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Administration in Kerala

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Administration in Kerala

Kerala AdministrationThe modern day state of Kerala was formed post Independence, and was put under the President's rule. It was only in 1957 that general elections were held in the state and the Communist Party emerged as the leader, claiming 60 out of the total 126 seats in the state.

When India gained Independence from the British rule, the country still had a number or princely states located in the entire nation that had treaties signed with the British, but were independent from the British Raj. During the years following the Independence, the country was trying to bring together the various princely states, and form a single union, and Kerala was formed after combining Kochi, Travancore and Malabar.

The state has a legislative system and a political system that is similar to most of the other states in India. The tenure of the assembly is 5 years, and elections are held after the tenure ends to elect the next set of representatives.

Kerala has a lot of autonomy when it comes to internal affairs, just like all the other states in the country, and has the authority to levy taxes and maintain security forces as per need.

Legislation in Kerala

The Governor is the titular head of Kerala, assuming a role similar to the President of India. He is appointed by the President himself, and enjoys a term of 5 years. The central government recommends a list of people fit for this position, out of which the President appoints a person of his choice. The head of the executive wing of Kerala is called the Chief Minister, and is selected by the 141 elected officials of the state. He is generally the leader of the winning political party, and in the case of Kerala, this is usually the majority party out of the winning political alliance. The state enjoys a bicameral legislature, essentially meaning that the state has a lower house, as well as an upper house, the former being known as the Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly), and the latter called the Vidhan Parishad (Legislative Council).

Governor of KeralaGovernor of Kerala

Shri. Arif Mohammed Khan

Address:  Kerala Raj Bhavan
Kerala Governor's Camp – P.O.
Thiruvananthapuram-695 099
Kerala,  India
Pin Code (Zip code): 695 099
 
Tel:  0471-2721100
Fax:  0471-2720266
E-mail: keralagovernor@gmail.com
keralarajbhavan@gmail.com (for sending complaints and petitions to Hon'ble Governor)

Council of Ministers in Kerala

Kerala enjoys a total of 20 seats in the Lok Sabha, which form the Council of Ministers and they are awarded responsibilities and portfolios depending on their qualifications and merit.
The current Council of Ministers of Kerala is comprised of:

Chief Minister of KeralaShri. Pinarayi Vijayan
Chief Minister

 
General Administration
All India Services
Planning and Economic Affairs
Science, Technology and Environment
Scientific Institutes
Personnel and Administrative Reforms
Election
Integration
Sainik Welfare
Distress Relief
State Hospitality
Airports
Metro Rail
Inter State River Waters
Information and Public Relations
Non-Resident Keralites Affairs
Home
Vigilance
Administration of Civil and Criminal Justice
Fire and Rescue Services
Prisons
Printing and Stationery
Youth Affairs  and
subjects not mentioned elsewhere.

Shri. Prof. C. Ravindranath
General Education
Collegiate Education
Technical Education
Universities (Except Agricultural, Veterinary, Fisheries and Medical University)
Entrance Examinations
Literacy Movement
National Cadet Corps

Shri. A. K. Balan
Welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes  and Backward Classes
Law
Culture
Parliamentary Affairs
KSFDC

Shri. Kadakampally Surendran
Electricity
Devaswoms

Shri. T. P. Ramakrishnan

Labour
Employment and Training
Rehabilitation
Factories and Boilers
Insurance Medical Service
Industrial Tribunals
Excise
Labour Courts.

Smt. J. Mercykutty Amma
Fisheries
Harbour Engineering
Cashew Industry
Fisheries University

Shri. E. P. Jayarajan
Industries (including Industrial Co-operatives) Commerce
Mining and Geology
Khadi and Village Industries
Sports

Shri. G. Sudhakaran
Public Works
Registration
Post and Telegraphs
Railways

Smt. K. K. Shylaja
Health
Family Welfare
Medical Education
Indigenous Medicine
Medical University
Drugs Control
Pollution Control
Homoeopathy
Naturopathy
Social Justice

Shri. A. C. Moideen
Co-operation
Tourism

Shri. Dr. T. M. Thomas Isaac
Finance
National Savings
Stores Purchase
Commercial Taxex, Agricultural Income Tax
Treasuries
Lotteries
State Audit
Kerala Financial Corporation
KSFE
State Insurance
Stamps And Stamp Duties
Coir

Shri. K. T. Jaleel
Panchayats, Municipalities and Corporations
Rural Development
Town planning
Regional Development Authorities
Kerala Institute of Local Administration
Welfare of Minorities
Wakf and Haj Pilgrimage

