Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday (February 19, 2026) said online public services in Kerala had moved beyond notifications to become a living reality, saying more than 10 million applications submitted through the K-SMART platform were processed within an hour and more than two million building permits were issued within a minute.
Inaugurating the Local Self-Government Day ceremony at Mangattuparamba Battalion Grounds, KAP said that local bodies have played a crucial role in Kerala. The state, he added, has consistently strengthened decentralization and strengthened local institutions.
Kerala has significantly increased financial support to local bodies, allocating more than ₹70,000 crore from 2021. In the last five years alone, ₹8,867 crore has been provided for road works and ₹1,187 crore for Anganwadi buildings. Under the Chief Minister’s Local Road Construction Project, 4,912 works at a cost of ₹980 crore have been completed in the first phase, while projects worth ₹939 crore are underway in the second phase.
The Chief Minister said that nearly five lakh houses planned under Life Mission are nearing completion. Kerala, he said, remained the best performing state in implementing the rural employment guarantee scheme. On waste management, he said 1,027 local bodies have been declared solid waste free.
He published the progress report of the local government department and the logos for the second phase of the Extreme Poverty Eradication and Digi Kerala projects. Local Government Minister MB Rajesh presided over the function and distributed prizes, including the Swaraj Trophy and Mahatma Awards.
Published – 19 Feb 2026 23:32 IST