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Thiruvananthapuram · South
New government (INC (UDF)) — sworn in May 2026. Figures and findings below may span the previous administration.
Chief Minister
INC (UDF) · in office since May 2026
Declared figures from the ECI election affidavit (2021), via MyNeta/ADR — as declared, not verified. Bars are the original publisher's 0–100 mappings (education mapping; legal: 100 − serious×18 − other×10) — theirs, not ours.
These 0–100 ratings are the original publisher's own, quoted here with their methodology. Audit India computes no score — the same way we carry UNDP's HDI as UNDP's number.
Transparency
50/ 100
the original publisher
Kerala's civil society is India's most active — high RTI utilisation, active press, and vigilant judiciary create accountability mechanisms unavailable in most states. However, the KIIFB and Kerala's recurrent gold smuggling/corruption cases (Life Mission housing scheme corruption; the SNC-Lavalin case against CM Vijayan, later dropped) represent significant governance opacity. Kerala's FRBM compliance is among south India's weaker performers.
Officials' Legal Integrity
100/ 100
the original publisher
8 unique officials counted (Governor excluded; Speaker not yet confirmed for new UDF assembly). CM V.D. Satheesan: 0 → 100; Ramesh Chennithala: 0 → 100; Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan: 0 → 100; P.T. Thomas: 0 → 100; Hibi Eden: 0 → 100; M.K. Muneer: 0 → 100; and 2 additional UDF ministers (0 cases declared in 2026 affidavits). Average: (8×100) ÷ 8 = 100. UDF's incoming cabinet has no declared criminal cases — consistent with Kerala's tradition of fielding clean-affidavit candidates across both LDF and UDF.
Governance
68/ 100
the original publisher
Composite: indicators avg (70/100) × 50% + Transparency (50/100) × 25% + Integrity (100/100) × 25% = 35 + 12.5 + 25 = 72.5; adjusted down to 68 to reflect: (1) KIIFB off-balance-sheet debt of ₹42,000 crore — the most significant fiscal governance risk in south India — carries over as a structural liability into the UDF government; (2) Kerala's 35-year "Gulf dependency" demographic trap — 20 lakh Keralites in the Gulf, whose return in large numbers (as during COVID-19) would stress the state's employment infrastructure immediately; (3) Wayanad Adivasi exclusion from MGNREGS despite being Kerala's most food-insecure community.
The 0–100 rings are the original publisher's category scores, in their colour bands — theirs, not ours.
These statistics were carried over from the original publisher, which produced them with a language model rather than compiling them from the publications named beside them. We removed 38 whose figures were absent from the source they credit, and confirmed 45 against theirs. The rest name a publication we have not been able to check them against — read them as the original publisher's figures, not as verified fact.
Figures below are as declared by each individual in their own ECI or Rajya Sabha affidavit. We report them; we do not score them. The small bars under education are the original publisher's 0–100 mapping of the declared qualification — their construct, not a measurement of ours.
| Name | Office | Party · since | Declared cases | Declared qualification | Affidavit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VDV. D. Satheesan | Chief Minister | 7 | Graduate Professional | 2021 | |
| RVRajendra Vishwanath Arlekar | Governor | — | — | — | — |
| ASA.N. Shamseer | Speaker, Kerala Legislative Assembly |  | 6 | Post Graduate | 2021 |
| RCRamesh Chennithala | Deputy Chief Minister & Minister for Home, Vigilance, Prisons |  | 7 | Graduate | 2021 |
| TRThiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan | Minister for Revenue & Land Reforms | | 1 | Graduate Professional | 2021 |
| PTP. T. Thomas | Minister for Agriculture & Animal Husbandry | 9 | Post Graduate | 2021 | |
| HEHibi Eden | Minister for Industries & Commerce | | 10 | Graduate | 2024 |
| MKM. K. Muneer | Minister for Education |  | 11 | Graduate Professional | 2021 |
Findings from CAG audit reports on schemes as they ran in this state, quoted with their report references. We add no grade of our own.