Shri. E. Chandrasekharan

Land Revenue
Survey and Land Records
Land Reforms
Housing

Shri. V. S. Sunil Kumar
Agriculture
Soil Survey & soil Conservation
Agricultural university
Warehousing Corporation
Veterinary university

Shri. P. Thilothaman
Food and Civil Supplies
Consumer Affairs
Legal Metrology

Shri. Adv. K. Raju
Forests
Wildlife Protection
Animal husbandry
Dairy Development, Milk- Co-operatives
Zoos

Shri. Adv. Mathew T. Thomas
Irrigation
CADA
Ground Water Development
Water Supply and Sanitation
Inland Navigation (Construction of Waterways)
Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation

Sri. A. K. Saseendran
Road Transport
Motor Vehicles
Water Transport

Shri. Ramachandran Kadannappally
Ports
Museums
Archaeology

Police in KeralaKerala Police Administration

The state of Kerala has an official police force which is mandated with the task of upholding peace in the region and capturing anyone who breaks the law so that they can be presented in front of the court for justice. With its headquarter in Thiruvananthapuram, the original police force was set up in the times of the Maharajas, and the 20th century saw the establishment of an official police training academy as well. A bigger and much more advanced academy was built in Thrissur in the year 2004, and has helped the Kerala Police establish itself as one of the best police forces in India.

With a force of approximately 42000 professionals, the Kerala Police protect and serve a population of roughly 31.8 million, which spans 5 municipal corporations, 53 municipal towns, and close to 1450 villages. Controlled by the Home Department of Kerala, the state police is headed by Mr K. S Balasubramaniam, who is the State Police Chief at the moment.

Headquarters of Kerala Police

The headquarter for the state police in Kerala is Vellayambalam, Thiruvananthapuram. Known as the Police HQ Complex, the compound is made of several buildings, the most notable being the Vellayambalam Palace, which was once the office for the Royal Travancore Police, and presently serves as the office for the DGP. A new building called the PHQ has also been constructed and houses a number of wings of the Kerala Police, including the central command centre, and the Hi-tech Crime Enquiry wing.

Kerala Police has been divided into a number of wings in order to improve their efficiency and offer better protection to the residents. The wings are:

  • Hi-tech Crime Enquiry wing: The divisions help track and stop cyber crimes in the state, and comes into action when there is any technological expertise needed by the other wings.
  • Special Branch CID: They are tasked with the protection and security of high value individuals and VIPs of the state. The official bomb detection and disposal squad of the Kerala Police is a part of this wing.
  • Armed Police Battalions: They are the reserve police forces who are deployed when the normal police is otherwise engaged or requires additional information. A historic nomenclature, the name of the wing has no reference to any special weapons training etc.
  • Crime Branch CID: The department has been created to investigate high profile cases that require special resources and highly skilled officers.
  • State Crime Records Bureau: All crimes committed and reported in a state need to be documented for court needs and future references. The State Crime record Bureau does exactly this.
  • Forensic Science Laboratory: From finger-print matching of DNA sampling, and even ballistics analysis, Kerala Police use all the modern tools and technology to apprehend and arrest criminals. The Forensic Science Bureau heads the technological aspect of these operations.
  • Kerala Police Academy: A police force needs proper training in order to be effective, and they get this training here at the official Kerala state training academy
  • Police Training College: Advanced training is provided to police officers here, including an in depth understanding of the law, and also offers the various technical courses which they can later specialise in.
  • Assistance to NRIs and NRKs: A special wing of Kerala police is dedicated to helping tourists with their various problems that require the services of the police
  • Motor Transport Wing: The motor transport wing manages the fleet of normal as well as armoured vehicles for the police department and ensures that the officers have complete mobility when needed.
  • Highway Police and Highway Alert: To deter highway robbers and to help travellers while they are on the road, the highway police wing was created for Kerala in 2002.
  • Coastal Police: Kerala has an extensive shoreline, and thus requires an entire wing of cops that deal with legal issues in the coastal area. A total of 8 coastal police stations presently operates in the state of Kerala.
  • Mounted Police: Mostly limited to special ceremonies, the Mounted police wing of Kerala police constitutes of police officers who are highly skilled at horse riding. They are often used for night patrol duties.
  • Dog Squad: Trained police dogs are used in a number of scenarios, and hence the dog squad exist to train and look after these highly capable animals
  • Police Band: The police band performs on special ceremonies as well as official police events, and there is a total of 8 such Police bands in the state of Kerala.


Courts in Kerala

Kerala High CourtThe High Court of Kerala is located in Ernakulam, and is presided over by a Chief Justice, who is appointed by the President himself. The High Court presently has a total of 27 permanent judges who are presided over by Acting Chief Justice Mr. Ashok Bhushan, and the court also have two additional judges at the moment. 62 is the official retirement age for a High Court judge, and the judges at the Kerala High Court have authority over all 5 municipal corporations of the state.

