Pinarayi Vijayan

Why borrow from abroad? Low-interest loans available: BJP Kerala chief

BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Tuesday questioned why Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan borrowed money at a higher interest rate from abroad through Masala Bonds, when low-interest loans were available in India. In a Facebook post, Chandrasekhar posed several questions to Vijayan, including on why Rs 2,100 crore was borrowed from abroad via Masala Bonds at an interest rate of 9.5 per cent and why he did not try to obtain the loan from the Indian market at lower interest rates. Chandrasekhar also alleged Rs 21 crore was paid as commission to an intermediary and asked who that was. He also questioned whether the required permission under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) was sought. The BJP state chief contended that these were "relevant questions" and if the Kerala government was "honest", it should have answered them by now. He also contended that all other states in the country raise money from within India through bonds. Chandrasekhar claimed that the .

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan gets ₹466 cr ED notice in KIIFB masala bond case

The ED's investigation focuses on how ₹2,000 crore, raised by the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) through masala bonds, was used

CM Vijayan is Centre's 'Trojan horse' in Kerala: Congress' Venugopal

Congress general secretary K C Venugopal on Saturday called Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan as the "Trojan horse" of the central government. Venugopal was hitting back at the ruling CPI(M) in the state a day after state Minister V Sivankutty had called the Congress leader and Alappuzha MP a "Trojan horse" deployed by the BJP to destroy the grand old party. "Pinarayi Vijayan is the Centre's 'Trojan horse' in Kerala. Every child in the state knows that," the Alappuzha MP claimed while speaking to reporters here. The Congress general secretary said that the current government in Kerala was working hard for the last few years to implement whatever Prime Minister Narendra Modi was thinking of. "That is what we saw in the case of the PM SHRI scheme and the new labour codes. Even before the Centre implemented the labour codes, the government here had formulated draft regulations in connection with it," he said and questioned the intention behind it. "The CPI(M) has to clarify that

Sabarimala missing gold: Chennithala accuses Kerala CM of shielding accused

Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala on Saturday accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of trying to protect the accused in the Sabarimala gold loss case. The incident had hurt the sentiments of Lord Ayyappa devotees across the world, he said, and added that the government was the prime accused in the case. The Congress leader said former presidents of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), A Padmakumar and N Vasu, had already been arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), but they could not do anything alone without "political support". He alleged that CM Vijayan was trying to protect them and others accused in the gold missing case. Referring to the reported reference of Padmakumar about the involvement of a "god-like person" in the case, Chennithala said, "in Marxist party who is god-like other than Pinarayi Vijayan?" "The present investigation into the case is not extending to the ministers as they have the support of the CM and the government. People of the state

Urge Centre to push Wildlife Act amendments, Wayanad aid: Kerala CM to MPs

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday urged the MPs from the southern state to take up various issues, including approval of the amendments to the Wildlife Protection Act and more financial assistance for rehabilitation of Wayanad's landslide-hit areas, at the Centre. Vijayan, in an online meeting of the MPs and state ministers, said that the state assembly had made amendments to the Wildlife Protection Act, a central law, to ease various obstacles in it with regard to preventing animal attacks. The President's assent is required for bringing the amendments into effect, the CM pointed out and urged the MPs to work towards achieving it, a statement issued by Vijayan's office said. In the meeting, the CM also asked the MPs to exert pressure on the Centre to provide a special assistance of Rs 620 crore under the centrally-sponsored scheme to mitigate human-wildlife conflict, the statement said. He asked them to urge the Centre to increase its share under the Pradhan Mantr

Proud moment: Kerala CM hails state's top ranking in Ease of Doing Business

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan hailed the state's repeated success in the national Ease of Doing Business rankings as a "proud moment", attributing the achievement to efficient governance and a focus on innovation. In an 'X' post on Tuesday night, the CM said the achievement reaffirms "our steady progress" in creating an investor-friendly ecosystem. "A proud moment as #Kerala shines again in the Ease of Doing Business rankings. Once more, the State has been placed in the top Fast Mover category in the Business Reforms Action Plan & Reduction of Compliance Burden, reaffirming our steady progress in creating an investor-friendly ecosystem," Vijayan said. With 99.3 per cent reforms implemented, up from 91 per cent last year, Kerala continues to lead through efficient governance, teamwork, and a strong focus on innovation-driven growth, he added in the post. After receiving the honour from Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal in New Delhi, State Industries ...

