Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said Kerala was on an upward trajectory in terms of sustainable development, social welfare and quality of life parameters.
In a statement issued on Friday on the eve of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government’s second anniversary on May 20, Mr. Vijayan offered a bright picture of Kerala’s future in stark contrast to the bleak view projected by the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) Opposition.
He said the government reined in inflation, provided free housing for the poor, distributed title deeds to the landless, improved roads, modernised schools and hospitals, and afforded social welfare pension cover to over 62 lakh citizens, despite heavy financial odds. It had implemented a low-premium health insurance scheme for government employees and pensioners.
Mr. Vijayan claimed that instead of making decisions ad hoc, the government acted with long sight by adopting a sustainable, future-proof development model focussing on transforming Kerala into a green, investment-friendly knowledge economy.
The LDF ushered in a new governance culture focussing on long-term planning and responsive and emphatic State intervention. It has adopted strategic planning in place of last-minute firefighting in a crisis, he said.
The government was focussed on building a modern Kerala. It emphasised the modernisation of the farming sector, industrial restructuring, rendering sick public sector units profitable, and skill development to equip the State’s educated youth to cater to the needs of the high-end global labour market, he said.
The State’s health, literacy, sustainable development and social welfare indices matched those of developed nations. The LDF has strived to build on that advantage to improve further the quality of life of citizens in the State, he said.
The government’s thrust on modernising traditional sectors marched in lockstep with its strategy to promote start-ups, invite investment, and transform Kerala into a global IT, life sciences, tourism and educational hub, he said.
The government has launched a special scheme to eradicate extreme poverty. The Life Mission project has delivered 3.5 lakh modern houses to the homeless. It has brought an additional 3.5 lakh citizens under the subsidised public distribution system (PDS) net, said Mr. Vijayan.
The government has initiated a graphene research centre in Kochi to make the State a base for the development of modern technology. It has laid the foundation for a ₹1,500-crore digital sciences park. The government has dispelled the image and defeated the propaganda that Kerala was a business and investment-unfriendly State. More than 1,40,000 enterprises have set up base in Kerala since the LDF returned to power in 2021, he claimed.
The State wooed investment pegged at ₹8,300 crores. It created more than 3 lakh job opportunities. The government would soon provide high-speed and affordable Internet connectivity to every household in the State via the ambitious K-FON project. It offered the facility free for BPL households, he said.
Mr. Vijayan pointed out that Kerala was on the fast track to total urbanisation. The State would soon be an urban continuum. Hence, the government has prioritised sustainable urban management, including scientific waste disposal, litter-free and green public places, and environment-friendly mass rapid transport systems to mitigate traffic congestion and reduce the State’s carbon footprint.
The Chief Minister also said the State battled heavy odds, including catastrophic climate events, to emerge as an oasis of secularism, development and social welfare. Kerala would defeat anti-democratic forces and emerge stronger in the coming years. People viewed the State as a beacon of hope amidst a national atmosphere vitiated by divisive agendas, he added.