MGNREGA — Rural Employment Guarantee, Kerala
Kerala's MGNREGA stopped being demand-driven. The state handed Gram Panchayats additional targets for individual assets — cattle sheds, poultry sheds — over and above what beneficiaries had asked for in the Grama Sabha, which the audit describes as infringing on the Grama Sabha's right. The result was that 88.73 per cent of the individual projects in the panchayats' own annual plans were never implemented, because beneficiaries for them were never identified.
What the audit measured
Demand for work fell 13.77 per cent between 2020-21 and 2023-24 and person-days generated fell six per cent. Between 16 and 22 per cent of works that had already received administrative and technical sanction never started. No convergence plan existed to combine MGNREGS with the agriculture and animal husbandry works the same panchayats were running. Over five years the scheme reached 77.21 lakh households at a cost of ₹18,806.62 crore, and women accounted for 90 per cent of person-days — the highest share in the country.
Kerala gave out tap connections and then watched 2,13,991 of them get disconnected within a month of installation — which the audit reads as beneficiaries not wanting them. Only 51 per cent of the 5,318 works were completed in five years and 17 per cent never started. In the three Scheduled Tribe dominated panchayats selected for audit — Agali, Pudur and Sholayur — not a single household tap connection was provided.
What the audit measured
The mission was meant to be community-driven, but the Kerala Water Authority ran it through its own divisions, working from project reports prepared without any realistic assessment of need on the ground. Only four of the panchayats test-checked had collected any community contribution at all — ₹131.40 lakh. Delays came largely from road-cutting permissions: more than half of 7,458 applications were still awaiting a decision, with sanctions taking between 60 and 390 days. The state never framed an operation and maintenance policy, and the notification that would formally hand drinking water to the panchayats under the 73rd Amendment was never issued.
The promises and their delivery status come from the original publisher and are their assessment, not ours. They cite a party's homepage rather than a manifesto, so what was promised cannot be checked from the citation given. Audit India has verified neither the wording nor the status.
Enhance social welfare pensions to ₹1,600/month and universal coverage
Kerala social security pension enhanced from ₹1,100 to ₹1,600/month (2021). 55 lakh beneficiaries — largest per-capita welfare pension programme among large Indian states. Direct bank transfer; zero middleman. GoK expenditure ~₹13,000 crore/year. Kerala pension recipients form ~16% of population — a reflection of high elderly share and extensive social protection.
K-Rail SilverLine semi-high-speed rail: Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod in 4 hours
SilverLine project (₹63,941 crore, 529 km) was Kerala's marquee infrastructure promise. Faced massive opposition from land acquisition protests (40,000+ families affected), environmental concerns (Western Ghats crossing) and technical objections from RITES. GoI denied mandatory approvals in 2022. Project effectively shelved; survey stones installed then removed after protests.
Kochi Water Metro and expand urban mobility infrastructure
Kochi Water Metro launched April 2023 — India's first large-scale water metro. 16 hybrid boats operating across 38 km of backwater routes connecting 10 islands to the mainland. 25 terminals; ₹747 crore project. Integrated with Kochi Metro ticketing. Widely considered a successful urban transit innovation.
K-SWIFT: attract ₹50,000 crore investment through single-window clearance
Kerala SWIFT (Single Window Interface for Fast and Transparent Clearance) operational; 90%+ approvals via digital portal. Invest Kerala 2023 summit: ₹2.11 lakh crore investment pledges (4,700+ MoUs). Actual FDI/investment realisation is lower, but digital clearance mechanisms are genuinely improved vs the permit-raj of earlier years.
Drinking water to every household; quality testing at every Gram Panchayat
Kerala achieved 100% Jal Jeevan Mission household tap-connection coverage — among the first states to do so. Particularly Kasaragod (legacy endosulfan contamination in groundwater), Palakkad (nitrate from agri-runoff), and Alappuzha (paddy-field bacteria intrusion) showed elevated contamination. Physical connections exist but water quality is not consistently potable.
MGNREGS 150-day employment guarantee in drought-affected areas and Wayanad
LDF promised to leverage MGNREGS for extended employment in tribal and drought-affected regions. 150-day demand met for only 8.4% of requesting households. Wayanad — Kerala's most tribal and agricultural-drought-prone district — received the least: 61 average person-days vs state average of 68. Wage payment timeliness: 34% of Wayanad payments delayed beyond 15 days. On the positive side, Kerala's MGNREGS wage rate (₹357/day) is among India's highest.
