The Home Department (Malayalam: ആഭ്യന്തര വകുപ്പ്) is a administrative department of the Government of Kerala. It plays a key role in maintenance of law and order in the state of Kerala. The department oversees the maintenance of law and order, prevention and control of crime, prosecution of criminals besides dealing with fire services and prisons administration.
The department is also responsible for the functioning of State Police, Prisons and Correctional Services, Fire and Rescue Services, Civil Defence and Home Guards. The department is also the cadre controlling authority of Indian Police Service (IPS) (Kerala Cadre) and Kerala Police Service (KPS). The Chief Minister generally serves as the departmental minister, and the Additional Chief Secretary (Home & Vigilance), an IAS officer, is the administrative head of the department.[1][2] Pinarayi Vijayan is the current Home Minister of Kerala.[3]
The Home Department is led by the Minister for Home, who is a political appointee responsible for making policy decisions and providing strategic direction. The minister in charge of the home department is Pinarayi Vijayan, the chief minister of Kerala. Assisting the Minister is the Home Secretary also known as the Additional Chief Secretary, a senior IAS officer, who handles the day-to-day administrative affairs of the department. The Additional Chief Secretary (Home and Vigilance) is assisted by additional secretaries, joint secretaries and deputy secretaries at the secretariat.[4]
All these departments are inter-linked and co-ordinated by the Home department.[5][6][7]