Kerala fares better than US on various social indicators: CM Vijayan

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday claimed that the state fares much better than the United States of America on various social indicators, like maternal and infant mortality rates, and termed it as "the real Kerala story". Vijayan, speaking after announcing the eradication of extreme poverty from the state at a public event here, said that it was a fact that Kerala's infant mortality rate and maternal mortality rate are lower than those in the US. "This is no small achievement. How did our state, with a GDP of just USD 167.90 billion, surpass the economic giant with a GDP of USD 30.51 trillion? We only have 0.55 percent of their GDP. Yet we managed to surpass America. This is the 'real Kerala story'," he said. Vijayan said that 22.3 mothers lose their lives per 100,000 births in the United States, while in Kerala it is 18. "In Kerala, there are five infant deaths per thousand births. In the United States, it is 5.6. While Kerala is far ahead with a literacy rate of

Kerala shows poverty can be eradicated with collective effort: CM Vijayan

Kerala is set to be declared the first state to eliminate extreme poverty, an achievement driven by coordinated efforts, as Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan explains in an interview to the media

Cabinet sub-committee on PM SHRI meant to deceive CPI, says Satheesan

Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala assembly, V D Satheesan claimed on Thursday that the government's move to form a cabinet sub-committee to examine the PM SHRI scheme after signing its MoU was an attempt to "deceive" the ruling LDF constituent CPI. He argued that the committee should have been formed beforehand. Satheesan was referring to the CPI(M)-led Left government's decision a day ago to put on hold the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme after facing stiff resistance from its ally, the Communist Party of India (CPI). The government has also decided to constitute a seven-member cabinet sub-committee to study the implementation of the scheme, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had said on Wednesday. Satheesan claimed that the CPI(M) was "deceiving" its coalition partner, the CPI, by such decisions. "Forming a cabinet sub-committee to study the scheme and its implementation should have been done before signing the Memorandum of ...

Kerala govt to review implementation of PM SHRI scheme, says CM Vijayan

The Kerala government will review the implementation of the Centre's PM SHRI in the state in the wake of controversies and concerns that have come up in this regard, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said here on Wednesday. He said a seven-member Cabinet sub-committee has been constituted to study the implementation of the central school scheme. The further proceedings with regard to its implementation would be put on hold until the subcommittee submits its report, he said while briefing the media about the decisions taken during the cabinet meeting here. "This will be communicated to the Centre through a letter," Vijayan said. General Education Minister V Sivankutty would be the chairman of the cabinet sub-committee in which ministers K Rajan, P Rajeeve, Roshy Augustine, K Prasad, K Krishnsnkutty and A K Saseendran would be the members, the CM added. Earlier, multi-level discussions had been held by CPI (M) and CPI leaders under the aegis of Vijayan for the past few days to arrive

Kerala will be free of extreme poverty on Nov 1: CM Pinarayi Vijayan

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday said that on November 1, when Kerala celebrates its formation or 'Piravi' day, it will be declared as the first state in the country without extreme poverty. Vijayan, in a post on social media platform X, said it would be the fulfilment of the first decision taken by the state government in 2021 when the LDF regime came to power for a consecutive second term. "Instead of a one-size-fits-all policy, the government identified 64,006 vulnerable families and created specific micro-plans for each one's unique needs," he said in the post. The CM further said that with an investment of over Rs 1,000 crore, the government has ensured daily food to 20,648 families with 2,210 of those receiving hot meals, necessary treatment and medicine to 85,721 individuals and housing for thousands. He said that more than 5,400 new homes were built or are under construction, 5,522 homes were repaired and 2,713 landless families received land to build their ...

Not just CPI, entire Kerala kept in dark on PM SHRI MoU: Congress leader

Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly V D Satheesan on Saturday said that the CPI(M) and Chief Minister Pinarayi VIjayan kept the whole of Kerala, and not just its ally CPI, in the dark while signing the PM SHRI Schools MoU and alleged that there was some "conspiracy" behind it. Congress leader Satheesan claimed that the Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme MoU was signed on October 16, less than a week after the CM met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 10, but was not informed to the state cabinet when it met on October 22. He said that Vijayan needs to disclose what alleged pressure or blackmailing from the Centre forced them to sign the MoU so "secretively". "The MoU was signed secretively without any information to its allies or the state cabinet. Even CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby and LDF convener T P Ramakrishnan were unaware," the opposition leader claimed. Satheesan said that all this indicated that the CM and state General Education ...

Govt firmly committed to safeguard rights of pravasi community: Kerala CM

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday said that his government was firmly committed to safeguarding the welfare and rights of the Kerala community working or living abroad. Vijayan, in a post on 'X', also said that he was grateful for the warm and spirited welcome he got from the expatriate community in Bahrain on his arrival there after eight years. The CM also inaugurated the 'Pravasi Malayali Sangamam' in Bahrain, jointly organised by the Loka Kerala Sabha and the Malayalam Mission. "Deeply grateful to our expatriate community for the warm and spirited welcome during my visit to the country after eight years. It was a pleasure to share the stage with Indian Ambassador Vinod K Jacob and Padma Shri M A Yusuff Ali. "The government remains steadfast in its commitment to safeguarding the welfare and rights of our Pravasi community," he said on 'X'. Yusuff Ali is an eminent Kerala-based businessman who is the chairman and managing director of LuLu Group ...