Eco-sensitive zone management in Western Ghats: protect tribal farmers while enforcing ESZ rules
The July 2024 Wayanad landslide (Mundakkai-Chooralmala, Meppadi panchayat) — India's deadliest since 2013 — killed 231+ people and displaced 10,000+. The disaster occurred in an area where the Gadgil Committee (2011) had recommended strict ESZ-1 restrictions. LDF had consistently opposed Gadgil report implementation under pressure from farmers and plantation owners. The 2024 tragedy directly followed years of plantation cover replacing natural forest in steep slopes — a land use change the ESZ framework was designed to prevent. GoK's post-disaster Wayanad rehabilitation package: ₹1,200 crore for resettlement of 2,000 families to a new township.
Transform PHCs into family health centres under Ardram Mission; tackle non-communicable diseases
Ardram Mission ('compassion' — announced 2017, formally launched 2019) is Kerala's flagship primary healthcare reform: upgrading all 1,172 Primary Health Centres into 'family health centres' with 24×7 delivery, family physician assignment, laboratory and pharmacy — turning the PHC from a passive dispensary into an active community health node. By 2025: 852 of 1,172 PHCs upgraded to FHC standard (72.7%). 12.4 lakh families registered with a family physician. Kerala's non-communicable disease burden is among India's highest — 68% of deaths are NCD- related (national average: 62%), driven by dietary patterns (high coconut oil consumption, low vegetable intake among working-class communities), physical inactivity in hot/humid coastal areas, and the highest diabetes prevalence in India (20.2% of adults — double the national average of 10.5%). NCD Clinic at FHC level: 8.2 lakh hypertensives and 6.1 lakh diabetics registered and managed in the primary care system. urban health centres (Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram) show 35% shortage of FHC-grade medical officers.
Transform Kerala into a knowledge economy hub; expand IIT Palakkad, IISER, and ITIs; increase GER to 40%
Kerala has India's highest Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education among large states: 38.8% (2024-25), against a national average of 28.4%. LDF 2021 promised to push GER to 40% by 2026 — on track. The knowledge economy agenda: (1) IIT Palakkad campus: permanent campus on 550 acres at Kanjikode inaugurated 2024; 3,000+ students, 180 faculty — a central government institution LDF takes credit for enabling; (2) IISER Thiruvananthapuram: one of India's top research institutions in physics and biology — 1,200 students, 88 faculty; (3) Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology (KUDIIT — "Digital University of Kerala"): 12,000 students pursuing industry-aligned tech programmes; (4) ITI-to-polytechnic upgrade: 22 ITIs in Kerala upgraded to "advanced polytechnic" status with CNC, robotics and AI labs. Kerala's private engineering college sector has contracted — 29 colleges shut due to low enrolment (2021-25) as Kerala students increasingly prefer Gulf migration over local BE/BTech. NORKA-Kerala's NRI welfare arm — is critical for managing the skills pipeline to Gulf and European markets.
Support 22 lakh Keralites in the Gulf through NORKA-ROOTS; skill training for returning NRKs
Kerala's diaspora in the Gulf (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman) — approximately 22 lakh in 2021 — is both the state's largest economic asset and its most significant structural vulnerability. Gulf remittances account for ~₹1.25 lakh crore/year (37% of Kerala's GSDP — highest state-level remittance dependence in India). NORKA (Non-Resident Keralites' Affairs) department provides: death/accident insurance (Pravasi Suraksha Scheme: ₹5 lakh life cover to all enrolled NRKs), legal aid for distressed workers, and skill re-certification for returnees. COVID-19 (2020-21) caused 5.6 lakh NRKs to return — many permanently — creating significant employment pressure in Kerala. NORKA managed 8,700 distressed-migrant repatriation cases (2021-25). Criticism: NORKA's budget (₹320 crore, 2024-25) is small relative to the diaspora's economic contribution. The Saudi Kafala system continues to trap Kerala domestic workers (estimated 3 lakh women in domestic work without labour protections); the LDF government's bilateral advocacy with Saudi Arabia yielded a 2023 MoU on labour standards — yet implementation remains weak.
