CM slams Opposition for boycotting ‘Ente Keralam’ celebrations, sets goal for Kerala over next 25 years
The Hindu
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan slammed the Opposition for boycotting ‘Ente Keralam’ celebrations to mark the second anniversary of the second term of the LDF government.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan slammed the Opposition for boycotting ‘Ente Keralam’ celebrations to mark the second anniversary of the second term of the LDF government.
The Opposition is blighted by a mindset, which did not enjoy the sight of Kerala moving forward, he said as he set the goal for Kerala over the next 25 years to achieve standards of living at par with that of a middle-income country among developed nations.
Kerala has not stood still at the point where the UDF government left it in 2016. It has moved forward amid grave challenges and serious financial constraints. This fact has not gone down well with the Opposition, he alleged. He also criticised the Opposition for not joining the 100th anniversary celebrations of the Vaikom Sathyagraha. The Chief Minister was inaugurating the exhibition and sales mela, Ente Keralam, at Marine Drive here on Saturday.
The Chief Minister spoke for about an hour and listed a large number of programmes already implemented as well as future plans that would accelerate the growth of the State. They include a major investment programme to be funded through the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB). The 651-km coastal highway, ₹3,500-crore hill highway, ₹200-crore green hydrogen hubs in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram, and use of land on both sides of the west coast canal for tourism development are among the programmes lined up. An allocation of ₹300 crore is being made for land acquisition for the west coast canal tourism project, the Chief Minister said. The government also plans to establish two airstrips — Idukki and Wayanad — at a cost of ₹125 crore each as well as an institute dedicated to organ transplant. The hospital will come up in Kozhikode, he said.
Industries Minister P. Rajeeve presided over the inaugural programme. Chief Secretary V.P. Joy welcomed the gathering. Ministers P. Prasad, Roshy Augustine, K. Radhakrishnan, and Ahammad Devarkovil were among those who were present at the function. Mayor M. Anilkumar and MLAs from Ernakulam were present.
The exhibition at Marine Drive brings together the achievements of the government in the fields of development and welfare, said a communication from the Public Relations department here.
The expo will be on till April 8 and is being organised with the overriding theme ‘Kerala of the Young, Kerala as First’. The exhibition and sales will be spread over 63,680 sq. ft. of space. Thirty-six stalls out of around 100 at the exhibition will be those of various government departments. Besides government departments, public sector undertakings, MSME units, and the Kudumbashree will be part of the exhibition.
While residents are worried over deaths due to diarrhoea in Vijayawada, officials still grapple to find the root cause. Contaminated drinking water supplied by VMC officials is the reason, insist people in the affected areas, but officials insist that efforts are on to identify the disease and that those with symptoms other than diarrhoea too are visiting the health camps.