Kerala's V D Satheesan Takes Oath as Chief Minister, Announces Key Decisions

Having steered the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) back to power in Kerala after a decade by unseating the Left Front, V D Satheesan took oath as Chief Minister on Monday at a packed ceremony held at the Central Stadium here. His 20-member Cabinet, featuring a mix of experienced leaders and new entrants, was also sworn in by Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar. Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala , who was seen as one of the contenders for the top job, was among those inducted. Apart from Chennithala, the other experienced face in the Cabinet is Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) minister P K Kunhalikutty, who has been part of all the UDF Cabinets since 1991. Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) leader Shibu Baby John and Communist Marxist Party (CMP) nominee C P John, both representing the Left politics in the UDF, took their oath of office by solemn affirmation. Unlike in 2011, IUML ministers did not wear the white cap while taking the oath of office. Kerala Congress leader Mons Joseph, Kerala Congress (Jacob) leader Anoop Jacob, and John were also sworn in as ministers to loud cheers from the crowd. The ceremony was attended, among others, by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, Telangana CM Revanth Reddy , Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu , Congress’s Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Congress general secretary (organiaation) K C Venugopal, who was also one of the contenders for the CM post. Others on the dais were former CM Pinarayi Vijayan and leaders of the UDF and Left Democratic Front (LDF) allies. Soon after the swearing-in ceremony, Satheesan chaired his first Cabinet meeting. Following the meeting, the government announced free bus travel for women in the state-run Kerala state transport corporation, starting June 15; the formation of a department for the aged citizens; an increase in the allowance of ASHA workers; a white paper on the state finances; and the decision to re-investigate the alleged attack on Youth Congress workers in Alappuzha in 2023 by the security staff of then CM Vijayan during the latter’s Nava Kerala Yatra. On the department for the elderly, the CM said, “This was another guarantee of the UDF. Kerala will be the first state in the country to form a department for the aged. Japan was the first country to implement a special department for the aged. That model will be studied within two months. A society’s approach toward its elderly people is one of the key yardsticks by which its level of civilisation is measured. A day will come when Kerala will tell the world how it is taking care of the aged people.” The CM said ASHA workers would now receive Rs 12,000 allowance per month, up from Rs 9,000. “This was our promise to the ASHA workers when they had staged an agitation in front of the state secretariat. I had promised them that when the UDF comes to power, the first Cabinet will decide in favour of them,” Satheesan said. Satheesan also said that the government would increase the monthly remuneration of Anganwadi workers and helpers by Rs 1,000. An additional Rs 1,000 per month would be given to the cooking staff in schools and the honorarium of pre-primary teachers and ayahs (nannies) would also be hiked by Rs 1,000, he added. The CM said an expert team would look into the state’s finances and bring out a white paper and that a special investigation team would be set up to look into the alleged attack in Alappuzha. Satheesan also announced key decisions related to the convening of the new Assembly session on May 21 and 22 for the swearing-in of MLAs and the election of the Speaker, respectively. The Governor’s policy address will take place on May 29.