Second Vijayan ministry explained

Cabinet Type:	Ministry
Cabinet Number:	23rd
Jurisdiction:	Kerala
Flag Border:	true
Date Formed:	20 May 2021
Members Number:	21
Legislature Status:	Majority
Opposition Leader:	V.D. Satheesan
Election:	2021
Legislature Term:	5 years (2021 - 2026)

Second Pinarayi Vijayan Ministry is the Council of Ministers headed by Pinarayi Vijayan that was formed after winning in the 15th legislative assembly elections by bagging 99 of the 140 seats in the Assembly. The Council assumed office on 20 May 2021.^[1] The ministry is having a total of 21 ministers in the Cabinet compared to 20 ministers in the previous government.^{[2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]}

Council of Ministers

Name! Constituency !Designation!Department!Party! colspan="2" scope="col"

Chief Minister
1	Pinarayi Vijayan		Dharmadam	Chief Minister	Administration of Civil and Criminal Justice Airports All India Services Coastal Shipping and Inland Navigation Distress Relief Election Fire and Rescue Services General Administration Home Information and Public Relations Information Technology Integration Inter – State River Waters Kerala State Inland Navigation Corporation Metro Rail Non- Resident Keralites’ Affairs Personnel and Administrative Reforms Planning and Economic Affairs Pollution Control Printing and Stationery Prisons Sainik Welfare Science, Technology and Environment Scientific Institutes State Hospitality Vigilance State Disaster Management Authority	CPI(M)
Cabinet Ministers
2.	K. Rajan		Ollur	Minister for Revenue and Housing	Land Revenue Survey and Land Records Housing Land Reforms	CPI
3.	Roshy Augustine		Idukki	Minister for Water Resources	Irrigation Command Area Development Authority Ground Water Department Water Supply and Sanitation	KC(M)
4.	K. Krishnankutty		Chittur	Minister for Electricity	Electricity ANERT	JDS
5.	A. K. Saseendran		Elathur	Minister for Forest and Wildlife	Forests Wild Life Protection	NCP(SP)
6.	Kadannappalli Ramachandran		Kannur	Minister for Registration, Museums and Archaeology	Registration Museums Archaeology Archives	C(S)
7.	K. B. Ganesh Kumar		Pathanapuram	Minister for Transport	Road Transport Motor Vehicles Department Water Transport	KC(B)
8.	V. Abdurahiman		Tanur	Minister for Sports, Wakf and Haj Pilgrimage, Minority welfare	Sports Wakf and Haj Pilgrimage Post and Telegraphs Railways Welfare of Minorities	NSC
9.	G. R. Anil		Nedumangad	Minister for Food and Civil Supplies	Food and Civil Supplies Consumer Affairs Legal Metrology	CPI
10.	K. N. Balagopal		Kottarakkara	Minister for Finance	Finance National Savings Stores Purchase Commercial Taxes, Agricultural Income Tax Treasuries Lotteries State Audit Kerala State Financial Enterprises State Insurance Kerala Financial Corporation Stamps and Stamp Duties	CPI(M)
11.	R. Bindu		Irinjalakuda	Minister for Higher Education and Social Justice	Collegiate Education Technical Education Universities (Except Agriculture, Veterinary, Fisheries, Medical and Digital Universities) Entrance Examinations National Cadet Corps Additional Skill Acquisition Programme (ASAP) Social Justice	CPI(M)
12.	J. Chinchu Rani		Chadayamangalam	Minister for Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development	Animal Husbandry Dairy Development, Milk Co-operatives Zoos Kerala Veterinary & Animal Sciences University	CPI
13.	M. B. Rajesh		Thrithala	Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Local Self Governments, Rural Development and Excise	Local Self Governments Panchayati Raj, Municipalities and Corporations Rural Development Town Planning Regional Development Authorities KILA Excise Parliamentary Affairs	CPI(M)
14.	P. A. Mohammed Riyas		Beypore	Minister for Public Works and Tourism	Public Works Department Tourism	CPI(M)
15.	P. Prasad		Cherthala	Minister for Agriculture	Agriculture Soil Survey & Soil Conservation Kerala Agriculture University Warehousing Corporation	CPI
16.	O. R. Kelu		Mananthavady	Minister for Welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes	Welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes	CPI(M)
17.	P. Rajeeve		Kalamasseri	Minister for Law, Industries and Coir	Law Industries (Including Industrial co-operatives) Commerce Mining and Geology Handlooms and Textiles Khadi and Village Industries Coir Cashew Industry Plantation Directorate	CPI(M)
18.	V. Sivankutty		Nemom	Minister for General Education and Labour	General Education Literacy Movement Labour Employment and Training Skills, Rehabilitation Factories and Boilers Insurance Medical Service Industrial Tribunals Labour Courts	CPI(M)
19.	V. N. Vasavan		Ettumanoor	Minister for Co-operation, Ports and Devaswoms	Cooperation Ports Devaswoms	CPI(M)
20.	Veena George		Aranmula	Minister for Health and Woman and Child Development	Health Family Welfare Medical Education Medical University Indigenous Medicine AYUSH Drugs Control Woman & Child Welfare	CPI(M)
21.	Saji Cherian			Minister for Fisheries and Cultural affairs	Fisheries Harbour Engineering Fisheries University Youth Affairs Culture Kerala State Film Development Corporation Kerala State Chalachitra Academy Kerala State Cultural Activists Welfare Fund Board	CPI(M)

