Local self-governments must rise above party politics: Kerala Minister M.B. Rajesh

Local self-government institutions must function beyond party politics and emerge as vibrant, responsible local governments, Minister for Local Self-Governments M.B. Rajesh said on Thursday.

Inaugurating a State-level workshop for panchayat presidents organised by the Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA), the Minister said the elected representatives should work together above vested interests, earning public trust through a broad vision and strong leadership. “They must have the ability to take everyone along and inspire cooperation,” he said.

Highlighting Kerala’s unique decentralisation model, Mr. Rajesh said local bodies in the State function as true local governments, a transformation rooted in people’s movements since the renaissance period and strengthened through participatory planning. “Kerala is the only State that has transferred not just power but also the highest level of financial support to local governments,” he noted.

On financial backing

Despite a severe financial crisis affecting the States due to the shortage of Central funds, the Minister said Kerala had transferred over 38% of its total revenue to local governments over the past five years. “Policy intent alone is not enough. Local governments need adequate financial backing to shoulder their responsibilities,” he said.

Mr. Rajesh credited the strong support of the State government and the non-partisan functioning of the local bodies for several recent achievements, including Kerala’s globally recognised success in eradicating extreme poverty. “This was the result of coordinated action between the State government and all local self-government institutions,” he said.

He also pointed out that Kerala’s achievement of complete digital literacy was driven by the proactive involvement of local bodies, with KILA playing a key role in grassroots implementation. The Minister said it was a matter of pride that Kerala’s tableau was selected for this year’s Republic Day parade after a gap of 10 years, with the theme centred on complete digital literacy.

Beyond service delivery and infrastructure development, Mr. Rajesh said local governments must become engines of local economic growth. He said recent amendments to licensing and building rules were aimed at encouraging entrepreneurship, generating employment, and increasing local incomes.

Announcing upcoming initiatives, the Minister said the second phase of the extreme poverty eradication programme would be launched in January to prevent beneficiaries from slipping back into deprivation. Digi Kerala 2.0 will also be rolled out, along with a Digi Locker system to store and manage official documents digitally, reducing the need for repeated submissions.

LIFE Mission

He added that the government aims to complete the milestone of five lakh houses under the LIFE Mission by February.

At the event, the Minister also inaugurated KILA’s revamped online portal — the Training, Planning and Management System — designed to enhance capacity-building for local body representatives and officials.