Universal social security pensions for all elderly, disabled and widows
LDF expanded welfare pensions from 42 lakh (2016) to 50 lakh beneficiaries by 2021; enhanced ₹600 → ₹1,100/month. Kudumbashree network used for last-mile delivery verification. Kerala achieved near-universal pension coverage — only state where eligible elderly report pension as a reliable income source.
Agricultural revival: support for coconut, rubber and spice farmers facing price crashes
LDF launched Kerala Coconut Development Programme and Rubber Production Incentive (₹150/kg bonus above market price when below ₹150/kg). 2018 and 2019 floods devastated agricultural land — GoK deployed ₹2,500 crore in agricultural recovery. However rubber prices remained structurally depressed (₹100-130/kg vs ₹200 needed). Pepper and cardamom farmers benefited from global price recovery.
Expand urban water supply, sewerage and parks under AMRUT in Kerala's 5 major cities
Kerala AMRUT implementation (2016-21) for Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kozhikode, Thrissur and Kollam: ₹1,680 crore sanctioned. 96,000 new household water connections added; 38 km new sewerage network in Thiruvananthapuram. Kochi's water supply system was overhauled — the Aluva- based water treatment plant upgraded from 200 MLD to 265 MLD. 18 public parks/green spaces completed across 5 cities.
Build Kerala's disaster management capacity to handle once-in-a-century floods
The 2018 Kerala floods (100-year event, 5.4 million displaced, 483 deaths, ₹31,000 crore damage) hit within the LDF 2016 term. GoK mobilised the largest civilian rescue operation in India's post-independence history — the fishermen of Pattanamthitta, Alappuzha and Ernakulam districts (the "fishermen volunteers") rescued 65,000+ flood victims using their own boats, garnering national recognition. ₹4,000 crore raised via CMDRF with large diaspora contribution. Rebuilt 50,000+ houses and roads by 2020. KSDMA strengthened post-2018: flood-forecasting system with satellite inputs from ISRO established.
Use KIIFB (Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board) to build world-class infrastructure without burdening the state budget
KIIFB — established by the LDF government in 2016 — is Kerala's off-budget infrastructure financing vehicle: it borrows from domestic and international capital markets (Masala bonds — rupee-denominated bonds listed on London Stock Exchange — and NHB/HUDCO loans) and funds Kerala's road, hospital, school and university infrastructure, repaid from Kerala's tax receipts over 15-20 years. By 2021 KIIFB had sanctioned ₹56,000 crore across 958 projects — the largest off-budget infrastructure commitment by any Indian state in proportion to GSDP. Key KIIFB achievements (2016-21): 1,500 km of roads widened and resurfaced (Life Mission road grid); 47 hospitals constructed or upgraded; 4,341 school classrooms built under the 'School Management Committee' programme; Thiruvananthapuram Smart City infrastructure (₹1,800 crore). 18% of disbursed funds 'unverified in deployment'; KIIFB's total contingent liability (₹56,000 crore) constitutes 28% of Kerala's GSDP and is not reflected in the state's fiscal deficit calculation — a significant off-balance-sheet liability. The controversy became central to Kerala's dispute with the Finance Commission and GoI over fiscal space.
Expand Technopark Thiruvananthapuram and Infopark Kochi into world-class IT hubs; create 1 lakh IT jobs
Kerala's IT/ITES sector is driven by two anchor campuses: Technopark Thiruvananthapuram (the largest IT park in India outside Bengaluru by built-up area — 330+ companies, 62,000+ employees; Phase-III added 5 lakh sq ft in 2018-20) and Infopark Kochi (244 companies, 56,000 employees; Phase-II at Cherthala added 80 lakh sq ft). The LDF 2016 government oversaw significant IT growth: IT exports from Kerala crossed ₹38,000 crore (2020-21) — up from ₹12,000 crore in 2016. Technopark 2016-21 net job addition: ~22,000. Global companies with major Kerala footprints include UST Global, IBS Software, SAP, Oracle, Infosys (campus at Technopark) and Tata Consultancy Services. The Startup Village Kochi (Kalamassery) — Asia's first hardware startup incubator, founded 2012 — expanded its cohort to 1,000+ active startups (2021). Kerala's IT competitiveness is underpinned by the state's literacy rate (96.2% — India's highest) and the large NORKA-returned engineer diaspora from the Gulf seeking domestic opportunities.
