THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The VD Satheesan-led United Democratic Front (UDF) Government has temporarily stayed an order implementing minimum marks for classes VI-II, IX and X in the 2026-27 academic year. Implementation of minimum marks was one of the most significant and debated decisions of the previous LDF Government.
The LDF had in 2024 approved implementation of 30% minimum marks in the theory component of each subject in school examinations as part of steps to enhance the quality of education. The decision was taken following criticism that students were not achieving the desired learning outcomes.
The State Government has also decided to constitute an expert committee to prepare guidelines for determining and providing eligible compensation to people killed or injured in human-wildlife conflict accidents. The Chief Wildlife Warden will head the five-member panel. The member secretary of the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority, the land revenue commissioner, the director of anila husbandry and the director of agriculture will serve as members of the panel.
The move is part of the UDF Government’s 100-day action plan. It is aimed at formulating a uniform set of guidelines to help establish clearer criteria for assessing compensation and reduce the need for case-by-case administrative deliberations, thereby preventing delays in disbursements.
Families of victims have often faced difficulties in getting timely assistance, while questions relating to the nature of the incident, the extent of injury and the jurisdiction of different departments can complicate the process.
The absence of a standard mechanism has also led to protests and disagreements in affected localities. Moreover, disputes between the Forest and Revenue Departments over whether an incident occurred on forest land or revenue land have further complicated the assessment process. In addition, compensation in individual cases presently requires specific cabinet decisions. A uniform mechanism for assessing and disbursing relief could do away with the long-drawn process.
The State’s strategic think-tank has developed a unique digital platform that tracks blood units across the transfusion chain preventing donated blood from expiring unused.
Implemented for the first time in the country, the system digitally tracks the journey of the blood from the moment it is collected from a donor through processing and storage at blood banks to its final transfusion into a recipient, creating a continuous digital record across the transfusion chain. Titled Blood Bank Traceability System (BBTS), it digitally links all public sector blood banks in the State and tracks every unit from collection to transfusion.
The system, according to experts, has helped ensure that no donated blood unit expired during collection, storage, transportation or transfusion. It also enables blood banks to follow the ‘earliest expiry, first out’ principle. This will ensure that units nearing their expiry date are issued first.
The project has been implemented across government health-care institutions in Keralam, covering 87 centres in 14 districts, including 43 blood collection centres and 44 blood storage centres. In the second phase, private blood banks could also be brought under the platform. The system has been implemented in association with the Kerala State Blood Transfusion Council, Kerala State AIDS Control Society, e-Health and the Health Department.
The state government has also decided to dissolve the Loka Kerala Sabha (LKS) and replace it with an alternative mechanism that benefits expatriate Keralites.
Announcing the decision after a State Cabinet meeting, Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan said a Cabinet sub-committee headed by the Chief Minister has been constituted. Members of the panel are Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, Industries Minister P. K. Kunhalikutty, Health Minister K. Muralidharan and Water Resources Minister Mons Joseph.
The Loka Kerala Sabha has been replaced, the CM said, because it “had failed to implement the decisions taken by it”. The LKS was introduced by the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) Government in 2018 as a “common platform for Keralites living across the globe.” The 5th session was held in Thiruvananthapuram in January 2026 when the LDF Government was still in power.
Replacing LKS was a political decision, Satheesan said, adding that there had been no change in that position. Moreover, the Government has not allocated funds for the sixth edition of the LKS, he pointed out. He, however, allayed the fears of the expatriates by saying that non-resident Keraliltes will have a platform, an alternative mechanism for addressing their issues. Besides, there will be a project, announced in the Revised Budget, to transform their remittance economy into an investment economy. This is an important shift in policy.
The Priyadarshini free travel scheme being implemented by the UDF government, has completed 100 days against a backdrop of deepening crisis in the private bus sector.
The public utility has facilitated an average 12.93 lakh free journeys a day. Women, according to the official figures released by the Government, had undertaken 12.62 crore free journeys so far, necessitating a financial liability of around Rs 267 crore to the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC). It may be mentioned that the State Government has promised to meet the liability by giving financial aid to the utility at regular intervals.
The daily ridership under the scheme has risen from 11.08 lakh in the first week to 13.93 lakh in the 13th week, an increase of 25.7%. The daily ticket value rose from Rs 2.36 crore to Rs 2.95 crore – A 25.1% rise. The highest daily ridership was on September 7, when 15, 52, 761 people travelled under the scheme, generating a ticket value of Rs 3.29 crore. Data for the first six days of the fourteenth week, excluding Sunday showed an average daily ridership of 14.96 lakh – 29.4% higher than in the first week. The corresponding ticket value rose by 29.2 per cent.
However, the private bus operators, who acknowledge the scheme’s popularity, said it had severely affected their livelihoods. Their claim is that nearly 700 buses had ceased operations, leaving approximately 11,000 in service. More than half of the operating buses are said to be running reduced services and earning low daily revenues. (IPA Service)
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