Kochi,also known by its former name Cochin,is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of Kerala. The city is also commonly referred to as Ernakulam. As of 2011,the Kochi Municipal Corporation had a population of 677,381 over an area of 94.88 km2,and the larger Kochi urban agglomeration had over 2.1 million inhabitants within an area of 440 km2,making it the largest and the most populous metropolitan area in Kerala. Kochi city is also part of the Greater Cochin development region and is classified as a Tier-II city by the Government of India. The civic body that governs the city is the Kochi Municipal Corporation,which was constituted in the year 1967,and the statutory bodies that oversee its development are the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) and the Goshree Islands Development Authority (GIDA).
Oommen Chandy was the 10th chief minister of Kerala,serving from 2004 to 2006 and 2011 to 2016. He served also as the leader of the opposition in the Kerala Legislative Assembly from 2006 to 2011.
The economy of Kerala is the 9th largest in India,with an annual gross state product (GSP) of ₹9.78 lakh crore in 2020–2021. Per-capita GSP of Kerala during the same period is ₹257,711 (US$3,100),the sixth largest in India. In 2019–20,the tertiary sector contributed around 63% of the state's GSVA,compared to 28% by secondary sector,and 8% by primary sector.
Kerala,called Keralam in Malayalam,is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956,following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act,by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin,Malabar,South Canara,and Travancore. Spread over 38,863 km2 (15,005 sq mi),Kerala is the 21st largest Indian state by area. It is bordered by Karnataka to the north and northeast,Tamil Nadu to the east and south,and the Lakshadweep Sea to the west. With 33 million inhabitants as per the 2011 census,Kerala is the 13th-largest Indian state by population. It is divided into 14 districts with the capital being Thiruvananthapuram. Malayalam is the most widely spoken language and is also the official language of the state.
The United Democratic Front (UDF) is the Indian National Congress-led alliance of centre to centre-right political parties in the Indian state of Kerala. It is one of the two major political alliances in Kerala,the other being Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front,each of which has been in power alternately since 1980 E. K. Nayanar ministry. Most of the United Democratic Front constituents are members of the Indian National Congress-led Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance at pan-India level.
P Vijayan,is the Additional Director General of Police. He is a 1999 batch official of the Indian Police Service. He is the founder and chief architect of the Student Police Cadet Project,a youth development initiative.
The Kochi Metro is a rapid transit system serving the city of Kochi and the wider Kochi Metropolitan Region in Kerala,India. It was opened to the public within four years of starting construction,making it one of the fastest completed metro projects in India. The Kochi metro project is the first metro system in the country which connects rail,road and water transport facilities. It is also the first metro rail system in India to be operated using the Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC) signalling system,which requires minimum human intervention. The Kochi Water Metro is integrated with the Kochi Metro,which also serves as a feeder service to the suburbs along the rivers where transport accessibility is limited.
Ashwini Bhide is an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer,predominantly known for her work on the Aqua Line or popularly known as Line 3 of the Mumbai Metro. She served as Managing Director of Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRCL),which is a joint venture of the Government of India and Government of Maharashtra since its inception,i.e. 2015 until 2020.
Polayil Joseph Thomas is a 1973 batch Indian Administrative Service officer from Kerala cadre. He was appointed as the 14th Chief Vigilance Commissioner of India,in an appointment that came under Supreme Court's review and later to be annulled by court as "non-est" in law. The appointment and the subsequent quashing led to several public debates with regard to the eligibility criteria for CVC's appointment,judicial activism,as well as the role played by mainstream media to hide several key facts that could establish his otherwise unblemished record in the civil services.
The United Democratic Front government led by Oommen Chandy sworn in on 18 May 2011. Seven of the total 20 members of the Cabinet took office on 18 May and the rest sworn in on 23 May after completing discussion with member parties of the UDF.
Dinesh Arora is an officer of the Indian Administrative Service,2002 Kerala cadre,presently pursuing his doctoral studies in public health at Johns Hopkins University. He is former Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship healthcare programme,Ayushman Bharat Yojana,in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Prior to this,he was the Director at NITI Aayog. He was the Founder Mission Director of National Rural Health Mission,Kerala,Founder Managing Director of Kerala Medical Service Corporation Limited (KMSCL),and the first Food Safety Commissioner in the State of Kerala. Arira was also worked as an executive director,Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) and CEO RECPDCL,Ministry of Power,Government of India. Arora is proficient in English,Hindi,Malayalam,Punjabi,and Tamil.
First Pinarayi Vijayan ministry is the Council of Ministers headed by Pinarayi Vijayan that was formed after the Left Democratic Front (LDF) won the 2016 Kerala Legislative Assembly elections. The Council assumed office on 25 May 2016. The ministry had a total of 19 ministers in the Cabinet at the time of swearing-in compared to 21 ministers in the previous government. Pinarayi Vijayan sworn in as 22nd Chief Minister of Kerala,12th person to hold this position. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on 3 May 2021 submitted the resignation of the Council of Ministers headed by him to Governor Arif Mohammed Khan after winning a historic victory in the 15th legislative assembly elections by winning 99 of the 140 seats in the Assembly.
Rajeev Sadanandan is a former Indian bureaucrat from the Kerala cadre of the Indian Administrative Service and a healthcare policy-maker. He has been working and researching in the area of health systems,policy and financing for over two decades. He has been involved with the health system of the state of Kerala and has been active in health sector reforms in the state. After serving as the Additional Chief Secretary,Kerala,taking care of the Department of Health and Family Welfare,he took over as the Chief Executive Officer of Health Systems Transformation Platform (HSTP),funded by the Tata Trusts.
Nalini Netto is a retired officer of the Indian Administrative Service. She served as State Chief Secretary and took office on 1 April 2017,from incumbent S. M. Vijayanand. She is the 42nd head and 4th women head of the state bureaucracy. Before becoming the chief secretary she had been in the post of Chief Electoral Officer and Home secretary. Nalini Netto was in news when she filed a case against the Transport minister Neelalohithadasan Nadar in 2000 when she was the Transport Secretary.
Ajay Prakash Sawhney is a retired 1984 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre. He has served as the Secretary to the Government of India,at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
Sriram Venkitaraman is an IAS officer and a medical doctor from Kerala. He is a former sub-collector of Devikulam and former collector of Alappuzha district for a very short term.
Joy Vazhayil,also known as V. P. Joy,is an Indian poet,writer,researcher,and administrator. He is also known for books and research papers on the energy policy and also on philosophy of education,mind and metaphysics. He has published several literary works in Malayalam language,mainly poetic compositions.
Divya Sesha Iyer is an Indian bureaucrat,medical doctor,editor,and author who is part of the Indian Administrative Service in Kerala. She is the managing director of Vizhinjam International Seaport. She previously has held the posts of District Collector of Pathanamthitta and Mission Director of Mahatma Gandhi NREGA.
Kandathil Mathew Abraham is an Indian bureaucrat and retired IAS officer,who is currently serving as Chief Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister of Kerala. He also serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) and Executive Vice Chairperson of Kerala Development and Innovation Strategic Council. He retired as the Chief Secretary of Kerala in December 2017. He belongs to the 1982 batch of IAS. He was instrumental in bringing out the Sahara Group Scam when he was a member of the Securities and Exchange Board of India.
Sruthy Sithara is an Indian model and actress who won Miss Trans Global 2021. Born in Vaikom,Kerala,Sithara experienced gender dysphoria growing up,but embraced her transgender identity and came out after college. Sithara was one of four transgender people in the employment of the Government of Kerala,working in their Social Justice Department.