Chair and chief whip

Name!Position!Constituency!District! colspan="2" scope="col"

Party
Chair
1	A. N. Shamseer		Speaker	Thalassery	Kannur	CPI(M)
2	Chittayam Gopakumar		Deputy Speaker	Adoor	Pathanamthitta	CPI
Chief Whip
1	N. Jayaraj		Chief Whip	Kanjirappally	Kottayam	KC(M)

Former cabinet members

Name	Position		Constituency	Status		Party	Remarks
Saji Cherian	Minister	Fisheries, Culture	Chengannur	Resigned	6 July 2022	CPI(M)	Rejoined Cabinet later
M. V. Govindan	Minister	Local self Government	Taliparamba	Resigned	2 September 2022	CPI (M)	Resigned to take charge as state secretary of CPI(M)
Ahamed Devarkovil	Minister	Ports, Museum, Archeology, Archives	Kozhikode South	Resigned	24 December 2023	INL	Resigned as part of Cabinet reshuffle
Antony Raju	Minister	Transport	Thiruvananthapuram Central	Resigned	24 December 2023	JKC	Resigned as part of Cabinet reshuffle
K. Radhakrishnan	Minister	Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Backward Classes, Parliamentary affairs, Devaswoms	Chelakkara	Resigned	17 June 2024	CPI (M)	Resigned to take charge as MP of Alathur

Swearing Ceremony

Pinarayi Vijayan Ministry took oath at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on 20 May 2021 Thursday at 3:30 IST. The new Kerala state cabinet have 21 members including the chief minister. This time, the ruling Left Democratic Front had decided to replace all sitting ministers. Before taking oath, all CPI(M) ministers offered prayers at the Martyrs Column in Alappuzha. The swearing ceremony took place in strict adherence to Covid-19 protocol. Around 350 people attended the ceremony.^[9]

