Top Kerala News developments today

Key news developments in Kerala on February 19, Saturday

Here are the key news developments from Kerala to watch out for today 

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the third edition of the 'Huddle Global' conference of startup entrepreneurs. Kerala Startup Mission is hosting the two-day event.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will declare the formation of the Local Self Government Department (LSGD) Common Service. The government hopes to streamline the local body level public service delivery system by merging five crucial departments, namely Panchayat, Rural Development, Urban Affairs, Town, and Country Planning and LSGD Engineering.

CPI(M) State secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan will chair a crucial meeting of the party's State committee at the AKG Centre. The conference is likely to weigh the political fallout of CPI's criticism that the government had gone out of the way to placate Governor Arif Muhammad Khan. He had "unconstitutionally" refused to consent to the LDF's policy address for the next fiscal.

The committee might also discuss CPI's opposition to the Lok Ayukta amendment ordinance and develop steps to resolve the issue in the LDF ahead of the resumption of the Assembly session next week. The meeting will also possibly finalise the modalities of the upcoming party State conference in Ernakulam. It will debate the draft political resolution approved by the CPI(M) State secretariat.

Left trade union leaders will hold conciliatory talks with Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) chairperson B. Asok to resolve the worker's strike that threatens to hobble the functioning of the public utility and put the State government on the defence in the Assembly.

The labour unions had staunchly resisted Mr. Asok's contentious decision to bring the KSEB headquarters, Vydyuthi Bhavan, under the State Industrial Security Force (SISF) security cover.