Local Self Government Department (Kerala)

Local Self Government Department,
Government of Kerala
Agency overview
JurisdictionKerala, India
Headquarters
Annual budget₹11,192.8337 crore (US$1.2 billion) (2026–27, revised)[1]
Minister responsible
Agency executives
  • Tinku Biswal IAS, Principal Secretary to Government
  • Shanavas.S IAS[2], Special Secretary
  • Divya S. Iyer IAS, Principal Director of LSGD
  • Suraj Shaji IAS, Director (Urban)
  • Apurva Tripathi IAS, Director (Rural)
  • Sandeep K G, Chief Engineer
  • Shiji E Chandran, Chief Town Planner
Child agencies
Websitelsgd.kerala.gov.in

The Local Self Government Department (LSGD) is one of the administrative departments under the Government of Kerala. It is responsible for decentralised governance, civic administration, and the functioning of local governments in Kerala, including Municipal Corporations, Municipalities, and the three-tier Panchayat system.[3]

LSGD leads major urban development programs, waste management initiatives, decentralised planning, and the implementation of poverty alleviation and community development missions, including Kudumbashree and Suchitwa Mission. It plays a critical role in the delivery of civic services such as water supply (in select ULBs), street lighting, sanitation, building permits, and e-governance services.

Leadership

LSGD Secretariat

The department is headed by a Cabinet Minister of the Government of Kerala. The incumbent Minister is K. M. Shaji.[4]

Administratively, the department is headed by the Principal Secretary to Government (LSGD), supported by Special Secretaries, Additional Secretaries, Joint Secretaries, Deputy Secretaries and Under Secretaries along with officers and staff posted in the Secretariat. The functions of departments is organised into various sections, under a section officer (SO), and assisted by assistant section officers, assistants and other clerical staffs.[5]
The LSGD Secretariat formulates policies and advises the Government. It also coordinates and exercises administrative control over Line Departments, Statutory Institutions, and other agencies.[5]

Principal Directorate

Principal Directorate is the apex directorate of the Kerala Local Self Government Department, responsible for coordinating and administering the unified Local Self Government services across the state. [6]

The Principal Directorate, established in 2018, is headed by the Principal Director, a senior IAS officer, and is assisted by the Director (Urban) and Director (Rural), both IAS cadre officers. The Country and Town Planning Department, LSGD Engineering Wing, and Performance Audit Wing function under the Principal Directorate and are headed by the Chief Town Planner, Chief Engineer, and State Performance Audit Officer, respectively.[7]

Senior Officials

  • Tinku Biswal IAS – Principal Secretary (Local Self Government)
  • T.V. Anupama IAS - Special Secretary to Government
  • Adeela Abdulla IAS - Special Secretary to Government
  • Geromic George IAS – Principal Director, Local Self Government Department
  • Smt. Apurva Tripathi IAS – Director (Rural)
  • Suraj Shaji IAS – Director (Urban)

Functions

  • Administration and oversight of Municipal Corporations, Municipalities, and Panchayats.[3]
  • Urban governance, sanitation, and waste management through local bodies.[8]
  • Implementation of decentralised planning through Panchayat Raj and Municipality Acts.
  • Implementation of poverty alleviation and community development programmes through Kudumbashree.[9]
  • Granting building permits, trade licences and delivery of local services.
  • Implementation of e-governance through Information Kerala Mission (IKM).

Line Departments / Directorates

The following is the major functional and administrative wings;

  • Principal Directorate LSGD
    • Directorate of Panchayats[10]
    • Directorate of Urban Affairs[11]
    • Commissionerate of Rural Development (Rural Development Department)
    • LSGD Engineering Wing
    • Department of Town and Country Planning
    • LSGD Performance Audit Wing[12]

Aligned Institutions

The following missions, corporations and bodies function under the department:[13]

Statutory Institutions

The following institutions function independently in the discharge of their duties, while their administrative control rests with the department.

