Keralam Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala and VIT founder and Chancellor G. Viswanathan with other dignitaries at the VIT culturat fest on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Keralam Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said on Wednesday that he admired Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay for his continuous fight and drive against corruption in Tamil Nadu and that people should actively support Mr. Vijay’s anti-graft drive in the State.
In the inaugural address at ‘Thanima,’ the 25th edition of the annual Onam cultural festival, which was organised by VIT at its campus here, Mr. Chennithala said that corruption erodes faith in democracy. In Keralam, the State government was spearheading his anti-graft initiative, especially in government departments, titled as ‘Project Zero’. “Corruption erodes public faith in a parliamentary democracy. Discontent among youth was mainly due to corruption and drug menace. In this regard, I appreciate efforts taken by Mr. Vijay against corruption,” he said.
The Minister noted that skill development and technology should go hand in hand and the youth should make use of the technological revolution in the 21st century. “Students should gain knowledge and use them for the public good as the country depends on their contributions,” he said.
The Congress leader highlighted Keralam’s anti-narcotics campaign through its flagship drive, Operation Toofan. Under the drive, which was appreciated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, he said that Kerala Police had arrested 11,885 people and registered 10,256 cases.
The Minister said that the operation ran in three phases, namely, enforcement, under which peddlers were arrested, questioned, and imprisoned; awareness campaigns; and rehabilitation for those affected by addiction. So far, 170 people had completed treatment and were back to normal life, he said.
In his presidential address, G. Viswanathan, founder and Chancellor, VIT, called for unity between States, especially in water sharing disputes and interlinking of rivers. For example, he said that federal nations like the United States, Canada, and Australia, where interstate rivers do not trigger courtroom battles, and Europe’s Danube River, which flows through nine countries without dispute. “Why should India alone see such disputes? We must come together and resolve this with the Union government’s help, and Kerala should take the initiative,” he said.
More than 3,000 students participated in the cultural events. Students also took a pledge against drugs. Sankar Viswanathan and Sekar Viswanathan, vice-presidents, VIT, were present.
Published – September 10, 2026 05:30 am IST
