The LDF government, which completes two years in office, could succeed in removing the general belief that nothing would happen in Kerala, and open up a positive ambience for developmental initiatives.This Government has strived to perform according to hopes and aspirations of the general public and has gone a long way in creating a new political culture in the State. It has also succeeded in a big way in wiping out the menace of corruption, especially in the higher circles of the system.
As the Government completes two years in office, it’s a common practice for the public to evaluate the performance of the Government. The Government took the initiative to hold discussions with the representatives of various organizations including media houses to assess the feedback on governance from the general public. The general response gathered from these deliberations has been highly supportive. At the same time, certain concerns and valuable suggestions for further improvement were also raised in these meetings which would be considered seriously in the future journey of this Government. It’s a fact that no Government has ever dared to create such a platform for an open discussion regarding its functioning. We had approached the public with a detailed progress report at the completion of the first year itself. The progress report for the second year is also ready which provides a factual presentation on the promises made in the election manifesto and the current level of the progress of execution of a particular proposal or project. No other State Government in the country has shown the audacity to come out with such a progress report.
It is a known fact that the State Government is functioning in the midst of the crisis emulated by the draconian economic policies of the Union Government. Demonitisation and GST have actually crippled the normal life of the people. There were concerted efforts to sabotage the cooperative sector during this period but the Government could overcome this challenge through the wholehearted support from the general public. The recommendations of fifteenth Financial Commission are also detrimental to the interests of the State. The suggestion to carry out the distribution of Central taxes to Sates according the 2011 census will affect Kerala in a big way given the exemplary strides taken by the State in pollution control activities .Hence the State Government is adamant on the stand that the previous practice of following the 1971 census should be continued. Also, we have put forward the demand to raise the percentage of allocation of Central Taxes to States from forty-two to fifty.
It is in this context that the government decided to source funds from KIIFB ( Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board) for the execution of infrastructure development projects . It is proposed to carry out development to the tune of Rs 50000 crores within a span of five years. Administrative sanction has already been accorded to projects worth Rs 20000 crores coming under this category.
This Government could achieve considerable growth in the infrastructure front. The initiatives for the development of National Highway to 45 meters are fast progressing despite certain bottlenecks in land acquisition at few areas. The work on the Gail LNG pipeline project will also be completed this year and the supply of gas to industrial belts in Ernakulam and Thrissur will commence from June itself. The national water way project from Kovalam to Kasargod, which will be completed by 2020, will be a major fillip for the growth of tourism industry in the State. The 1267-km Hill highway and the 656-km coastal highway, with an estimated cost of Rs 10,000 crores, will also be completed by 2020.
The Government aims to promote a development pattern based on social justice. The formation of four missions was to accomplish this objective. The activities of Haritha Kerala Mission, which aims at improving sanitation and waste management, cleaning up of water sources etc, are progressing on a fast pace. The Education Mission aims at upgrading educational institutions to centres of excellence and bring in progressive changes in the education sector. The concept of a family doctor, a new initiative in the health sector, would be realised through the Ardram Mission. All public health centres would become family health centres and all Government hospitals would be equipped enough to handle any sort of modern treatment methods. The Life Mission aims to provide houses to the deprived class. The construction of almost 28000 houses has already been completed.
There has been a considerable improvement in the law and order situation of the State during this period. The Kerala Police could effectively prove many of the complicated and unsolved cases, including cyber crimes, during this period. The force is doing a commendable job with regard to women safety also. But unlawful acts of certain policemen have tarnished the image of the police force to an extent. The government took a serious note of this situation and acted in a swift and strict manner by bringing them before the law. The strong action taken in the case of Varapuzha custody death case, where murder charges were framed against those responsible, was an example in this regard. Though cases of custodial deaths were reported in the State before, no Government has shown the grit to act against the erring officials in such a manner. Steps have already been initiated to provide state of the art training to the police force and there by create a people- friendly face for the force.
There have been concerted efforts from certain quarters to sabotage the secular fabric of the State. The nation-wide protests triggered by the death of a little girl in Jammu were used by certain fringe groups in the State to incite communal violence. The hartal call prorogated through the social media was part of this effort. But later it came to light that those who were trying to justify the criminals of the heinous crime were actually behind this move. The swift and immediate intervention of the State police actually averted a fierce situation which could have developed in to a major calamity. The Government suspects a larger conspiracy behind this incident.
This Government is taking sincere efforts to convert Kerala into an investor-friendly destination. A new law has been enacted by amending the existing ones to make sure that new enterprises could pass through a hurdle- free process to secure the necessary licenses. Though Kerala has scored high in many areas, we are still lagging behind in the ease of doing business. This situation will improve with the enactment of the new law. We don’t have major labour problems affecting the industry, a fact endorsed by even the industrialists. The Government has taken a stern decision to abolish the practice of seeking Nookkukooli , an unlawful activity which had tarnished the image of our State. The system of supplying labourers to employers by labour unions will also be curbed by the Government.
Concrete steps to protect and support the public sector industrial units, a major promise made by the LDF in its election manifesto, will be initiated by the Government. No units will be privatized by this Government under any circumstance. Special packages to revive Coir, Cashew and Handloom sectors will also be implemented during this tenure.
The public educational institutions have become centres of excellence and there has been a huge increase in the enrolment of students in these institutions. Last year alone, around 1.5 lakh students chose these instructions for their future studies and parents have also started showing trust in these institutions. This is a positive message for the Government and we are in the process of upgrading all the educational institutions in
Government and aided sectors to achieve this level of excellence and thereby enhance the quality of education offered in the State to international standards. 141 institutions have already begun this process by utilizing the amount of Rs 5 crore sanctioned by the Government and other contributions collected from the general public.
A comprehensive curriculum based on Information Technology has already been implemented in the State. 45,000 classrooms will be made hi-tech in the initial stage and by next year all primary schools in the State will be elevated to this status which will be make Kerala the State with hundred percent high-tech schools. The Government cannot sideline the aided sector while initiating academic reforms. The proposal to rename this sector as `Government aided’ is under the consideration of the Government. Necessary instructions have been given to civic bodies to ensure the essential infrastructure facilities in public schools in view of the increasing rate of enrolment in these institutions. Plans are also afoot to widen the pre-primary stream in the Government sector.
The Government would always stand by the feeling of the people in all issues. The decision to raise the salary of nurses to Rs 20,000 is an example for this. There are plans to initiate a thorough revamp in the Higher Education sector in the State. A proactive discussion on the effectiveness of the present system of administration being followed by the Universities in the State would also be initiated.
The Government plans to extend the Hunger Free Kerala programme to all parts of the State. It is also proposed to start low cost cafeterias serving good food across the State. An insurance scheme for ensuring quality treatment for the poor is also on the cards. The operation of the Chief Ministers Relief Fund has been made transparent and fast by making using of the online system for processing the applications. An amount of Rs 393 crore has been disbursed under this category.
As the Government completes two years in office, the wholehearted support and confidence showered of us by the general public has instilled a sense of confidence in our journey to ensure the comprehensive development of this State.
