Government & Economy

Government

Kerala is a state in the Union of India. The state government has a cabinet of ministers headed by the Chief Minister. A Governor appointed by the Government of India has a titular role as head of state. Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram) is the state capital and houses the Kerala Secretariat, the legislature house called Niyama Sabha and offices of various ministers and officials. The state is divided into 14 districts which are further divided into Taluks. Each district has a major city as its district headquarters, which houses offices of district administration. Each district administration is headed by a Government official known as District Collector. The Kerala High Court is located at Ernakulum (Kochi).

Kerala is a traditional socialist leaning state, and has a strong communist movement. This was the first place in the world where a communist government was elected to power through democratic means. Kerala's communism today appears almost like the Chinese way which focuses on a market economy and reforms, although officially they are against it. Kerala has a tradition of two major alliances: one led by the Communist Party called LDF (Left Democrats), and another led by the Indian National Congress called UDF (United Democrats). These tend to swing to power for alternate five year terms. The current government is lead by the UDF under the leadership of Oommen Chandy who is the State Chief Minister.

Economy

Kerala has been through a period of strong growth with one of the highest per-capita income and poverty levels are extremely low compared to elsewhere in India. Most households have family members working somewhere outside the state, typically the Middle East, and their remittances make up for around 20% of the economy. Agriculture is highly focused on cash-crop cultivation such as rubber, tea, coffee, spices and coconut plantations. Tourism is now a booming industry in Kerala, and accounts for a significant part of the state's economy.