Govt has no info on several projects played up during poll

T'puram: The state govt may be preparing to face the upcoming elections by highlighting its development record, but if replies recorded in the assembly are any indication, the administration appears to be still "collecting information" on many of those projects.A question raised by ruling MLA K V Sumesh, seeking details of the major projects implemented by the state govt from 2021 to 26, received a brief official response: "Information is being collected." The reply has drawn attention, as the govt is widely expected to go to the electorate projecting these very development projects as its key achievements. The response is part of a broader pattern visible in the assembly records of the last session, where several questions addressed to chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan remain unanswered weeks and even months after they were submitted.
Notably, some of the unanswered questions were raised by senior ruling front MLAs themselves, including CPM state secretary M V Govindan and LDF convener T P Ramakrishnan. A set of questions raised by Govindan, along with O S Ambika, Sujith Vijayanpillai and M Mukesh, sought details on the functioning of the Institute of Advanced Virology (IAV) at Thonnakkal Life Sciences Park. The MLAs asked whether the govt reviewed the institute's progress, whether investors from other states or abroad approached the facility for research collaborations and what steps were being taken to develop it into a major centre for virology research in the country. The institute was conceived to strengthen Kerala's capacity to diagnose infectious diseases such as Covid-19 and Nipah without depending on laboratories outside the state. However, assembly records show that the questions did not receive replies.Another unanswered question was raised by Ramakrishnan, regarding the CM's entrepreneurship development scheme. He asked how many people were able to start enterprises under the programme and the amount spent so far under the scheme. Assembly records show that this query too remains unanswered.Similarly, a question by ruling front MLA U R Pradeep, seeking details of the state's much-publicised start-up ecosystem, also did not receive a reply. Questions relating to the chief minister's distress relief fund (CMDRF) also remained unanswered. Job Michael, MLA, sought details on the number of applications received seeking financial assistance, including medical aid, from the CMDRF since the present govt assumed office, how many applicants were granted assistance, the total amount disbursed and a panchayat-wise breakdown of beneficiaries.Another ruling MLA, D K Murali, asked for the total amount distributed from the CMDRF since the previous govt's tenure and the number of beneficiaries. These queries too did not receive replies. Opposition MLAs faced a similar situation. IUML MLA P K Basheer asked the govt to provide department-wise details of temporary appointments made since the present govt assumed office. The response recorded that the information was not compiled.Since assembly answers have to be precise, information often has to be collated from multiple departments, which can lead to delays. However, prolonged delays sometimes make the answers irrelevant. Sources in the legislature secretariat said it was repeatedly insisted that delayed replies should be filed along with a delay statement during the same session, or at the latest on the first day of the next session. Successive speakers also issued rulings criticising the casual approach of govt departments in furnishing replies to written (unstarred) questions raised by MLAs.