draft Artificial Intelligence (AI) policy to include AI-driven software development, database creation, innovation centres, skill development initiatives, and support for AI startups. "In the recent state budget, the government announced key initiatives to support startups in the AI sector," he said. As part of this effort, a deep-tech ecosystem will be developed, including the

'North will make us secondary citizens': Revanth Reddy on delimitation row

Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin held a meeting on delimitation in Chennai on Saturday, opposing a population-based approach; next meeting to take place in Hyderabad

Will fight until delimitation is conducted fairly: Stalin at first JAC meet

The JAC expressed deep concern over the lack of transparency and clarity in the impending delimitation exercise without any consultation with various stakeholders

Delimitation meet: Stalin backs legal fight, Pinarayi, Revanth share views

In the first Joint Action Committee meeting of states hosted by the Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK over the proposed delimitation of Parliamentary seats by the Centre, Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday made it clear that the fight is likely to be taken forward to the legal realm as well. In the meeting, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the delimitation of LS seats was hanging like the "sword of Damocles," and alleged the BJP government was going ahead on the issue without any consultation. He said "This sudden move is not driven by Constitutional principles or democratic imperatives," but by narrow political interests. Delimitation, if done after Census will lead to an increase in seats for northern states, a reduction for southern states. Such a cut in seats for the south and, an increase for the north will suit the BJP as it holds greater influence in the north. Addressing the meeting here, CM Stalin, favoured setting up an expert panel to draw up the political and legal ..

PM Modi welcomes 'trailblazer, icon' Sunita Williams on return to Earth

Astronauts Sunita 'Suni' Williams and Barry 'Butch' Willmore have finally returned to Earth after their nine-month-long journey at the International Space Station

Kerala CSR scam: 1,343 cases registered, 6 persons nabbed, says CM Vijayan

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday said that scamsters collected Rs 281.43 crore from 48,386 people by promising scooters at half the price using CSR funds, but gave vehicles only to 16,348 people as per 386 cases registered into the CSR fund scam in which investigation began. Responding to a query raised by CPI(M) MLA Murali Perunelly on the status of probe into the CSR scam, Vijayan told Assembly that the police have registered 1,343 cases related to the scam till March 12. Of these, 665 cases have been handed over to the Superintendent of Crime Branch, Ernakulam, leading the special investigation team under the supervision of ADGP (Crimes), CM said. The CM was referring to the case where thousands of people were allegedly cheated by falsely promising two-wheelers and laptops at half price using CSR funds. The Chief Minister added that several crucial documents were seized from the prime accused, whose bank accounts have been frozen. The police have arrested six ..

Kerala's central tax share has halved from 10th to 15th FC: Vijayan

He tells that the Centre has double standards in dealing with borrowings of certain agencies in the state and those at the Centre as sovereign debt

Drug menace: Congress demands disbanding of SFI, targets Pinarayi Vijayan

Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala on Saturday alleged that SFI is mainly responsible for the widespread drug distribution and consumption in colleges and hostels in Kerala and CM Vijayan is "encouraging" them. He also demanded the disbanding of the Students Federation of India (SFI), the student organisation of ruling CPI(M). The Congress's sharp reaction came in the wake of police seizing two kilograms of ganja from the men's hostel of a Government Polytechnic College in Kalamassery in Kochi on Thursday night and arresting two students. CPI(M) strongly rejected the charges saying that there is an agenda to eliminate SFI. The incident triggered a blame game among student outfit leaders, including those from the Kerala Students Union (KSU) and the SFI, over the alleged involvement of their activists in the crime. The Congress leadership has been alleging that SFI leaders were involved in the ganja seizure case and the left outfit is playing a key role in the spread of drug

Kerala Governor backs CM Vijayan in presenting state's demands to Centre

The Governor further emphasised that everyone should work together to achieve their goals 'without politicising' the issues