At a time when COVID-19 has shaken the development tangent of the State, local self-governments are facing a bigger challenge of reviving the economy, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said.
Opening the silver jubilee of local self-governance in the State, Mr.Vijayan urged the local bodies to come up with novel ideas and projects to survive COVID and highlighted the role of local efforts in combating the pandemic.
Addressing the local bodies virtually from his office in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday, the Chief Minister stated that the occasion should be a platform to form democratic methods for development to build a ‘new Kerala’.
Highlighting the role of the EMS government in 1957 and the E.K.Nayanar government of 1996 in making local self-governance a reality, Mr. Vijayan said the biggest challenge before the State was the absence of prior models to follow. However, the local bodies were able to think beyond the preconceived framework of development and their capability was visible in the way they handled the floods and the pandemic.
He explained how his previous government tried to strengthen the power of the local bodies by forcing them to focus on sustainable development.
He asked the local bodies to come up with projects that would aid basic infrastructure development in sectors such as industry, agriculture, production, and tourism and take the environment into consideration.
These projects should help the unemployed, women, and former expatriates to realise their potential. He advised them to avoid red tape and use modern technology to ensure transparency and efficiency in their activities.