E-Governance

  • K-Smart: Kerala Solutions for Managing Administrative Reformation and Transformation (K-Smart) is an integrated e-Governance platform of the Local Self Government Department (LSGD), developed by the Information Kerala Mission (IKM) to provide local government services through a unified digital system. It integrates services such as civil registration, property tax, building permits, licences, finance, grievance redressal and file management.[16][17][18]
  • Sulekha: Sulekha is the plan formulation and monitoring software for the LSGD, developed by Information Kerala Mission.
  • Sakarma: For managing meetings, agendas and minutes of local government bodies in Kerala.[19][20]
  • Know Your Land: Know Your Land is a GIS-based service providing land information and development regulations.
  • Haritha Mithram: Haritha Mithram is a digital waste-management monitoring software for local governments.[21][22][23]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Revised Demands for Grants 2026–27 (PDF) (Report). Government of Kerala. pp. 40–43. Retrieved 28 June 2026.
  2. ↑ https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2025/May/07/major-ias-rejig-11-bureaucrats-assigned-new-roles
  3. 1 2 "Local Self Government Department – Government of Kerala". lsg.kerala.gov.in. Archived from the original on 2024-06-01. Retrieved 2025-11-09.
  4. ↑ "Council of Ministers – Kerala Legislative Assembly". Retrieved 2025-11-09.
  5. 1 2 "Rules of Business – Government of Kerala" (PDF). Retrieved 2025-11-09.
  6. ↑ "Kerala govt issues order for the formation of local self government common service". The Times of India. 2020-07-17. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2026-07-04.
  7. ↑ "തദ്ദേശ സ്വയംഭരണ വകുപ്പ് പ്രിന്‍സിപ്പല്‍ ഡയറക്ടറേറ്റ് | LSGD Kerala". lsgkerala.gov.in. Retrieved 2026-07-04.
  8. ↑ "Suchitwa Mission – Government of Kerala". Retrieved 2025-11-09.
  9. ↑ "Kudumbashree – State Poverty Eradication Mission". Retrieved 2025-11-09.
  10. ↑ "Directorate of Panchayats". Retrieved 2025-11-09.
  11. ↑ "Directorate of Urban Affairs". Retrieved 2025-11-09.
  12. ↑ "Performance Audit Wing | Local Self Government Department". lsgkerala.gov.in. Retrieved 2026-07-04.
  13. ↑ "Aligned Institutions – Local Self Government Department". Retrieved 2025-11-09.
  14. ↑ sec.kerala.gov.in https://sec.kerala.gov.in/portal/kc/delimit. Retrieved 2026-08-04. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  15. ↑ "LSGD –Kerala Real Estate Regulatory Authority (K-RERA)- Ongoing Real Estate Projects –Details reg… | Local Self Government Department". lsgkerala.gov.in. Retrieved 2026-08-04.
  16. ↑ "Ksmart- Delivering Digital happiness". ksmart.lsgkerala.gov.in. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  17. ↑ Abraham, Rajesh (2025-03-10). "K-Smart to be made available in all local bodies in Kerala from April 10". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  18. ↑ Praveen, S. R. (2026-01-05). "Building card, Digi Door PIN features of K-Smart to help avoid hassles of address change after delimitation". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  19. ↑ "Kollam: Sakarma to turn government institutions transparent | Kollam: Sakarma to turn government institutions transparent". www.deccanchronicle.com. 2017-07-17. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  20. ↑ "സകര്‍മ | MeetingManagement". meeting.lsgkerala.gov.in. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  21. ↑ Mohan, Shainu (2025-05-13). "Harithamithram 2.0 to transform waste management in Kerala". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  22. ↑ Mohan, Shainu (2024-06-08). "Kerala: LSGD's smart garbage app to be integrated with K-SMART". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  23. ↑ Mohan, Shainu (2024-04-28). "Smart waste monitoring in Kerala: 'Haritha Mithram' app to streamline garbage collection". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
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