Page 14 - Pinarayi Vijayan

Kerala has one of the best records in upholding workers' rights: CM Vijayan

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday highlighted the steps taken by the state in upholding the rights of workers and claimed that it has one of the best records in the global south in this regard. Inaugurating the International Labour Conclave here, Vijayan said Kerala has been exceptional in protecting and advancing workers' rights, which has been waning worldwide. "In terms of providing decent employment, forming unions, workers' cooperatives, welfare boards and pension schemes, and ensuring inclusivity and the protection of migrant rights, Kerala has evolved as a role model. We comply with the main principles of the ILO (International Labour Organisation), including the tripartite structure, in which the government, employers, and employees meet to resolve disputes," the Chief Minister said. The three-day International Labour Conclave is being organised by the Labour Department in association with the State Planning Board. He said that since 1957, when Kerala's fi

Kerala CM releases progress report of LDF government for last 2 years

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday released the progress report of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government, highlighting its achievements during the last two years

Congress lays siege to Kerala Secretariat on Left govt's 2nd anniversary

Amid state-wide programmes being organised by the LDF government in Kerala to mark its second anniversary, the Congress-led UDF on Saturday laid a massive siege to the Secretariat here, the administrative hub, against the alleged misrule and corruption of the Left dispensation. Hundreds of UDF workers including women from various districts arrived in the state capital and positioned themselves near the Secretariat complex, located in the heart of the city. Senior UDF leaders and MLAs led the siege and took part in the protest along with the ordinary party workers alleging that the CPI(M)-led government had no right to continue anymore. KPCC chief K Sudhakaran, Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly V D Satheesan, senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, UDF Convenor M M Hassan and IUML leader P K Kunhalikutty were among those who took part in the siege. The Left government had no right to celebrate the anniversary as it has only provided misery to the people of Kerala, they .

LDF Govt comes out with "Real Kerala Story" ad on 2nd anniversary day

The LDF government in Kerala, which completes two years in power on Saturday, came out with an advertisement picking on the title of controversial film "The Kerala Story" claiming the state was celebrating "The Real Kerala Story" of social harmony and progressive values under its rule. In a tweet carrying the advertisement released in major national dailies, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said by embracing social justice, his government drives inclusive development that empowers all. "On Kerala Government's second anniversary, we celebrate the #RealKeralaStory, where dreams flourish and humanity thrives," the CM tweeted. The Hindi film, released across the country recently, had faced charges of depicting Kerala in poor light. In the "Real Kerala Story" advertisement, the government describes Kerala as a "jewel in India's crown" and a "beacon of progressive ideals." The picture of CM Vijayan is featured in the advertisement along with that of people representing various sections o

Attacks against health workers are unacceptable: Kerala CM Vijayan

Attacks against health workers are unacceptable and those endangering their lives will be dealt with strictly, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said here on Thursday a day after his government approved an ordinance aimed at protecting the professionals working in the health services sector. The Chief Minister said there will be no compromise on the part of the government in ensuring safety of those working in the health sector. "Attacking health workers is not acceptable. It has been decided that those endangering the lives of health workers would be dealt with strictly," Vijayan said, after declaring the launch of 5,409 public health centres (PHCs) at the Pirappancode Public Health Centre here. He said the killing of Dr Vandana Das shocked the conscience of Kerala while adding that such incidents lead to a wrong image of the state being shared before the world. Speaking along similar lines, Health Minister Veena George said violence against health workers "would not be ...

Cong irked as Vijayan's escort vehicle nearly rams into protesting workers

About five Congress workers were standing on roadside raising slogans and waving black flags when suddenly a speeding escort vehicle with police officials almost ploughed into the protesters: Cong

Will come out with more corruption cases against Vijayan: Congress

We are also going to take the legal route in the AI camera scam where all the documents will be placed before the court," Satheesan said

Kerala govt distributes land title deeds to 67,069 landless people

The Kerala government on Sunday distributed land title deeds to 67,069 landless people as part of a scheme that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said is aimed at ending landlessness in the state. He urged everyone to stand together for equitable socio-economic development. "Extremely happy to have distributed land titles to 67,069 landless people in Kerala as part of the LDF government's 100-day Action Programme. With 2.99 lakh titles distributed in 7 years, we're making giant strides towards the goal of ending landlessness in Kerala," Vijayan said in a tweet. In a Facebook post, the Left leader said that this government had in its first year handed over 54,535 title deeds.

