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Time of India
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Officials to tour BJP-ruled MP to study Indore sanitation model
T'puram: Even as the state govt faces mounting criticism over its handling of waste management, including the toxic smoke crisis from the Brahmapuram fire in Kochi in 2023, a team of senior officials is heading to BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh to study the acclaimed sanitation model of Indore municipal corporation. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The move comes months ahead of the local body elections, where the govt's performance on civic issues is expected to be a major campaign theme. A delegation led by local self govt special secretary T V Anupama will visit Indore from July 8 to 10 to study the city's solid waste management practices and sanitation systems. The visit is based on the city's consistent record as the country's cleanest under the Swachh Survekshan rankings. A govt order approving the visit was issued on July 2. This is not the first time that a CPM-led govt in Kerala is turning to BJP-governed states for insights into administrative systems. In 2022, a team led by then chief secretary V P Joy visited Gujarat from April 27 to 29 to study its real-time e-governance dashboard and described the Gujarat model as "remarkable". The latest visit, also coinciding with the chief minister's current trip to the US for follow-up treatment, has once again brought focus to the LDF govt's approach of borrowing governance models from states it has traditionally criticised. It has also reignited political discussions on the CPM's shifting stance on engaging with BJP-ruled states. Back in 2013, the party took a sharp position against even symbolic engagements with BJP leaders. When then labour minister Shibu Baby John met the then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi in Ahmedabad to discuss labour sector practices, CPM demanded that chief minister Oommen Chandy clarify the govt's position. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Pinarayi Vijayan, then CPM state secretary, was vocal in stating that there was "nothing in Gujarat's labour sector Kerala needs to learn. " The party even demanded Shibu's resignation. In contrast, the current official visit to Indore is being undertaken without much political commentary from the CPM, though it comes at a time when the state's own waste management record has been severely criticised. The Brahmapuram fire incident in 2023, which choked Kochi with toxic smoke for days, prompted widespread public outrage and legal scrutiny, exposing serious flaws in Kerala's waste handling infrastructure. "With the local body polls nearing, civic issues like garbage management, sanitation and public health are expected to dominate public discourse. The Indore visit, while aimed at adopting best practices, may also be viewed through the lens of political messaging and damage control," a senior official in the department said on conditions of anonymity. While officials maintain that there is no contradiction in studying successful models regardless of which party governs a state, political observers say such visits inevitably draw attention when past statements and current actions appear misaligned. The key question, however, remains whether these study tours will translate into meaningful reforms on the ground or remain symbolic gestures without follow-through, as happened with the 2022 Gujarat tour.
New Indian Express
13-06-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
TV Anupama gets nostalgic about her school life
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: While being received by the school band of Carmel Girls' Higher Secondary School, Vazhuthacaud, government special secretary T V Anupama got nostalgic about her school time. A former member of her school band team, she was there to inaugurate the merit day celebrations of the school on Thursday. 'My disciplined learning pattern in school and the support of my teachers have helped me to step forward in life,' she told students. The civil service officer, who completed her post-graduation from Harvard University the year before, cited herself as an example to say that learning is a continuous process. The function that honoured over 200 students of the school who scored full A+ in SSLC and Plus II examinations, was also attended by school manager Sr Priya, school director Sr Renita, principal M Anjana and vice-principal Jolly George.
New Indian Express
13-05-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Harithamithram 2.0 to transform waste management in Kerala
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a first, the state is all set to modernise its waste management by integrating technology. The Local Self Government Department is all set to unveil Harithamithram 2.0, the next-generation Smart Garbage Monitoring System. Integrated with the K-SMART (Kerala Smart Management of Administrative Reforms and Technology) platform, the new system is designed to streamline, digitise and make waste management more transparent and efficient across the state. According to official sources, a beta version of the application has already been launched and the government will launch the new application for the public by next month. With the introduction of the new application, citizens will get a slew of services, including on-demand services, online payment of user fee for waste management services and will help ensure real-time communication between citizens, Haritha Karma Sena members, enforcement teams and local self-government institutions. An official of LSGD said that the platform will bring together Haritha Karma Sena members, citizens, various departments and service providers to a single platform. LSGD Special Secretary T V Anupama told TNIE that the Harithamithram 2.0 is going to be an improved and more efficient application compared to the present application.