Notable work

• Vijayan inaugurated the Kochi Water Metro, India's first water metro system in 2021.^[10] It is also described as possibly the largest electric boat metro transportation infrastructure being implemented in the world.^[11]
• In 2023, his ministry introduced 'Mission 1000', an initiative to select 1,000 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) and turn them into ventures with Rs 100 crore turnover in four years.
• Kerala Fiber Optic Network (K-FON) is a public-funded initiative by the Government of Kerala that aims to provide high-speed Internet connectivity to the whole Indian state of Kerala.^[12] More than 20 lakh BPL families in the state are expected to get free internet access, according to the project.^[13] The project was inaugurated on 5 June 2023 by the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.^[14]
• Kerala Startup Mission became one of the top 5 startup incubators in the world in 2023.^[15]
• On 28 June 2023, Pinarayi Vijayan launched 'Pride Project' to provide jobs for transgender people. This project is also a part of the Kerala government’s effort to give jobs to 2 million people by 2026.^[16]
• A state wide outreach programme Nava Kerala Sadas was organised by the government where the chief minister and Kerala Council of Ministers travelled through all assembly constituencies of the state.^[17]
• On 1 January 2024, K-Smart app was launched for digital access to services of local body institutions and government services in Kerala.^[18]

Reception

• The Pinarayi Vijayan government’s decision to hold a swearing-in ceremony though under strict social distancing norms were criticed by IMA .^[19] The Kerala chapter of the Indian Medical Association had earlier urged the government to organise the swearing-in ceremony virtually.
• Former health minister K. K. Shailaja, who tenured during the Covid-19 crisis, is not a part of the new state cabinet, which is set to have freshers from CPI(M) and CPI, with CM Pinarayi Vijayan being the exception.^[20] Shailaja garnered public attention after her involvement in containing the spread of COVID-19 in the initial phase of the pandemic in the state. She had previously worked on the containment of the Nipah virus in Kerala as well, in 2018 and 2019. Shailaja has received awards for her prompt action in tracking, isolation, and containment of the spread of the COVID-19. Many have taken to social media to express their displeasure over the exclusion of Shailaja from the cabinet. They opined that the role played by her in the victory of LDF was commendable.^{[21] [22]}

Demographics

Political Distribution

As of June 2024, out of the 21 ministers, 11 belongs to CPI(M), 4 to CPI, and 1 each for KC(M), NCP(SP), JD(S), NSC, KC(B) and C(S).

Geographical Distribution

Kollam District has the most number of ministers with 3. Kannur, Kozhikode, Palakkad, Thrissur, Alappuzha and Thiruvananthapuram has 2 ministers each. Wayanad, Malappuram, Ernakulam, Idukki, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta has 1 minister each.

Religious Distribution

16 - Hindu, 3 - Christian, 2 - Muslim

See also

• List of Kerala ministers
• Chief Ministers of Kerala
• History of Kerala
• List of current Indian chief ministers
• Pinarayi Vijayan
• First Pinarayi Vijayan Ministry