Police should be prepared to deal with unexpected situations: Kerala CM

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday said police need to be better prepared to ensure security of the public when dealing with dangerous situations, as sometimes unexpected incidents may happen -- in an apparent reference to the recent killing of a young doctor at a taluk hospital in the state despite the presence of officers there. Dr Vandana Das was stabbed several times at Kottarakara taluk hospital in Kollam district by a G Sandeep, a school teacher who was brought there for treatment by the police in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. She succumbed to her injuries a few hours later. Vijayan said that police often work in dangerous situations and their priority is always to ensure public safety and security. "However, some unexpected situations arise and therefore they need to be better prepared to deal with the same," he said in his speech after inaugurating the new building of the Thrissur Rural District Police Headquarters at Irinjalakuda here. Vijayan also said

After AI camera, Cong raises corruption charges against govt's KFON project

After the Artificial Intelligence (AI) camera project, the opposition Congress on Thursday levelled corruption charges against the LDF government's flagship Kerala Fibre Optic Network (KFON) scheme which was envisaged to provide free internet for poor families. Lashing out at the LDF government, Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly V D Satheesan alleged there was massive corruption in the project which has offered to provide free internet to 20 lakh families. Sub-contracts had been awarded violating rules and the PSU Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), which led the consortium of companies that had been awarded the contract, was given an excess tender amount of Rs 520 crore than the actual estimate, he said at a press meet here. The huge tender excess was given against an existing government circular issued by the then finance secretary K M Abraham that tender excess should not be more than 10 per cent in government contracts, he pointed out. "A scam similar to that of the AI .

'The Kerala Story' controversy: Why are state leaders mulling for a ban?

The film deals with the story of a group of women from Kerala who were converted to Islam (either by force or were deceived) and go on to join the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)

The Kerala Story gets 'A' certificate from censor board, 10 scenes deleted

A scene, which is believed to have been cut included dialogues and inappropriate references to all Hindu Gods

Why has the upcoming movie 'The Kerala Story' courted controversy?

After the trailer of the movie, which showed a burqa-clad woman with the tagline 'Uncovering the truth that was kept hidden' was released, protests erupted in many parts of Kerala

Vijayan meets envoys of UAE, Vietnam at Kerala House in Delhi

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday met the Ambassadors of UAE and Vietnam to India and held discussions with them in New Delhi. The CM met Abdulnasser Alshaali and Nguyen Thanh Hai respectively at Kerala House in the national capital, a CMO statement here said. The discussions were held with regard to improving the foreign countries' relationship with the southern state, it said. Chief Secretary V P Joy and Officer on Special Duty Venu Rajamony were present during the meeting, it said. Vijayan had also met Ambassador of Argentina in India, Hugo Javier Gobbi on Thursday. During the meeting, the envoy had presented the Kerala CM with an Argentinian football jersey in the presence of well-known footballer from the state I M Vijayan, a CMO statement added.

India to get its first water metro today: All you need to know about it

Kerala KWM: The Rs 1,137 crore project will connect ten small islands around Kochi with boats running on hybrid power

Kerala launches 'One Panchayat, One Playground' to revive sports culture

The Kerala government on Wednesday launched a project for reviving the sports culture in the State by opening quality playgrounds in every panchayat of the southern state. The 'One Panchayat, One Playground' project was inaugurated by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at Kallikkad here where he said that a good sports culture was essential for building a healthy and happy society. The playgrounds would serve as a hub of local gatherings and social interactions. "It is with this goal in mind that the 'One Panchayat, One Playground' project has been devised," the Chief Minister said at the event. The project will address the lack of quality playgrounds in around 450 local bodies in the State, Vijayan said. Within three years, the playgrounds will be built and for the first phase of the project, a list of 113 panchayats has been prepared, the Chief Minister said. Each playground would cost around Rs one crore, half of which would be footed by the Sports department and the rest w

In a first, Kerala adopts Water Budget to tackle problem of summer shortage

An abundance of rivers, streams, backwaters and a good amount of rainfall contribute to the lush greenery in Kerala, many parts of which yet face acute water scarcity when it comes to the summers. And this has led to the state adopting a Water Budget -- the first of its kind in the country. The details of the first phase of the Water Budget in the state covering 94 grama panchayats in 15 block panchayats were unveiled on Monday by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. At the event, Vijayan said that the state was witnessing a reduction in water availability and therefore a water budget would be helpful in properly utilising the resource and preventing wastage. Water experts welcomed the initiative and said it would help the state ascertain the demand and supply of the precious liquid resource and apportion it accordingly, as the problem was not one of availability, but of management. "It is not an issue of scarcity, it is a managerial problem," said Dr Sunny George, a limnologist

Necessary permissions for building Sabarimala airport received: Kerala CM

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday said the groundwork for building a new airport at Sabarimala has started after obtaining the necessary permissions. Vijayan said this while inaugurating a major road project in Pathanamthitta district where the famous hilltop shrine of Lord Ayyappa is located. "Process has been initiated to construct a new airport for Sabarimala. Necessary permissions for the same have been received," Vijayan said at an online event. Constructed as part of the 100-day programme of the Left front government, he said the project was initiated to speed up the development process. During the two-month annual pilgrimage season in November-December, lakhs of pilgrims arrive at the shrine from various parts of the country and also abroad. In the 2022 season, the Travancore Devaswom Board had stated that nearly 30 lakh pilgrims visited the temple. Vijayan also said funds have been allocated for the highways passing through the coastal and high-range region

Demonetisation, unscientific GST implementation caused disaster: Kerala CM

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan while inaugurating 'Entrepreneurship 2.0, Mission 1000' claimed that demonetisation and "unscientific" implementation of GST caused a disaster for the country

'Atonement for past deeds' of Sangh Parivar: Kerala CM on PM's church visit

"Bharatiya Janata Party leaders were seen visiting all the churches in Kerala. So there is no harm here. There is no harm in taking a different position," he added