God's Own Country - 'Keralam' may take Capitalist Growth Trajectory under CPI-M-led LDF ::::: Manifesto talks about boosting industries, creating jobs, attracting investments and new industrial corridors

A real case of Onno Mallu, 

Are you Mallu ?  The 'capitalist' pledge of the Marxists-led LDF 

On the development front, the LDF manifesto talks about boosting industries, creating jobs, and attracting investments worth Rs 2 lakh crore over five years. New industrial corridors and innovation hubs are also planned.

LDF Pledges Rs 3,000 Pension

It promises to eliminate absolute poverty and increase welfare pensions to Rs 3,000 monthly.

It promises a mix of welfare and development measures aimed at improving people's lives across the state. 

The document was released by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. 

The highlights of the manifesto include a commitment to eliminate absolute poverty in the state, a hike in welfare pensions to Rs 3,000 per month, and efforts to ensure proper healthcare and support systems at the local level.

The Left government had recently announced that extreme poverty had been eliminated in the state and increased the welfare pension from Rs 1600 to Rs 2000.

It plans to identify around five lakh of the poorest families and help them rise above poverty through targeted support.

Special focus will be given to vulnerable groups such as the Scheduled Castes, fisherfolk, and Antyodaya beneficiaries.

For the youth, the manifesto focuses on employment.

It promises campus placements for students completing their studies and the expansion of skill training programmes. A "Back to Campus" initiative will help job seekers gain practical skills linked to employment opportunities.

Women's employment is another major focus. The LDF aims to increase the participation of women in the workforce to 50 per cent. Support systems such as safe travel, childcare, and skill training will be strengthened to help women take up jobs.

Pinarayi alone: The 81-year-old carrying the Left's fate in Kerala

At 81, Pinarayi Vijayan turns Kerala’s election into a personal referendum—admired, criticised, and bearing the LDF’s fortunes almost entirely on his shoulders, says longtime Kerala watcher Rajesh Abraham.  

"On a sweltering afternoon drive from Kochi to Thrissur, the conversation turns, inevitably, to politics. Shaji, the taxi driver at the wheel, does not hesitate.

"He is arrogant, and that's not an attitude a Chief Minister should have," he says, eyes fixed on the highway. "I would expect the head of the government to behave like Oommen Chandy did. What we are seeing now is 'Pinarayism'."

Hours later, at a tea stall not far from the rally grounds, Krishnan, an autodriver and a committed Left supporter, offers a counterpoint just as sharp. "Can you name any former Chief Minister who has done this kind of development?" he asks. "You need determination and strong resolve for that."

(writes Rajesh in 'New Indian Express' ) 

Rajesh, a former PTI journo who covered finance and economy, is sharp in his candid observation:  

"As Kerala heads into the April 9 Assembly polls, the election has effectively become a referendum on one man. Not the party. Not ideology. Not even governance in abstraction," Rajesh notes.  

"He controlled Kerala for the last 25 years—first as party secretary and then as CM," says PA Mathew, an educationist from Punalur. "In a way, he is similar to Modi. A master politician who understands the pulse of his cadres." (New I.E.) 

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