Page 7 - Kerala Government

Congress in Kerala demands probe by central agency into Kannur blast

The Congress in Kerala on Friday demanded a probe by a central agency into the recent blast in Kannur district that claimed one life and injured three others, alleging that the state police cannot be trusted to safeguard the evidence in the case. Youth Congress state president Rahul Mamkootathil, while talking to reporters in this district, said that a probe by a central agency was necessary to ensure that the police do not destroy the evidence in the case. "Bomb making is a serious issue," he added. Similar views were aired by P K Firos, the general secretary of the Muslim Youth League's Kerala State Committee. Firos claimed that the police were hiding details about the case as well as the health condition of those injured in the blast. Therefore, there is an apprehension that the police might not carry out a proper probe, he alleged. A country-made bomb, while being made, had exploded on April 5 at Panur in Kannur and had stirred the political waters in the state which is headi

Kerala Govt initiates legal action over fake narrative against state

The Kerala government on Thursday initiated legal action against an allegedly fake communal narrative on social media against the state. The General Education Department in Kerala on Thursday said that it has filed a complaint against a social media handle on X identified as 'Mr. Sinha'. The department contended that a page of a book was posted on that handle falsely claiming that its communal contents were taught in Kerala schools and that was "how commies (communists) brainwash the little kids". General Education Minister V Sivankutty said a complaint has been filed with the state police chief regarding the "dissemination of false propaganda" aimed at the Kerala Government. "This book is not published by the Kerala Govt's Education Department. Merely another endeavor to incite animosity towards the state. Those acquainted with us understand the camaraderie & unity among the people of the state. No room for hatred - precisely why communal agenda fails to take root here," ...

Media freedom has disappeared under BJP regime, says Kerala CM Vijayan

Media freedom has disappeared under the BJP rule, with the Sangh Parivar relentlessly targeting those outlets that do not sing praises for the regime, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan alleged on Monday. He was reacting to news reports that the BBC's Indian newsroom has ceased operations. The UK-based BBC had recently restructured its operations in India to comply with the country's foreign investment rules. Addressing the media here , Vijayan said reports claimed that BBC was compelled to make this decision due to persistent vindictive actions by the Income Tax Department. "Media freedom has disappeared under the BJP rule, with the Sangh Parivar relentlessly targeting media outlets that do not sing praises for the regime. The BBC's ordeal serves as a stark reminder that this election is an opportunity to address and resolve such issues," Vijayan said. He further said authoritarian regimes always try to control the media and the reminiscent symptoms of India's Emergency era a

Won't allow BJP's communal politics to take root in Kerala: CM Vijayan

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday said the Left will not allow the communal politics of the BJP to take root in the state and ensure that the saffron party does not win a single seat in the Lok Sabha polls. Addressing the media here, Vijayan said the Left will overcome the challenges posed by the Sangh Parivar to the nation and its people and will work towards ousting them from power. "We are contesting this election with an aim to bring down the BJP from power and that's why we have actively joined the anti-BJP front at the national level. We would like to make one thing clear. The BJP will not only face defeat in all 20 seats, they will even fail to secure the second position in any constituency this time," Vijayan said. He noted that this election will decide the future of the country and there is no point in voting for the Congress party. "People have understood that there is no point in voting for the Congress party from their experience in the last five years

Kerala CM slams Cong over absence of their and IUML flags in Rahul's rally

A day after Congress MP Rahul Gandhi kicked off his poll campaign for Wayanad Lok Sabha seat by holding a roadshow, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday alleged the grand old party did not show its and ally IUML's flags during the event as it was scared of BJP. The CM also hit out at the Congress MP alleging that Gandhi "lacked the courage" to publicly display his own party's flag. Vijayan contended the stand taken by the Congress indicates it wants the votes of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) but it is not acknowledging the flag important to the IUML. "The Congress has fallen to a level where it is afraid of communal forces," he claimed during a press conference here. Vijayan further alleged the grand old party was forgetting itself in front of the Sangh Parivar and was scared to show its own flag and "which is not expected from a party going to the Lok Sabha as the representatives of the people". "They (Congress) need clarity of thought and a firm stand as th

Women politicians struggle in Kerala despite support for Reservation Bill

When the historic "Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam" was passed in Parliament last year, jubilant women politicians, cutting across parties, broke into celebration distributing sweets and exuding confidence that it would enable them to get a fairer deal in the upcoming elections. Celebrations over the passage of the landmark Bill were no less in Kerala, where over 1.40 crore voters are women and 50 per cent seats are reserved for them in local bodies. Although the Women's Reservation Bill would be implemented only after 2029 Lok Sabha polls, female politicians widely expected that they would get a remarkable representation in the candidates' list of the general elections. On the contrary, they continued to get a raw deal in the southern state from the parties that had waxed eloquent about the passage of the historic Bill. While the major fronts, the CPI(M)-led LDF and Congress-led UDF, have given three and one seat respectively to women, the BJP-led NDA has set aside five seats for the

