Sun May 18 14:56:17 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a summarized news article based on the provided text:

**News Article:**

**Kerala CM Vijayan Slams Modi Government Over SC/ST Funding Cuts, Cites Discrimination**

**Palakkad, India – May 18, 2025** – Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan criticized the central government led by Narendra Modi for allegedly slashing education and research funds allocated to Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities. Speaking at a state-level SC/ST convention held in Malampuzha, Palakkad, Vijayan highlighted the issue of caste discrimination in higher education, which he said led to increased attacks on the SC members and also high dropout rates and, in extreme cases, suicide.

The Chief Minister also raised concerns about the erosion of reservation policies due to the increasing prevalence of contract-based appointments across the country. He attributed this to the central government’s failure to legislate on critical issues. While lauding Kerala’s commitment to reservation in Public Service Commission (PSC) recruitments, Vijayan pointed out that approximately 1.3 million posts remain vacant nationwide.

Vijayan emphasized Kerala’s legacy of social reform movements. He highlighted the state government’s initiatives for SC/ST development, including making 2.45 lakh PSC appointments following reservation principles, higher allocation of funds beyond the population proportion, modern residential schools, scholarships, hostels, and land distribution.

The Chief Minister concluded by cautioning against any tampering with the Constitution, emphasizing its role in upholding social justice for historically marginalized SC/ST communities. The event was attended by various state ministers, officials, and prominent figures, including musician Vedan (Hirandas Murali) and singer Nanjiyamma.

**Summary of the Text:**

The text is a news report on a speech by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan where he criticizes the central government for cutting funds for SC/ST communities and highlights caste discrimination issues. He defends Kerala’s record on affirmative action and social welfare for these groups. The event was a State-level Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe convention held at Malampuzha, Palakkad.

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