Thiruvananthapuram, June 1: Kerala's new Industries Minister P. Rajeev was on Tuesday admitted to the state-run Medical College Hospital here after testing positive for COVID-19, official sources said.

He is the first Minister in the second Pinarayi Vijayan cabinet who has been infected with the virus.  India News | Kerala Allows Govt Offices to Function with 50 Pc Capacity

Tuesday is the fourth day that the 140 member Assembly has been in session, with the State Budget to be presented on Friday by Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal.

Following the surge in cases, the session will now end on June 10 instead of the initial date of June 14.

Also on Tuesday, CPI-M legislator J. Stephen also tested positive for COVID-19.

Earlier, several Kerala ministers, including Vijayan and state Agriculture Minister V.S. Sunilkumar, had also been infected with the virus.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 01, 2021 02:26 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).