Prisons in Kerala

Kerala has a total of 11 district jails, as well as three Central prisons. The state also has a number of sub jails and has them divided into four zones. The total inmate capacity of the prisons in Kerala is 6217, and due to space limitations, there are currently 6969 inmates residing in these prisons. The districts where these prisons are located are: Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Thrissur, Ernakulam, Idukki, Kottayam, Kannur, Kasaragod, Wayanad, Malappuram, Kozhikode and Palakkad.

Administrative Setup of Kerala

Kerala is divided into 14 districts. It is further divided into 5 municipal corporations, 60 municipalities, 75 taluks 1453 revenue villages and 978 grama panchayats that collectively look after the administrative system in the remote areas of Kerala. It can be said that the administrative set up is well planned for the development of Kerala as a whole.

Administrative Departments of Kerala

The state government in Kerala has various departments to fulfil all the necessary services for the proper running and development of the state. The departments are managed by the ministers of the state and the responsible appointed officers who work laboriously in their respective departments. The departments are:

Finance Department

The Department of Finance is a key department that manages the finances and the economy of the state. It manages the economic conditions of the state through financial institutions, taxation, financial legislation, capital markets, the State Budget and centre and state finances. The department is headed and managed by a senior minister as per the Indian Cabinet Protocol Laws.

Forest and Wildlife Department

The protection of the forest cover, and the preservation of the flora and fauna of Kerala is one of the top priorities for the government and as such the forest and wildlife department deals exclusively with issues concerning the preservation and expansion of the forested area and the various lifeforms they contain.

I&PRD Department

I&PRD is short for Information and Public Relations Department and manages the communication between the various state officials of Kerala and the media and general public. They issue circulars, create press releases, and coordinate with the various state officials and their aides to keep the public updated on what these officials are doing as a part of their respective jobs.

NORKA Department

Non Resident Keralite Affairs, or NORKA deals with the welfare and day to day needs of the various individuals who reside in Kerala but are not state recognized residents. The first-of-its-kind department in the country, NORKA is a recent addition to the administration, and was found in 1996.

PWD Department

The department of Public Works is responsible for a range of development and repair tasks for building and structures that fall into the public domain, including government buildings, roads, public structures, parks, and more.

Tourism Department

Kerala has a dedicated department in its administration of the tourism industry, the first Indian state to do so. Efforts by the department, coupled with the amazing natural resources of the state itself have catapulted Kerala to the top of the list when it comes to tourist choices in India.

Revenue Department

Responsible for keeping tabs on the various state-level expenses and incomes generated across the year, the Revenue Department is also responsible for overlooking the various lands owned by Kerala, and setting up the policy for land use across the state.

Civil Supplies Department

Kerala has a functional civil supplies department, which oversees the proper distribution of commodities to its various citizens. From managing the food supply to regulating markets, the department governs a number of things to allow the state to manage its food related resources and essential commodities in a better manner.

Industries Department

Kerala is rich in a number of natural resources, and also has virtually unlimited access to fresh as well as sea water. A number of industries have set up operations in the states, and the Industries department governs these industries and sets the protocols for them to follow in order to ensure ethical operations and environmentally friendly practices.

Agriculture Department

Responsible for the welfare of the farmers in Kerala, the Department of Agriculture maintains canals, ensures supply of seeds, fertilizers and other material necessary for a healthy crop, and sets up markets across the state so that the harvested crops can be sold easily and at a fair price.

Law Department

Tasked with the responsibility of implementing and executing the laws set by the executive wing, the department governs the police forces and the various organizations set up in Kerala for the purpose of keeping the law.

Water Resource Department

Kerala has an abundance of water resources, and to ensure that it stays this way, the state has a dedicated Department for Water Resources in its administration. Primary duties include ensuring access of potable water to the residents, and coordinating with other departments to ensure that rivers and backwaters are clean and free from pollution

Municipal Corporations in Kerala

The concept of municipalities was introduced to India by Lord Ripon all the way back in the 1880s. However, the modern day municipal corporations that we all know and recognize are a much more recent addition. The Municipal Corporation act for Kerala came into being in 1994, and under this law, the state of Kerala has been divided into 5 corporations which are:
  • Thiruvananthapuram
  • Kollam
  • Cochin
  • Thrissur
  • Kozhikode
A further sub-division of 60 municipalities exists in the state of Kerala.

Click Here to Read the Administration of Thiruvananthapuram | Kochi | Kottayam | Thrissur | Malappuram | Alappuzha | Kozhikode

Lets explore more about Kerala government and its administrative units.
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