A-I Express scaling up international ops from state capital: Kerala CM

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday said that Air India Express was going to scale up its international operations from the state capital from October onwards. Vijayan, in a post on 'X', said that the Kerala government's "constructive talks" with Air India have yielded results. He said that this was a major step towards strengthening Kerala's air connectivity. "Pleased to see the GoK's constructive talks with @airindia yielding results. @AirIndiaX has confirmed that international operations from Thiruvananthapuram are being scaled up. Services to Dubai will resume four days a week starting 28th October, and flights to Abu Dhabi will operate thrice weekly from 3rd December. "In addition, @airindia will introduce aircraft with business class configuration on the Thiruvananthapuram route thrice daily, a major step towards strengthening Kerala's air connectivity," the CM said on 'X'. The CM, on October 6, had said in an 'X' post that Air India has assured that the ...

Kerala CM Vijayan meets PM Modi, discusses development projects for state

CM Pinarayi Vijayan requested PM Modi to release the NDRF grant for Wayanad landslide reconstruction

Sabarimala gold-plating row heats up Kerala politics: What we know so far

The Sabarimala gold-plating controversy has shaken Kerala politics, with the high court ordering a Special Investigation Team to probe missing gold and temple management lapses

Kerala CM accuses Oppn of creating 'smokescreen' in Sabarimala gold row

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday accused the UDF-led opposition of creating a "smokescreen" over the Sabarimala gold-plating issue and said the government is not scared of any such attempts. He alleged that the Congress-led front were afraid of facts, and that is why they were continuously disrupting Assembly proceedings and reluctant to give a notice to discuss the matter in the House. The CM made the remarks in the Assembly when the session resumed after a brief break following a scuffle that broke in the Well of the House between UDF MLAs and watch-and-ward personnel during the question hour. The opposition legislators exchanged heated words with ruling party members during the question hour. The UDF members have been disrupting the House proceedings since Monday, seeking the resignation of Devaswom minister V N Vasavan over alleged irregularities linked to the reduced weight of gold-plated coverings on 'Dwarapalaka' idols at the Sabarimala temple. Vijayan sa

VC appointments: SC defers Kerala Guv plea to remove CM Vijayan from panel

The Supreme Court on Monday asked to wait for the report of former apex court judge Sudhanshu Dhulia before hearing the plea of Kerala Governor Rajendra Arlekar seeking the removal of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan from a panel tasked to recommend vice chancellors (VCs) for two state universities. The plea was mentioned by Attorney General R Venkataramani, appearing for Governor, before a bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan. The top law officer indicated urgency and asked the bench to take up the Governor's plea for hearing. Venkataramani said the question of who was the authority to appoint vice chancellors could create complications once the committee's recommendations were submitted. I have a very small request. These applications should not be seen as obstructing any process of Justice Dhulia in this matter. But a subsequent order passed by another bench has restored the Chancellor as the appointing authority, he said. The attorney general was referring to an

Kerala cabinet approves Bill easing rules on sandalwood cutting, sale

Cutting and selling sandalwood trees on private lands may soon be exempt from punishment in Kerala, thanks to a draft legislation cleared by the state cabinet. The cabinet on Saturday approved a draft bill that allows felling and sale of sandalwood trees on private property, subject to the permission of the Forest Department. A special cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, approved the draft of the Kerala Forest (Amendment) Bill, 2025 to amend the Kerala Forest Act, 1961 in this regard, a CMO statement said here. The Bill provides for granting permission to cut and sell sandalwood trees on private lands through the Forest Department, while ensuring that farmers receive the sale proceeds. Meanwhile, state Forest Minister A K Saseendran said sandalwood cultivation can be promoted in the state by ensuring the farmers receive the proceeds from the sale of sandalwood trees. The current market price of one kilo of sandalwood ranges between Rs 4,000 and Rs 7,000, depending

Hoax bomb threat triggers searches at Kerala CM's residence, court complex

The police on Monday carried out searches at the Kerala Chief Minister's official residence and the Thiruvananthapuram District Court complex after receiving an email claiming that bombs have been planted at these locations. The mail, sent to the district court's official email ID in the morning, prompted immediate action, police said. Teams from the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) and the dog squad conducted thorough checks at both sites-- the court complex and Cliff House. However, no explosives were found, and police later confirmed it was a hoax. A case will be registered against the sender of the email, which reportedly contained references to Tamil Nadu politics, officials said. According to police, around 28 such hoax emails have been received this year, targeting prominent locations including Cliff House, Raj Bhavan, the airport, and courts. It is suspected that the message also originated from the same source.