Kerala paid Rs 26,000 cr in March to various sectors: State FM Balagopal

Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal on Saturday said that despite a fiscal pressure, the state government made payments to the tune of Rs 26,000 crore to various sectors in March alone. Talking to the media after visiting the treasury here in the state capital on the last working day of the fiscal year, Balagopal said, "We made payments to the tune of Rs 26,000 crore in this March alone. This is higher than the last fiscal year. We made payments to various sectors at a time when we were facing financial pressure." He said the state government effectively intervened to manage the financial crisis and an interim application on the borrowing limit and other matters are pending before the Supreme Court. Balagopal added that the apex court recently ruled in the state's favour as there was substance in its arguments regarding the financial strangulation. The apex court was hearing a suit filed by the Kerala government that alleged that the Union of India was regulating the state's ...

Two of four Kerala youth forced into Russia-Ukraine war to return home

Two of the four Kerala-based youths who fought in the war against Ukraine after being recruited into the Russian army by private agencies will soon return home to their families, Union Minister of State (Mos) for External Affairs V Muraleedharan has said. The MoS said on Tuesday evening that the Indian Embassy was readying their travel documents to return from Russia. "We expect that they will soon return home," Muraleedharan, who is contesting from the Attingal Lok Sabha constituency in the upcoming 2024 general elections, told reporters. Regarding the remaining two residents of the state, the MoS said the External Affairs Ministry was in talks with the Russian government to bring them back as well. "Rest assured we are taking strong measures to ensure their return," he said. According to the relatives of the three men, he said that they were taken to Russia by a recruitment agency with the promise of a whopping salary of Rs 2.5 lakh. Earlier, Muraleedharan had said that authori

LS polls: Kerala enrols over 300,000 young voters to electoral roll

As many as 3,11,805 new voters have registered since the release of the draft Electoral Roll on October 23, 2023

Cong organises dharna in front of Kerala Raj Bhavan against CAA enforcement

The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee on Wednesday organised a dharna in front of the Raj Bhavan here to protest against the Central government's decision to enforce the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019. Addressing the dharna, Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly, V D Satheesan, alleged that the BJP-led government issued the CAA notification to divide the people along communal lines. "When the Congress was in power at the Centre, we brought several legislations to uplift the lives of the poor. But when the BJP came to power, they enacted laws to divide the people for political purposes," the Congress leader alleged. He said that the Congress will fight the law and there will be no compromise on it. Several leaders of the party, including UDF convenor and senior party leader M M Hassan, CWC member and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor, and Attingal MP Adoor Prakash, attended the function.

Kerala CM Vijayan to hold urgent meeting to review animal attacks: Minister

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has convened an urgent meeting on March 14 to discuss the issue of increasing occurrences of human-animal conflict in the state, Forest Minister AK Saseendran said on Wednesday. Saseendran said that wild animals, including elephants, cannot be stopped from coming out of the forests by only implementing the preventive measures being followed currently. "We also need to take steps to keep the animals inside the forests in tune with the changes in human settlements," he told reporters. The minister said that in the meeting to be held tomorrow, besides strengthening the preventive measures, he also expects that directions would be issued to explore ideas to ensure that wild animals stay inside forests. His statement came in response to reporters' queries about unconfirmed reports of elephants entering inhabited areas in Munnar area of Idukki district today morning. When asked about an elephant found in a weak condition in Athirappilly area of ...

Lok Sabha polls: PM Modi set to visit Kerala again on March 15, 17

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Kerala's Palakkad on March 15 to campaign for the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) candidates for the Lok Sabha polls, party sources said here on Monday. Following this, on March 17, Modi will undertake another visit to Pathanamthitta to rally support for Anil K Antony, the BJP candidate and son of Congress stalwart A K Antony, sources said. Party sources said that Modi will conduct a massive roadshow upon his arrival in Palakkad. Although there won't be any public meetings, preparations for the Palakkad event are currently underway, they said. During his Palakkad visit, Modi is expected to focus his efforts on campaigning for three National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidates contesting from Palakkad, Alathur, and Ponnani Lok Sabha constituencies, they said. The official social media pages of the BJP's Palakkad and Pathanamthitta district committees have announced Modi's fourth and fifth visits to the state within a span of three

LS polls: If Congress wins it might align with BJP, says Kerala CM Vijayan

Addressing the event, the Chief Minister said, "If the BJP wins, the party will remain. However, if Congress wins, tomorrow they might align with the BJP"

