CM Pinarayi Vijayan

The Kerala government on January 11 scrapped the entertainment tax for cinemas in the state from January to March 2021. The decision, which came as a breather to the industry, also reduced 50% fixed charges on the pending electricity bill of the theatres since March 2020. Moreover, extending the validity of the licenses and approvals till March 31, the government has allowed the hall owners to pay the pre-pandemic pending property taxes in… read-more

After facing agitation especially from the opposition, the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Kerala government has decided to back-off from implementing recently added laws against cyberbullying. CM Vijayan has stated that decisions will be taken after "detailed discussions" in the assembly. As per the proposed law, propagating defamatory or derogatory claims against the state would result in imprisonment and/or fine. Though the opposition claimed it a… read-more

Kerala government plans to support the farmers growing fruits and vegetables with a minimum support price (MSP). To be applied from November 1 on Kerala’s foundation day, the scheme will offer an MSP of 20% over production cost for 16 crops. While MSP list would be revised from time-to-time, local-government bodies will procure on MSP, even if base-price falls below. Farmers with upto15 acres of cultivation will be benefitted under this.

Kerala government has allegedly ignored the inputs from the state wing of the Indian Medical Association in implementation of policies against COVID-19 pandemic. While the CM Pinarayi Vijayan maintains the state is recovering, IMA officials has urged the government to run proper schemes by consulting with the IMA. Dr Abraham Varghese, IMA head, said, "At present, 80% of the ICUs are filled. And the government hospitals are shooing-away non-… read-more

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan on September 22 inaugurated the 'e-Challan system' for collection of traffic fines, as a part of an initiative to modernise the functioning of Kerala Police. The Police opined that this will remove corruption and improve transparency. With this, traffic cameras record cases of violations and then pass it to the virtual courts through the 'e-challan system'. Also, fines can be paid using 'e-treasury system'.