Page 2 - Kerala Government

Centre opposes Kerala's stand in SC to withdraw case against Governor

The Supreme Court on Monday adjourned to July 25 the pleas of the Kerala government against Governor over the delay in approving bills passed by the state assembly. A bench of Justices P S Narasimha and A S Chandurkar deferred the matter after attorney general R Venkataramani sought time. Senior advocate K K Venugopal, appearing for the Kerala government, sought to withdraw the plea saying that the issue had become infructuous in view of the recent judgment passed in the Tamil Nadu Governor case. Venkataramani and solicitor general Tushar Mehta opposed the submission and urged the court to await the top court's decision on the reference of President under Article 143 of the Constitution over the grant of assent to bills. Mehta said the Kerala government's petition could also be referred to be tagged along with the presidential reference. Calling it strange , Venugopal asked how could his plea be opposed. "Why my lords are hesitant for the state to withdraw the petition? There has

Kerala nurse on death row in Yemen: Husband hopes for a positive response

Thomas met with the Kerala Governor, Rajendra Arlekar, recently, who offered support to Nimisha's mother through video conferencing

Kerala health min chairs review meeting on Nipah virus, 461 in contact list

'It has been ensured that all the people on the high-risk list remain in quarantine. No person in the contact list is left unaccounted for. Police help has been sought for this,' Veena George said

Centre gave no funds for Kerala's coastal protection: Minister Saji Cherian

Kerala Fisheries Minister Saji Cherian on Saturday claimed that the central government has not given a single rupee for protecting the 600-km long coastal area of the state from getting flooded by sea water during the rainy season. According to Cherian, the Centre was requested to provide funds for coastal region protection, "but not a single rupee was given". Despite the lack of aid from the Centre, the Left government has implemented the most number of welfare projects for the people of the coastal region. He was speaking with reference to the recent protests in Chellanam here over coastal erosion and flooding of homes in the area by sea water. He also said the state government was carrying out work for protection of the coastline at various places, including Chellanam here and Chethy in Alappuzha district, but availability of raw materials, like rocks, is a problem. "So, we shifted to tetrapods from rocks. Now we are exploring the possibility of using geotubes and if it can be

British fighter jet stranded in Kerala to be repaired at airport hangar

The F-35 stealth jet diverted to Kerala after failing to land on its carrier due to bad weather or technical snag and will now be repaired at the airport's MRO facility

Tensions at Kerala Univ as SFI demands removal of Bharat Mata portrait

Tension prevailed at the Kerala University Senate campus here on Wednesday over the display of a portrait of Bharat Mata as part of a private function attended by Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar. Activists of the Students Federation of India (SFI), the students' wing of the ruling CPI(M), engaged in a war of words with the organisers of the event, Padmanabha Seva Samithi, and police, demanding to remove the portrait from the senate hall. However, the organisers, a pro-right wing outfit, said they would not remove the Bharat Mata portrait from the stage as part of the event as they booked the hall after meeting all necessary procedures. SFI leaders and university syndicate members, however, made it clear that they would not allow the programme to be held if the portrait was not removed from there, triggering tense moments on the campus. Notwithstanding the tense situation, the governor reached the campus and attended the event. Besides the SFI activists, the workers of the ...

Kerala Raj Bhavan denies reports of seeking central security for Governor

The Kerala Raj Bhavan on Saturday termed as "absolutely baseless" the reports that it proposes to seek protection by the central forces for the Governor in view of the protests against him by some youth and student organisations. In a statement, the Raj Bhavan said there was no such move or plan on its part and that there was no threat -- direct or indirect -- to the Governor. It further said that Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar has total faith in the commitment to duty and efficiency of the Kerala Police in the discharge of their responsibility. "They have been performing their duty extremely well and to the best of the Raj Bhavan's satisfaction. The Raj Bhavan, Kerala strongly rules out any threat, direct or indirect, to the Governor," the statement said. The Raj Bhavan said that the reports being carried out by a section of the media are "much ado about nothing and are only a figment of their imagination and speculation". "The media people are hereby requested to restrain

Kerala govt revises Bakrid holiday to June 7, faces backlash over cutback

The Kerala government on Thursday announced that Saturday, June 7, will be a public holiday in observance of Bakrid, following reports that the festival will be celebrated across the state on that day. Earlier, the government had declared Friday, June 6, as the holiday for Bakrid. However, with the festival falling a day later, authorities have revised the decision. As a result, June 6 (Friday) will now be a regular working day. The updated holiday on June 7 will apply to all government offices, public sector undertakings, educational institutions including professional colleges, and institutions governed by the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881, the government order said. Officials said the change was made to ensure the holiday aligns with the actual date of celebration observed by the people. The Muslim Students Federation (MSF), the student wing of the Indian Union Muslim League, criticised the Kerala government for cutting the Bakrid public-holiday period to a single day. In a

Kerala CM calls for controlled, democratic use of natural resources

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday called for sustainable and environment friendly development in the state and controlled and democratic use of natural resources. In a Facebook post on the occasion of World Environment Day, Vijayan said that currently it is an era of increasing crisis due to climate change and environmental degradation and therefore, collective responsibility to protect the ecosystem is important. "The development of the state should be sustainable and environment friendly. Instead of blind capitalist exploitation, we should ensure controlled and democratic use of natural resources," he said. The CM said that this year's World Environment Day theme was to stop the widespread plastic pollution. He called for building a developed world for future generations while also preserving a healthy nature.

