CM to travel to the UAE next month

Thiruvananthapuram: Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan is likely to embark on a four-day trip to the United Arab Emirates next month. It is reliably learnt that he will travel to the UAE on May 7 on an invitation from the UAE government.
Vijayan will participate in the investment meet and there will also be a debate with the public on May 10, said government sources. He will be accompanied by industries minister P Rajeeve, PWD and tourism minister P A Mohamed Riyas and other government officials.
Last time the chief minister travelled to the UAE was while returning from the UK in October last year. He had extended his original travel schedule by two days to take a detour to the UAE. The UAE trip was termed by him as a personal visit.
The chief minister and the select cabinet colleagues are expected to fly to the US and Saudi Arabia in June and September this year to attend the two meetings of Loka Kerala Sabha (LKS) scheduled in these two countries. The decision to hold the two LKS sessions in the midst of an extreme financial crisis has invited severe criticisms from the opposition parties. Two sub-committees have been set up under the chief secretary’s chairmanship for the smooth conduct of the two events.
A regional conference of LKS was held in London in October last year and was attended by Vijayan and other ministers including P Rajeeve, V Sivankutty and Veena George.