In a major decision, the Kerala government has decided to hold the State School Arts Festival without much pomp. Earlier a decision was taken to cancel the festival in the wake of the devastating floods. However the government changed its decision following much pressure from various corners not to call off the arts festival.

Speaking to media here on Tuesday, Education minister C Raveendranath said the Manual Committee will convene its meeting on September 17. Based on the discussions a final decision will be taken on how the festivals should be held. As per the current decision, the festival will be held in a toned-down version.

A decision on what all changes should be implemented and the steps to be taken for cost cutting would be taken at the Manual Committee meeting. There are reports that the change in decision comes after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who's currently in the United States for treatment, called up some senior bureaucrats and discussed about the possibility of holding the festival.

Earlier in the wake of the floods, the state government decided to cancel all state-funded festivals including state school arts festivals and the International Film festival of Kerala (IFFK). There are widespread protests from within and outside the government over cancelling the IFFK.