Ahead of polls, Vijayan pitches Left Govt''s action on J B Koshy Commission Report

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 8 (PTI) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday highlighted the steps taken by the CPI(M)-led LDF government to implement the Justice J B Koshy Commission report, in an apparent bid to woo Christian voters ahead of the Assembly elections.

The commission was appointed to study the educational and economic backwardness and welfare of Christian minorities in Kerala He also announced that a meeting of concerned stakeholders will be held on February 6 to further discuss the implementation of the report's recommendations.

The chief minister's remarks come at a time when the Congress-led UDF has stepped up its engagement with Church leaders as part of its outreach to Christian communities ahead of the Assembly polls.

Speaking at a press conference here, Vijayan said the government has taken all possible steps so far and assured that further action would be expedited through meetings of secretaries led by the Chief Secretary.

"There is no need for any concern regarding this issue," he said.

The Chief Minister said the state government had examined all 284 recommendations and 45 sub-recommendations submitted by the Commission.

He said 17 departments have fully implemented the recommendations, while action has been completed on 220 recommendations and sub-recommendations.

According to him, seven recommendations are currently being processed by the concerned departments for submission to the Cabinet.

Recommendations that could be implemented under existing laws were taken up without delay.

However, some proposals require changes in central or state laws, court directions, or approvals from other departments, which have affected the pace of implementation.

To address such issues, directions have been issued to take prompt decisions through inter-departmental consultations, Vijayan said.

Vijayan dismissed reports suggesting that the government had failed to act on the Commission’s recommendations as misleading. The Justice Koshy Commission was appointed on November 5, 2020.

To speed up the implementation of its recommendations, a meeting chaired by the Chief Minister was held on February 17, 2025.

Meetings were also convened under the chairmanship of the minister for minority welfare, while the chief secretary held discussions five times with department heads. Several review meetings were also held at the secretary level in the minority welfare department, Vijayan told the press conference.

He also said that a meeting of stakeholders will be held on February 6 at the chief minister's conference hall in the Secretariat, to deliberate further and take decisions on the remaining recommendations. PTI TGB TGB ADB