Keralam Government’s Anti-Corruption ‘Project Zero’

Ramesh Chennithala, the Home Minister of Keralam, announced the launch of “Project Zero.” It is an anti-corruption initiative of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB), aimed at making Keralam a corruption-free state.

Under this campaign, he also announced a reward of ₹5,000 for people who provide video evidence of corruption or bribery incidents. The identity of complainants will be kept completely confidential.

Addressing a press conference after convening a meeting of senior vigilance officials, the minister said that the state government’s goal is not only to reduce corruption but to eliminate it completely through phased and systematic measures.

Promising that no corrupt official would be tolerated, Mr. Chennithala stated that citizens should receive government services without paying bribes, and such services are not favors from the government but the legal right of the people.

 ‘Project Zero’

He said that with changing times, the methods of corruption have also evolved and often involve the use of modern technology. Therefore, “Project Zero” has been designed with the help of advanced technological systems.

He expressed regret that the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018 has created challenges in registering and investigating corruption cases against senior officials and elected representatives, as prior approval from appointing authorities is required.

Chennithala had earlier filed a petition in the Supreme Court against certain “problematic” provisions of this law.

The minister also announced plans to modernize the Vigilance Manual, which was originally prepared in 1969. He said that a revised draft has already been prepared and will soon be finalized after review by the Home Department.

The current Chief Minister of Keralam is V. D. Satheesan. He took the oath of office and secrecy on 18 May 2026.

He is a senior leader of the Indian National Congress and is leading the United Democratic Front (UDF) coalition government in the state.

 Formation of Keralam State

The modern state of Keralam came into existence on 1 November 1956, when the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 was implemented and 14 new states and 6 Union Territories were created in the country.

The Malayalam-speaking regions of Malabar district of Madras State and the Kasaragod taluka of South Canara district were merged with the Travancore-Cochin state. Similarly, the Tamil-speaking regions of southern Travancore-Cochin were merged with Madras State.

The Union Cabinet approved the proposal to officially change the state’s name from “Keralam” to “Keralamm.” Under Article 3 of the Constitution, a bill will be introduced in Parliament to complete the renaming process.

The demand to change the state’s name had been ongoing for a long time. The Keralam Legislative Assembly passed a unanimous resolution on 24 June 2024 (and again after technical modifications in 2025), urging the Centre to approve the name change.

In the Malayalam language, the state has always been called “Keralamm.” “Kera” means coconut tree and “alam” means land, literally translating to “Land of Coconut Trees.”