A minister for AI in Satheesan’s Cabinet: The new Kerala ministers and their portfolios

PK Kunhalikutty of the IUML retained the Industries and IT portfolios, which he had held during the previous Oommen Chandy Cabinet.

Published May 20, 2026 | 6:11 PM ⚊ Updated May 20, 2026 | 6:17 PM

V D Satheesan and Ramesh Chennithala

Synopsis: Chief Minister VD Satheesan has taken charge of key ministries such as Finance and Law, while Ramesh Chennithala has retained Home and Vigilance. Another senior leader, K Muraleedharan, will be in charge of the Health and Devaswom departments. Meanwhile, the new Cabinet has a minister of Artificial Intelligence also.

The Kerala government has announced the distribution of portfolios on Wednesday, 20 May. The portfolios included Artificial Intelligence, which went to PK Kunhalikutty.

The distribution of portfolios had run into rough weather after some ministers, UDF constituents and the Latin Catholic Church raised demands that called for further hectic parleys.

The Church had demanded that a Congress minister take charge of the Fisheries Department, which was hotly contested by the Indian Union Muslim League.

The official gazette that was published on Wednesday revealed that the League would hold the Fisheries portfolio.

Also Read: Kerala government de-notifies LDF’s ambitious SilverLine Project

Muraleedharan gets Health

Chief Minister VD Satheesan has taken charge of key ministries such as Finance and Law, while Ramesh Chennithala has retained Home and Vigilance. Another senior leader, K Muraleedharan, will be in charge of the Health and Devaswom departments.

KPCC President Sunny Joseph from Peravoor will be in charge of Electricity, while Land and Revenue will be under AP Anilkumar’s guard. PC Vishnunadh has been allotted Tourism and Culture, while M Liju got the Cooperation and Excise departments.

Roji M John, himself an M Phil holder, has been allotted Collegiate Education. T Siddique will be in charge of Agriculture. KA Thulasi, one of the two women ministers in the Cabinet will be responsible for the Welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes. Labour, and Woman and Child Welfare went to Bindu Krishna.

PK Kunhalikutty of the IUML retained the Industries and IT portfolios, which he had held during the previous Oommen Chandy Cabinet. He is also in charge of AI.

Also Read: G Sudhakaran takes oath as Pro-tem Speaker

Full list

Below is the full list of Ministers and their portfolios:

1. Chief Minister VD Satheesan

Finance
National Savings
Stores Purchase
Commercial Taxes
Agricultural Income Tax
Treasuries
Lotteries
State Audit
Kerala State Financial Enterprises
State Insurance Kerala Financial Corporation
Stamps and Stamp Duties
Ports
Law
Planning and Economic Affairs
General Administration
All India Services
Science
Technology
Disaster Management
Non-Resident Keralites Affairs
Pollution Control
Scientific Institutes
Personnel and Administrative Reforms
Election
Integration
Sainik Welfare
Distress Relief
State Hospitality
Administration of Civil & Criminal Justice
Airports
Metro Rail
Inter-State River Waters
Coastal Shipping and Inland Navigation
Kerala State Inland Navigation Corporation
Information and Public Relations
Printing and Stationery
Railways
Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology
National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS)
Posts and Telegraphs
All important policy matters
Subject not mentioned elsewhere

2. Ramesh Chennithala

Home
Vigilance Fire and Rescue Services
Prisons
Coir

3. Sunny Joseph

Electricity
Environment
Parliamentary Affairs
ANERT

4. K Muraleedharan

Health
Medical Education
Medical University
Indigenous Medicine
Ayush
Drugs Control
Food Safety
Devaswoms

5. AP Anilkumar

Land Revenue
Survey and Land Records
Land Reforms

6. PC Vishnunadh

Tourism
Culture
Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC)
Kerala Chalachithra Academy
Kerala Cultural Activist Welfare Fund Board

7. M Liju

Co-operation
Excise

8. Roji M John

Collegiate Education
Technical Education Universities (except Agricultural, Veterinary, Fisheries, Medical and Digital Universities)
Entrance Examination
National Cadet Corps
Additional Skill Acquisition Programme (ASAP)

9. T Siddique

Agriculture
Soil Survey & Soil Conservation
Kerala Agricultural University
Warehousing Corporation

10. KA Thulasi

Development of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes

11. Bindhu Krishna

Labour
Animal Husbandry
Dairy Development
Milk Co-operatives
Woman & Child Development
Kerala Veterinary & Animal Sciences University

12. OJ Janeesh

Sports
Youth Affairs
Zoos
Museum
Registration
Archaeology
Archives

13. PK Kunhalikutty

Industries & Commerce
Information Technology
Artificial Intelligence
Start-ups
Mining and Geology
Handlooms and Textiles

14. N Samsudheen

General Education
Literacy Movement
Wakf and Hajj Pilgrimage
Minority Welfare

15. KM Shaji

Panchayat
Municipality
Corporation
Town Planning
Rural Development
Regional Development Authorities
KILA

16. PK Basheer

Public Works Department

17. VE Abdul Gafoor

Fisheries
Harbour Engineering
Social Justice

18. Mons Joseph

Irrigation
Command Area Development Authority (CADA)
Ground Water Department
Water Supply & Sanitation
Housing

19. Anoop Jacob

Food & Civil Supplies
Consumer Affairs
Legal Metrology

20. Shibu Baby John

Forests & Wildlife Protection
Skill Development
Kerala Academy for Skills Excellence (KASE)

21. CP John

Road Transport
Motor Vehicles
Water Transport.