Thiruvananthapuram: The Congress-led UDF government under Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan began a fresh political era in Kerala on Friday with a dramatic maiden policy address that blended bold welfare commitments, a clear fiscal reality check and the first visible friction with Lok Bhavan.
Delivered by Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar in 73 minutes at the inaugural session of the 16th Kerala Assembly, the address spelled out the new administration’s priorities against the backdrop of high public anticipation following the UDF’s election win.
The session opened with a sharp controversy over Vande Mataram. Although the Kerala Police band performed the national song as part of the Governor’s ceremonial welcome, only the opening lines were played, despite Lok Bhavan reportedly demanding during rehearsals that the full version be rendered. The state government reportedly stood by the long-standing convention and refused to change it, setting off the first signs of tension between the new administration and the Governor’s office on the Assembly’s very first working day.
In his speech the Governor said a White Paper on the State’s finances would be brought out to set out Kerala’s fiscal health and a transparent, responsible recovery strategy grounded in clean governance and administrative efficiency. He announced free health insurance coverage of ₹25 lakh per family under the Oommen Chandy Health Insurance Scheme and an increase in welfare pensions to ₹3,000 per month.
Arlekar announced up to three days of menstrual leave each month for school students and six months’ maternity leave for women in the unorganised sector. He proposed a new integrated water policy that includes water credits and measures for comprehensive water management, pledged to strengthen Responsible Tourism, and set out plans to modernise sports infrastructure and upgrade training centres into elite high performance institutes.
A programme to make all cities elderly friendly was unveiled, alongside plans to revamp Industrial Training Institutes under the SC Development department with modern workshops, new generation courses and Centres of Excellence. The address said a unified portal will be introduced to register migrant workers and that production centres will be linked to ITIs.
The Kerala IT Mission will be revitalised to include an AI mission, with electronics and semiconductor missions to be formed and existing IT parks expanded. The Governor said the Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act, 2008, and other land laws will be reviewed to resolve issues related to land conversion; bypasses will be developed as four lane roads via public private partnerships and a housing scheme for Scheduled Tribe families will be launched.
On climate and energy, Arlekar emphasised climate resilient development for coastal areas and announced the creation of a Blue Economy Cell. He said steps would be taken to expand solar and wind energy and introduce energy storage systems, including large battery solutions, to move the State towards self reliant electricity generation.
To address human wildlife conflict, the government will adopt a three tier strategy of containment, mitigation and compensation, demarcate boundaries between agricultural and forest lands, and undertake scientific wildlife population estimates. A statewide anti drug mission will be launched in the new academic year involving the Home, Excise, Health and Education departments. The public distribution system will be strengthened, price monitoring enhanced to check hoarding, selected Supplyco outlets modernised and the number of Maveli ration shops increased.
The Excise Department will be modernised with digital surveillance and cyber monitoring tools to curb trafficking. In education, government schools and colleges will be upgraded with modern technologies, Jawaharlal Nehru Scientific Centres will be set up to promote scientific temper, and an Academic Syndicate will be created as an apex body for higher education governance; a statewide apprenticeship exchange connecting students and industry will be developed.
Arlekar said measures would be taken to restore public trust in cooperative institutions and ensure financial discipline, and the government will implement a comprehensive film policy. A special Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan had approved the policy speech. The Assembly will discuss the motion of thanks to the Governor’s address from 1 to 3 June.
(With inputs from IANS)