Loka Kerala Sabha to be discontinued; Speaker floats honouring 70 Malayalis at the Assembly's 70th anniversary

5 October 2026

Speaker Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, speaking at Kasaragod on 3 October 2026, said the State is not in a position now to spend such a large amount of money on the Loka Kerala Sabha, the forum for Kerala's diaspora.
The Chief Minister's Office has said the Loka Kerala Sabha will be discontinued and that not a single rupee has been allocated for it.
The Kerala Cabinet had decided to dissolve the forum and to work out a new mechanism for expatriate welfare and investment.
All five editions of the Loka Kerala Sabha were held every two years between 2018 and 2026, inside the Kerala Legislative Assembly complex in Thiruvananthapuram.
The Speaker proposed instead bringing 70 distinguished Malayalis onto one platform when the Assembly marks its 70th anniversary in April 2027, and said the idea needs discussion at various levels.
He said the invitees could include artists, writers, cultural figures and prominent people from various fields.