Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has sought urgent intervention from Members of Parliament to secure Presidential assent for the Wildlife Protection (Kerala Amendment) Bill. Speaking at an online meeting attended by Ministers, MPs and senior officials, the CM said several procedural hurdles in Section 11 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, necessitated the 2025 amendment passed by the State Assembly, and that the law can come into force only with the President’s approval.

The Chief Minister highlighted the need for ₹620 crore in special Central assistance to address escalating human–wildlife conflict and called for immediate release of the Centre’s share of compensation for victims of wildlife attacks.

On the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) 2.0, he noted that although the unit cost has been revised to ₹2.5 lakh, the Central contribution remains unchanged at ₹1.5 lakh, while the State’s share has doubled to ₹1 lakh, with the balance falling on municipalities. He urged MPs to press for a revision of the Central allocation and to remove the mandatory branding requirement of displaying the PMAY logo on completed houses.

Referring to disaster recovery efforts in the Meppadi–Chooralmala region, the CM said Kerala had sought ₹2,221.03 crore but received only ₹260.56 crore, and asked MPs to exert pressure to secure the remaining support.

He also reiterated Kerala’s demand to raise the State’s borrowing limit to 3.5 per cent and allow additional borrowing of ₹17,500 crore to fund the Jal Jeevan Mission. Amounts deducted from the State’s borrowing ceiling—₹6,757 crore (2024–25) and ₹3,323 crore (2025–26)—should be restored, and ₹300 crore due under the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) must be released, he said.

Kerala has suffered significant revenue losses due to GST restructuring, affecting collections from automobiles, cement, electronics, insurance, and lotteries, in addition to reduced compensation from the Centre. Losses of this scale will adversely impact the State’s GDP, and compensation is essential, he stressed. He also called for exempting all Khadi products from GST and releasing all pending grants recommended by the 15th Finance Commission.

The CM sought the Centre’s approval for the Global City project in Kochi (Node-2) under the Kochi–Bengaluru Industrial Corridor and flagged the notification of Offshore Areas Atomic Minerals Operating Rights Rules, 2025, without State consultation.

He urged the removal of restrictions on allotment of additional food grain under the Tide Over quota, release of pending commissions under the National Food Security Act, and adequate supply of subsidised kerosene for the fisheries sector. He criticised the Centre for inaction on Kerala’s long-standing demand for an AIIMS and on granting point-of-call access for foreign airlines at Kannur airport.

Calling for urgent steps to reduce rail travel time between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod, the CM sought expedited surveys for the third and fourth tracks on the Thiruvananthapuram–Mangaluru section and approval for Namo Bharat Rapid Rail. He stressed the need to fast-track the Thalassery–Mysuru, Nilambur–Nanjangud and Angamaly–Sabarimala railway projects, secure approval for the Attappady irrigation project and raise the demand in Parliament for a ₹1,000-crore rehabilitation package for returning expatriates.