Notes and References

1. News: 2021-05-05. Watch Kerala Assembly Election results 2021: an overview. en-IN. The Hindu. 2021-05-08. 0971-751X.
2. Web site: Archived copy . 21 May 2021 . 21 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210521145347/https://kerala.gov.in/documents/10180/10f1c4c2-f98b-4600-9b2a-749f33bdb791 . dead .
3. News: Jeemon. Jacob. 17 May 2021. Assembly election results 2021: How Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan returned to power for a historic second term. 2021-05-17. India Today. en.
4. Web site: Election Results 2021 Live Updates: BJP to hold nationwide dharna on May 5. 2021-05-08. The Times of India. 4 May 2021 . en.
5. Web site: 2021-05-02. Kerala Election Results 2021: CM Vijayan Says 'Historic' Win Belongs to People, Metro Man E Sreedharan Loses in Palakkad. 2021-05-08. www.news18.com. en.
6. Web site: കെഎന്‍ ബാലഗോപാല്‍ ധനമന്ത്രി, പി രാജീവ് വ്യവസായം, വീണ ജോര്‍ജ്ജ് ആരോഗ്യം; വകുപ്പുകള്‍ ഇങ്ങനെ. 2021-05-19. Samakalika Malayalam. ml.
7. News: Financial Express . 21 May 2021 . Kerala Ministers List 2021: Check full list of cabinet ministers and their portfolios . en . 27 December 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231227073750/https://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/kerala-minister-list-2021-check-full-list-of-cabinet-ministers-and-their-portfolios/2254157/ . 27 December 2023.
8. News: The Hindu . 21 May 2021 . Kerala Cabinet CM Pinarayi Vijayan retains Home, Veena gets Health . en-IN . 27 December 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231227073846/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/kerala-cabinet-cm-pinarayi-vijayan-retains-home-veena-gets-health/article34611455.ece . 27 December 2023.
9. Web site: Siju. V. S.. Swearing-in ceremony needs only Governor, officials, oath register. 2021-05-20. Mathrubhumi. en.
10. Web site: Water metro clears last environmental hurdle . The News Minute . 30 Oct 2019 . 23 Dec 2019 . 23 December 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191223133225/https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/kerala-water-metro-be-first-country-gets-clearance-centre-111454 . live .
11. Web site: 25 April 2023 . Kochi Water Metro is Asia's first integrated water transport system: Chief Minister . 2023-04-25 . www.manoramaonline.com . 25 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230425101856/https://www.manoramaonline.com/district-news/thiruvananthapuram/2023/04/25/pinarayi-vijayan-about-kochi-water-metro-project.html . live .
12. News: 2022-07-26 . Explained Kerala's own Internet network and service: KFON . en-IN . The Hindu . 2023-06-03 . 0971-751X . 3 June 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230603113421/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/explained-keralas-own-internet-network-and-service-kfon/article65653920.ece . live .
13. News: kerala: Kerala becomes first state to have own internet service . 2023-06-03 . . 14 July 2022 . 3 June 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230603135705/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/kerala-becomes-first-state-to-have-own-internet-service/articleshow/92883039.cms . live .
14. Web site: ലേഖകൻ . മാധ്യമം . കെഫോൺ കണക്ഷൻ ആദ്യ ഘട്ടത്തിൽ 30,000 സര്‍ക്കാര്‍ സ്ഥാപനങ്ങളിലും 14,000 വീടുകളിലും . 2023-06-03 . Madhyamam . 3 June 2023 . en . 4 June 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230604054759/https://www.madhyamam.com/kerala/k-phone-connection-in-30000-government-institutions-and-14000-households-in-the-first-phase-1166909 . live .
15. Web site: Kerala Startup Mission among top 5 startup incubators in the world: CM Pinarayi Vijayan. 2023-01-26. mathrubhumi.com. 26 January 2023 . en. 13 June 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230613060738/https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news/kerala/kerala-startup-mission-among-top-5-startup-incubators-in-world-cm-pinarayi-vijayan-1.8255765. live.
16. News: Kerala's 'Pride' project to ensure job for transgender people . 2023-06-28 . 2024-07-01 . .
17. News: CM: Navakerala Sadas will help formulate Kerala's future. The Hindu. Bureau. The Hindu . 17 November 2023. www.thehindu.com. 15 December 2023. 26 November 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231126205557/https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/cm-navakerala-sadass-to-help-formulate-keralas-future/article67544309.ece. live.
18. Web site: kKerala CM launches K-SMART App for seamless digital access to local govt services. 2024-01-01 . www.deccanherald.com .
19. Web site: Kerala govt to have 21-member cabinet; swearing-in ceremony of Pinarayi Vijayan, others to be held on May 20. 2021-05-18. www.timesnownews.com. 17 May 2021 . en.
20. Web site: Pinarayi 2.0: KK Shailaja dropped as CPM picks new faces in cabinet, CM's son-in-law included. 2021-05-18. The New Indian Express.
21. Web site: KK Shailaja, Ex-Minister Lauded For Covid Handling, Not In Kerala Cabinet. 2021-05-18. NDTV.com.
22. Web site: Quint. The. 2021-05-18. KK Shailaja, Who Led Kerala's COVID Fight, Axed From Next Cabinet. 2021-05-18. TheQuint. en.