Thiruvananthapuram: In response to questions raised by opposition members in the Kerala Assembly, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan clarified his stance on the ongoing controversy surrounding the alleged use of a PR agency.

The opposition had accused the government of hiring a PR agency to enhance the Chief Minister's public image.

Also Read

placeholder

'It was not me but…' reveals Baiju’s daughter Aishwarya after accident

The Chief Minister denied the allegations, stating, "No PR agency has been hired to improve the image of the Chief Minister. Kerala, being a state where secularism and peace flourish, has always been a target of communal forces. Our state has faced these attacks by upholding our renaissance heritage and raising the flag of secularism. The Left Democratic Front (LDF) government, and its leadership, have never required the assistance of any PR agency to face such challenges or uphold the state's reputation."

He emphasized that the government's development and welfare efforts have been well received by the public, who have actively endorsed and supported the administration's initiatives.

"The widespread recognition and support the government enjoys is a testament to its efficiency and commitment to public welfare. This recognition has come organically from the people themselves, not through the efforts of any external agency," the CM said.

Addressing specific concerns about a reported interview with The Hindu Newspaper, the Chief Minister clarified that the state's Information and Public Relations Department (I&PRD) effectively handles communication and public outreach, and no PR agency was ever tasked with this responsibility. He also reiterated that there was no mention of Malappuram in his remarks, and The Hindu had already clarified this matter.

On being asked if a PR agency representative was present during the interview, the Chief Minister's reply was: "Since no PR agency was commissioned for the interview, the question itself is irrelevant."

 'Joint intervention of Centre, RBI needed to curb cyber financial frauds'

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday stressed on the need for a comprehensive cybersecurity framework for the financial ecosystem to address the increasing incidents of online financial fraud.

He pointed out that the state has already sought joint intervention from the Centre and the Reserve Bank of India in this regard.

With the growth of technology, cybercrime is also on the rise by the day, and the cyber police division of the state police is working effectively to check such frauds, the CM said.

He was replying to a submission by Anvar Sadath (Congress) in the state assembly.

"The state police have been creating widespread awareness through social media pages to guard against cyber financial frauds," the CM said.

In Kerala, cyber police stations are there in all districts, and a toll-free number and exclusive website have been launched for people to lodge complaints against cyber crimes, he said.

"Over 30,000 bank accounts involved in such frauds have already been blocked, and legal actions have been initiated," the CM said, adding that stringent measures, including the disabling of mobile phones and the arrest of the accused, are being taken by the state government to check cyber frauds. (Agencies)