‘Shall we have a debate?’ LDF report card gives Kerala govt full A+ grade for 10-year tenure

Thiruvananthapuram: The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala has rolled out a high-decibel campaign ahead of the Assembly elections, presenting a detailed “report card” of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s ten-year tenure. Captioned "Shall we have a debate on this now?", the campaign assigns an “A+” grade to the government’s performance across two consecutive terms. The promotional material features the Chief Minister and describes the decade as the “backbone of New Kerala” (Nava Keralam).

Infrastructure push and economic claims

The LDF foregrounds a ₹1.10 lakh crore investment in infrastructure, stating that connectivity across the state has been transformed. It cites the renovation of 8,200 km of roads and the construction of more than 200 bridges.

Several long-pending projects are listed as completed, including National Highway development, the GAIL pipeline, Vizhinjam Port and the Edamon-Kochi power highway. On the economic front, the campaign points to the launch of 4 lakh new business ventures, with 8 lakh jobs created, alongside the emergence of over 8,000 startups. IT exports, it says, reached a historic ₹1 lakh crore.

Employment features prominently. The government reports 3.12 lakh Public Service Commission appointments, claiming that 60% of such appointments in India during this period occurred in Kerala. It also states that KSRTC has moved into operational profit, while the state remained free of load shedding for the first time in a decade.

Welfare delivery and human development

Social security forms a core plank of the report card. According to the campaign, 62 lakh people receive a monthly pension of ₹2,000 without interruption, while 30 lakh women are provided a ₹1,000 monthly security pension.

Housing and land reforms are highlighted through the Life Mission project, which completed over 5 lakh houses. A total of 4,56,689 people were granted land title deeds (pattayam). The government also points to uninterrupted ration distribution as part of efforts to eliminate extreme poverty.

In public services, Primary Health Centres (PHCs) are said to provide free treatment, with 42 lakh families covered under a ₹5 lakh insurance scheme. Education has been made free up to graduation level, alongside the rollout of hi-tech school infrastructure. Support was extended to 1,104 students from SC/ST and backward communities for overseas studies. Wage increases were implemented for Anganwadi and ASHA workers, pre-primary teachers and literacy workers, while the Medisep insurance scheme was introduced for government employees.

Crisis response and governance record

The LDF underscores its handling of multiple crises, stating the government stood with people during the Ockhi cyclone, Nipah outbreak, floods, the COVID-19 pandemic and landslides. Rehabilitation measures include the ₹2,450 crore Punargeham project for fishermen and a new township in Wayanad for landslide victims.

The campaign also highlights what it describes as a decade of social stability, noting the absence of communal riots during the period.

On governance, it reports a shift towards digital administration, with 82 lakh applications processed online through the K-Smart platform. The government states that citizens can directly communicate with the Chief Minister for grievance redressal. For the diaspora, initiatives such as the Loka Kerala Sabha, NORKA Care and the Pravasi Welfare Fund were strengthened.

The report card adds that the state treasury did not close even once in ten years despite central neglect. It also points to an expansion in centres of excellence, stating that more than 20 were added in the past decade, compared with 10 in the state’s first 60 years.