Kerala News: DYFI Forms 620-km Human Chain Against Centre’s ‘Neglect’ of State

Newsclick brings important developments from Kerala last week including the massive human chain held by the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) against ‘neglect’ of the state by the Union government, the Raj Bhavan march held by the Pattikajathi Kshema Samithi (PKS) demanding enquiry on the death of a tribal youth employed on contract in the Governor’s Office, and investment of Rs 91,595 crore attracted by the state in the past five years, and Kerala being ranked among the best states for startups. 

LAKHS JOIN HUMAN CHAIN ORGANISED BY DYFI

Lakhs of men, women, youth and students joined the 620-km long human chain protest organised by the DYFI on January 20, against the neglect of Kerala by the Union government. The youth organisation called for the human chain against the policies of the Union government, including the ban on recruitment in government organisations, lack of adequate railway facilities for the state and the financial restrictions imposed on it.

Several present and former leaders of DYFI joined the human chain that extended from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod, covering more than 620 km. Former national DYFI president E P Jayarajan was the first person and A A Rahim MP, the all India president, was the last person in the human chain in Kasaragod district.

M V Govindan Master, state secretary of Communist Party of India (Marxist) inaugurated the public meeting in front of the Raj Bhavan and accused the Union government of betraying the interests of the people of Kerala by disrupting the federal principles. 

Former national president M A Baby, national general secretary Himansragh Bhattacharya, state leaders including V Vaseef, V K Sanoj, peoples representatives, writers and artists joined the programme to mark their protest.

Earlier, the DYFI carried out door-to-door campaigns, street corner meetings and public meetings to appraise the people about the demands of the human chain. Various workers, kisan and agricultural workers unions also extended support to the human chain. 

PKS DEMANDS PROBE INTO RAJ BHAVAN STAFF DEATH

PKS, an organisation of Dalits, took out a march and held a demonstration in front of the Raj Bhavan seeking a detailed enquiry on the death of Vijesh Kani, a contract worker in the Governor’s residence. PKS state secretary and former MP, K Somaprasad, also condemned the constitutional office for deploying members of the tribal and dalit community for carrying out menial jobs. 

He accused the Raj Bhavan of recruiting workers on contract and not following the reservation system while appointing workers. The PKS urged the governor and the government of Kerala to initiate a full-fledged probe into the death of Bijesh, based on the complaint filed by his parents. 

Hailing from a small tribal hamlet in Vithura in Thiruvananthapuram, Vijesh was employed in the Raj Bhavan on contract basis for the past 12 years. His parents have alleged mental and physical torture from other employees for his death and pleaded for justice. 

STATE ATTRACTS RS 90,000 CRORE INVESTMENT IN 5 YEARS

The ‘Kerala Investment, Growth & Development 2018-19 to 2022-23’ study has revealed that the government of Kerala attracted Rs 91,575 crore investment in the five-year period. Of the total investments, projects worth Rs 33,815 crore has been completed, resulting in the generation of around five lakh new jobs. 

The study was jointly carried out by the MSME Export Promotion Council, jointly with Confederation of Organic Food Producers and and Marketing Agencies. The completion of projects under implementation once completed are estimated to generate around seven lakh job opportunities. 

The number of IT professionals in Kerala has also increased from 76,000 in 2016 to 2,50,000 in 2023, increasing by around 31%, according to the study.

The efforts of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in promoting Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) has contributed to the industrial growth during the period of study. 

KERALA MAKES A MARK IN STARTUP RANKING

The state once again has been selected as one of the top five best performing states in the startup sector in the ranking published by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).  Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh are the other four states in the top five list of states under category A, with over one crore population. 

The evaluation was based on seven different reform areas, including Institutional Support, Fostering Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Access to Market, Incubation and Mentorship support, Funding Support, Capacity building of enablers and Roadmap to sustainable future, with Kerala finding a special mention for ‘Innovation Grant Scheme’ by the Kerala StartUp Mission (KSUM).

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan attributed the achievement to the “unwavering commitment in fostering a robust startup ecosystem, exemplified by a series of initiatives under StartUp Mission. This propels our prospects of becoming a knowledge economy”.