Revamp all government hospitals: patient-friendly PHCs, clean facilities, adequate medicines
The LDF 2016 government's healthcare legacy is Ardram Mission Phase 1 (launched 2017): a complete physical and operational overhaul of Kerala's government healthcare network. Before Ardram: Kerala's government hospitals were notorious for poor infrastructure despite the state's social development record — leaking roofs, broken equipment, irregular medicine supply, and poor sanitation. Phase 1 (2017-21) targets: 1,172 PHCs, 400 Community Health Centres (CHCs), 87 district/sub-district hospitals. Physical improvements: ₹980 crore spent on infrastructure repair, waiting-area improvements, patient toilet upgrades, and equipment. The State Drug and Medical Equipment Procurement Agency (KMSCL) reorganised to ensure unbroken supply chains for 348 essential medicines — stock-out rate fell from 31% (2016) to 6% (2021). Patient satisfaction surveys (GoK self-assessment, 2020): 78% rated government hospitals 'good' or 'very good' — up from 44% in 2016. but doctor vacancy at PHCs remained at 23%.
Open 100 new aided higher secondary schools; expand government arts and science colleges
Kerala's education system — internationally benchmarked via the "Kerala model" — is driven by its aided school network: 12,271 government-aided schools educating 40 lakh students. LDF 2016 promised to expand the higher secondary network: 83 new higher secondary sections were sanctioned (of the 100 promised) and 65 became operational by 2021. Government college seats expanded: 18 government arts and science colleges added 11,200 new seats in Commerce, Computer Science and Social Science streams. The controversial Higher Education Regulatory Commission (HERC) — meant to curb private college fee exploitation — was established but struck down by the Kerala High Court in 2019 (restored partially by SC in 2021). Kerala's literacy-to-enrolment conversion is best-in-class: dropout rate at primary level is 0.6% (India: 4.6%). However tertiary completion — students obtaining degrees — shows a gender gap: male tertiary completion is 38% vs female 51% (Kerala women significantly outperform men in completing college).
Strengthen cooperative banking; create Kerala Bank to consolidate district cooperative banks
The Kerala Bank — formally the Kerala State Co-operative Bank (KSCB) amalgamated with 13 of 14 District Co-operative Banks (DCBs) — was established in November 2019 as India's most ambitious cooperative banking consolidation. It serves 1.7 crore members (the largest member-owned financial institution in India by membership), holds ₹52,000 crore in deposits and has 762 branches. The consolidation was politically significant: DCBs are the financial backbone of the Kerala cooperative movement, which is CPM's organisational base. Kerala Bank integration allowed standardised digital banking (UPI, NEFT, IMPS), improved capital adequacy (previously several DCBs were below RBI's 9% CAR requirement) and enabled larger industrial loans. NABARD rated Kerala Bank "A" class. Criticism: the merger excluded the Thrissur District Co-operative Bank (the most profitable, with dominant market share) — which resisted absorption, creating a two-tier cooperative banking structure that undermines the network's full potential.
Provide skill re-certification, seed capital and jobs to returning Non-Resident Keralites (NRKs)
The LDF 2016 manifesto promised a comprehensive policy for returning Gulf workers — a prescient commitment, as the subsequent Gulf economic slowdown (2016-18 oil price collapse) and COVID-19 (2020-21) caused 4+ lakh NRKs to return, many permanently. NORKA-ROOTS programmes: (1) NDFC (Non-Resident Keralites' Development and Welfare Fund) — insurance and death benefit for enrolled NRKs; (2) NORKA ROOTS Pravasi Rehabilitation Programme: ₹2 lakh seed capital to returning NRKs for self-employment; 12,000 returnees received grants (2016-21); (3) Skills re- certification through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL): 28,000 returnees with informal Gulf skills received formal NSQF certification (plumbing, electrical, welding, care-giving).
No CAG reports for this state in our library yet.