Ready to give all water to Tamil Nadu from new dam at Mullaperiyar, says V.D. Satheesan

Ready to offer all water to Tamil Nadu from new dam at Mullaperiyar, states V.D.

Key points

• Satheesan conveyed Keralam's readiness in this regard at the 31st South Zonal Council Session held at Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu, on Thursday (August 20, 2026).
• Satheesan pressed the Union administration to annul the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2026, over which the State had already raised serious reservations.
• Satheesan sought regional cooperation for developing Kerala as a 'Port City' under the State government's Mission Samudra.
• Satheesan expressed concern that the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.
• Satheesan additionally had a brief gathering with his Tamil Nadu counterpart Joseph Vijay.

Ready to offer all water to Tamil Nadu from new dam at Mullaperiyar, states V.D. Satheesan At South Zonal Council Session, V.D. Satheesan additionally urges Union administration to annul the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2026. Published – August 20, 2026 03: 44 pm IST – THIRUVANANTHAPURAM. Kerala Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan. File Photo Credit: NIRMAL HARINDRAN.

Keralam has once again assured Tamil Nadu of its willingness to supply all water from the proposed new dam at Mullaperiyar. It will replace the 130-year-old structure in Idukki district.

Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan conveyed Keralam's readiness in this regard at the 31st South Zonal Council Session held at Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu, on Thursday (August 20, 2026). Mr. While Tamil Nadu should take responsibility for the design, construction and location, satheesan has additionally reiterated the State's stand that Kerala would bear the cost of the new dam.

Against the backdrop of the conference, Mr. Satheesan additionally had a brief gathering with his Tamil Nadu counterpart Joseph Vijay.

At the Zonal Council Session, Mr. Satheesan pressed the Union administration to annul the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2026, over which the State had already raised serious reservations. Mr. Satheesan pressed the Centre not to auction mineral blocks off the Kerala coast "until a rigorous scientific assessment and a robust Standard Operating Procedure are in place, and that the concerns repeatedly raised by the State be given their due weight." Mr. Satheesan remarked Kerala is "cooperating fully" with the Geological Survey of India and the Ministry of Mines in bringing its bauxite, beach sand and critical mineral blocks to auction. Meanwhile, he was placing on record the State's "serious concern" regarding the offshore mining of sand off the Kerala coast, he remarked.

Further, Mr. Satheesan sought regional cooperation for developing Kerala as a 'Port City' under the State government's Mission Samudra. It was formally introduced on August 18.

On inter-State security, Mr. Satheesan pressed a "unified enforcement front" to counter the trafficking of narcotics, movement of organised criminal gangs throughout State lines, illegal migration and emerging cyber threats. He proposed that each State designate a senior officer as an 'Inter-State Police Nodal Officer' and that structured arrangements for real-time intelligence sharing be institutionalised. Joint operations and patrolling additionally should be intensified along the State borders, he stated.

On other matters, Mr. Satheesan expressed concern that the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana. It keralam implementes in a converged manner through the Karunya Arogya Suraksha Padhathi, has become increasingly inequitable to Keralam. The State now bears close to 90% of the burden. While the assistance received from the National Health Authority was only regarding ₹151 crore, in the last policy year, Keralam's expenditure under the scheme stood at ₹1493 crore.

Mr. Satheesan additionally called on the Centre to either fully exempt the Keralam State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses from the National Highway toll or offer them a "substantially concessional" toll tariff. In June this year alone, the KSRTC remitted over ₹2.16 crore towards the NH toll, he remarked. Mr. Satheesan additionally called on backing for the Thalassery-Mysore and Nilambur-Nanjangud rail lines, and requested the Centre to permit coastal protection works and resettlement of erosion-displaced families under the National and State Disaster Response and Mitigation Funds. He additionally opined that women be given one-third reservation without effecting an rise in the total strength of the Parliament.

In short, ready to give all water to Tamil Nadu from new dam at is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.