LS polls: Vijayan highlights Kerala's PSC's job creation record to youth

Reaching out to the youth ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday said Kerala PSC is far ahead of the UPSC and other state PSCs in creating employment opportunities in the public sector. "Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) is setting an example for the entire country by making record appointments. More than 230,000 job recommendations have been issued since June 2016. The state government has created around 30,000 additional posts during this period," Vijayan said, addressing the Chief Minister's face-to-face programme with the youth, organised here. He claimed that the state made this achievement at a time when millions of posts are lying vacant in central services and other states. "The Union Public Service Commission has made only 16,434 appointments in central services across India since 2018. But during the same period, Kerala PSC created a record in appointments. The State Public Service Commission of Uttar Pradesh, with a population eight

Kerala govt slams Centre's stand over 'conditional' nod to borrow money

The Kerala government has flayed the Centre's stand to allow the state to borrow money only if it withdrew the case before the Supreme Court, terming it "highly disappointing" and detrimental to fiscal federalism. Addressing media here on Monday, state Finance Minister K N Balagopal claimed that the central government has informed the apex court that if Kerala withdraws its petition, the government will give the state permission to borrow around Rs 12,000 crore on Monday itself. "The state government has filed the case in the Supreme Court for the fund which is rightfully ours," he said. "The Union government's stand is highly disappointing and will affect the fiscal federalism of the state and the day-to-day activities of the state government," Balagopal added. "Our lawyer Kapil Sibal argued for us and said we were seeking the amount that is rightfully ours. We have filed the petition seeking the fund as per our constitutional rights. They have asked us to withdraw our plea and it

Kerala CM urges global standards in research for education institutions

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday stressed on the need for a serious introspection of the inability of the state in achieving global standards in the area of research. He said his government has been spending huge amount in the research sector for the last three years and it is not seen as an expense but as an investment for the future. Kerala is the state which spends the highest amount for disbursing scholarship to students, he remarked while addressing a gathering ahead of an interaction with select college students at the Malabar Christian College here. "We should think seriously about Kerala's inability to attain world-class standards in the area of research. We are failing to achieve in-house excellence. We should think about it seriously and suggest solutions," he said. Listing various programmes implemented by the Left government in the higher education sector, the Chief Minister said their objective was not superficial changes but thorough reforms in tune wi

Kerala govt issues advisory to public as temperature rises across state

As temperatures rose across Kerala, the state government on Saturday issued an advisory for the people, urging them to stay hydrated. The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority has issued an alert indicating above-normal maximum temperatures in Kannur, Kottayam, Kozhikode and Alappuzha districts on Saturday. State Health Minister Veena George warned people of heatstroke and other diseases during the summer season. "One should drink plenty of fluids and avoid strenuous outdoor activities during the hottest times of the day," the minister said in a release. The government also urged the people to wear loose clothes and add more fruits and salads to their diet. With temperatures soaring by the day in the state, the Kerala government said it was planning to implement a "water-bell" system at schools to ensure that students drink adequate water to keep their bodies hydrated during summer. Kerala is the first state to introduce this system in the country, state General Education ...

Kerala court rejects corruption complaint against CM over sand mining

A Kerala court has rejected a complaint alleging corruption by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and various officials back in 2019 in connection with a government order permitting removal of sand from the Thottappally coastal area in Alappuzha district. Enquiry Commissioner and Special Judge, Kottayam, M Manoj dismissed the complaint saying that prima facie none of the offences, under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the IPC, as alleged against the CM and others in the complaint were disclosed. "The averments in the complaint do not disclose any offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 or under any other law. "The complicity of the respondents in any of the alleged offences are not prima facie made out and disclosed as per the averments in the complaint." the judge said in his order dated February 7. The complaint was moved by the President of the Karimanal Khanana Virudha Ekopana Samithi alleging that atomic mineral sand extracted from Thottappally coastal area in t

Not right, difficult to implement: Kerala CM on PM's ration shop posters

He further said that the centre had also directed the installation of PM's selfie points in 550 selected ration shops across the state, adding that FCI officials were also directed to check them

Kerala to form panel to monitor wild animals' movement across state borders

A day after a 42-year-old man was trampled to death by a wild elephant at Wayanad's Mananthavady, the Kerala government on Sunday decided to form an inter-state coordination committee to monitor the movement of wild animals across state borders. State Forest Minister A K Saseendran, after an evaluation meeting held here, told the media that Wayanad district, which has been witnessing higher number of man-animal conflicts recently, will receive two more Rapid Response Teams (RRT) in addition to the one it has now. "An inter-state coordination committee will be formed before February 15 which will discuss the further course of action. As of now, there are three forest divisions in Wayanad. A special cell for these three divisions will be formed and a nodal officer will coordinate the functions," Saseendran said. He added that of the 500 beat forest officers from today's passing out parade, 170 will be posted in Wayanad. The minister also informed that the elephant which trampled ...