Cabinet reshuffle: Pinarayi Vijayan congratules Alphons, says he will become 'voice of Kerala'

Thiruvananthapuram: The induction of former bureaucrat and legislator KJ Alphons, 64, as Union Minister of State for Tourism, Information Technology and Electronics on Sunday was welcomed in his home state of Kerala. In a Facebook post, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan congratulated Alphons and said he hoped he will use the opportunity of the new assignment for the betterment of Kerala. “Let him become the voice of Kerala in the Union cabinet. He can do a lot by coordinating the efforts of the Centre and Kerala for the state’s overall development. I wish my long-time friend and all others sworn in today (Sunday) all the best,” Vijayan said.

VK Mathews, who heads one of Kerala’s biggest IT product companies IBS Software Services, said: “Alphons, by virtue of being a former top bureaucrat and then a legislator along with the Left (2006-11) knows these sectors like the back of his hand. His induction will certainly benefit Kerala. Above all, he also enjoys good relations with the chief minister.” MR Narayanan, a leading tourism honcho, said it was a good development for Kerala. “He is a man with a lot of ideas and one who will listen. What Kerala needs now is a few mega projects to change the face of Kerala tourism,” he said. Alphons, who hails from Kottayam, was one of the toppers of the Civil Services Examination in 1979. He led the literacy movement in the southern state and made Kottayam the first 100 percent literate town in the country in 1989. His wife, Sheela Alphons, said she was sure her husband would do his best for Kerala.