Pension remarks meant to show govt's delay in payment, arrears: Venugopal

Congress general secretary K C Venugopal on Wednesday clarified that his remarks about welfare pension disbursement by the Kerala government were aimed at showing how much delayed it was and that arrears were partially cleared usually close to elections. Venugopal, the MP from Alappuzha Lok Sabha constituency, said his remarks were "deliberately misinterpreted" by the CPI(M) to "mislead" the people. "I did not say anything against the beneficiaries who deserve to get the pension on time. I only intended to point out the state government's priority with regard to its payment. "Last year, two out of seven months arrears were paid just before the Lok Sabha polls. This year, one month's arrears is being paid just before the by-poll," he told reporters. He alleged that while the government has enough funds to take care of "PR work" for itself and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, it is unable to pay pension arrears on time or increase the honorarium of Accredited Social Health Activist .

Centre denying Kerala its rightful share in tax devolution: CM Vijayan

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday slammed the Centre, accusing it of denying the State its rightful entitlement in the tax devolution.

Kerala launches 'Jyothi' to ensure education for migrant workers' children

The Kerala government has launched a comprehensive initiative aimed at ensuring access to education for the children of migrant workers. Titled "Jyothi", the programme seeks to bring all children of migrant workers aged 3 to 6 into the anganwadis while ensuring those aged 6 and above are fully integrated into public schools, a CMO statement said here on Wednesday. Migrant workers form an essential part of Kerala's workforce, with over 35 lakh workers contributing across various sectors, it said. Many live in the state with their families, making it imperative to extend Kerala's legacy of universal and free public education to their children as well. The initiative also focuses on fostering cultural and educational inclusion, it said. This project marks a crucial step in advancing the welfare and empowerment of migrant workers and reaffirms the Kerala Government's commitment to inclusive development, the CMO statement added.

Centre in SC opposes Kerala's stand to withdraw plea against governor

The Centre in the Supreme Court on Tuesday opposed Kerala government's stand to withdraw its petition against Governor over the delay in approving bills passed by the state assembly. The submission of senior advocate K K Venugopal, appearing for the Kerala government, before a bench comprising Justices P S Narasimha and Joymalya Bagchi was opposed by solicitor general Tushar Mehta. These are constitutional issues. It cannot be filed lightly and withdrawn lightywe are working on the issues involved, Mehta said. Calling it strange, Venugopal asked how could his plea be opposed. When a person of your stature withdraws then even withdrawal has to be taken seriously, Mehta added. Venugopal said the petition, which was filed against the delay on the part of Governor in granting assent to bills, had become infructuous as the bills were sent to President later. He said the aspect was challenged in a subsequent plea of the state government. The bench acknowledged that the state had the r

PM Modi inaugurates Vizhinjam port, calls it India's maritime turning point

Vizhinjam is India's first dedicated container transshipment port and also its first semi-automated one. It will handle container, break-bulk and multi-purpose cargo

Women CPO rank holders stage blood-soaked protest in Kerala on Vishu

Marking the 13th day of their ongoing agitation, women Civil Police Officer (CPO) rank holders staged a protest in front of the Secretariat, here, on Vishu day (Monday), holding placards written in their own blood. Dressed in black as a symbol of protest, the demonstrators drew attention to the imminent expiry of the rank list on April 19. With just five days remaining, the rank holders said they have repeatedly tried and failed to initiate talks with the authorities. As part of the symbolic protest, they collected their blood to write the message "Save WCPO 585/2022," underlining their urgent appeal for action. The women CPI rank list holders have been staging protest alleging that the government is willfully ignoring the rank list as only a few persons have received appointment from the list came into existence in 2022. Last week, the protestors attempted to meet the Chief Minister by visiting his office in the Secretariat but had to return as they failed to secure an ...

Kerala rolls out 'K-Smart' in panchayats to make govt services accessible

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that Governance becomes meaningful only when everyone experiences its benefits and that K-Smart is an effort to realise this vision

Kerala government orders probe into disturbing workplace harassment video

Kerala firm under fire after viral video shows staff crawling with leashes, sparking outrage and multiple probes by police, labour department and rights panels

Protesting ASHA workers accuse INTUC of betrayal; union denies claim

The ASHA workers protesting outside the Secretariat for 55 days on Saturday accused the Congress-affiliated INTUC of betraying them by suggesting the setting up of a committee to examine their demands in the recent discussion with the government, an allegation denied by the trade union. The third round of discussions between Kerala Health Minister Veena George and the protesting Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers two days ago had failed to reach an agreement, as the agitators refused to accept the government's proposal to form a panel to consider their demands and provide recommendations. S Mini, state vice president of the Kerala ASHA Health Workers Association (KAHWA) whose members are carrying out the agitation, told a TV channel that the proposal for the committee first came from R Chandrasekharan, state president of the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC). She said that, thereafter, INTUC and the other trade unions, which were invited for the talks, ...

Kerala CM's daughter T Veena to be prosecuted in illegal payment case

Opposition Congress is planning a statewide protest, demanding the resignation of the chief minister

BJP leader urges Kerala govt to enforce new law against illegal migration

Senior BJP leader V Muraleedharan on Saturday called on the Kerala government to strictly enforce the newly passed legislation aimed at curbing the influx of illegal migrants in the state. Addressing reporters here, he said a large number of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh are arriving in Kerala under the guise of guest workers, and stressed that the law should be implemented in the state without fail. The Immigration and Foreigners Bill, 2025 was passed by the Lok Sabha on Thursday, with Home Minister Amit Shah asserting that those who come to India for business, education and investment are welcome, but those who pose a threat to security will face stringent action. Muraleedharan also claimed that these illegal immigrants, posing as guest workers, are involved in the spread of narcotics in the state. "So, it is essential to implement the new law for the peaceful life and safety of ordinary people here," he said. Criticising the Congress-led UDF over the matter, the former uni