Page 12 - Kerala

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 It cannot be filed lightly and withdrawn lightywe are working on the issues involved, Mehta said.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

Tharoor, Vijayan presence to give 'sleepless nights' to many: PM Modi

PM Modi said, 'I would also like to say to the Kerala chief minister, you are a very strong pillar of the INDI alliance'

NHRC notice to Kerala DG prisons over lack of help for inmates' education

The NHRC on Friday said it has issued a notice to Kerala's director general of prisons over reports alleging "non-availability" of infrastructure and manpower to help inmates in pursuing education online. "Another challenge is that some dangerous criminals are also now trying to apply for regular course as a devious tactic to get the interim release to facilitate travel outside the prison," the rights panel said in a statement quoting the reports. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken "suo motu cognisance of a media report highlighting the issue of non-availability of infrastructure and manpower to provide for the prisoners to pursue education in Kerala jails," it said. "Reportedly, the growing number of inmates, including those convicted of grave crimes, are choosing to turn their lives around by enrolling in regular or online educational courses, but the authorities are struggling to support their efforts," the statement said The Commission has observed that the .

PM Modi commissions Vizhinjam seaport, calls it key to economic growth

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday officially commissioned the Vizhinjam International Seaport, here, which was completed at an estimated cost of Rs 8,867 crore, and said the facility will bring economic stability to Kerala and India. Speaking after commissioning the port, Modi referred to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan as a "pillar" of the opposition INDIA bloc and told him and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, both of whom were on the dais, that the inauguration event will give "sleepless nights" to many. However, the person translating his speech did not translate it properly and it prompted the PM to say -- "the message has gone across to whom it was meant". Giving details of the development in the country, Modi said that India was among the top three nations globally on the number of seafarers and in the last 10 years, the capacity of our ports has doubled, their efficiency improved and the turnaround time there decreased by 30 per cent. Modi further said that the seaport has b

Malayalam actor Vishnu Prasad dies at 49 due to liver ailment, details here

Vishnu Prasad, a well-known Malayalam TV actor, died this morning at a private hospital in Kochi at the age of 49. He had been undergoing treatment for liver-related ailments for quite some time

Maharashtra leads in growth and governance; Gujarat and Karnataka follows

Gujarat topped the economic chart of the country, driven by strong performance in per capita Gross State Domestic Product, Foreign Direct Investment (% of GSDP) and Gross Fixed Capital Formation

Invest Kerala Summit: Works on projects worth Rs 4,410 cr to begin in May

Kerala Industries Minister P Rajeev on Saturday said works on 13 projects with a total investment of Rs 4,410 crore through the Invest Kerala Global Summit (IKGS 2025) will commence in May. Noting that these projects were submitted through Expressions of Interest (EoIs) at the IKGS held in February, Rajeev, who also holds Law and Coir portfolios, added in April alone, four projects worth Rs 1670 crore have started. Speaking after launching the web portals--- ikgseoi.kerala.gov.in and industrialland.kerala.gov.in-- he said: "From February to April, 76 projects worth Rs 1,385 crore as part of the reinvestment in ongoing and scaling up of projects related to IKGS are underway." The websites are launched for following up on the EoIs received during IKGS and creating a database of land parcels available in the state for industrial purposes, respectively. IKGS 2025 had received EoIs worth Rs 1.96 lakh crore,according to an official release. The Minister informed that a monthly progress

Kerala's Pala Bar Association makes history with all-women executive panel

In a historic move, the Pala Bar Association in Kerala has elected an all-women executive panel, setting a new precedent for gender-inclusive leadership in the legal profession

Pahalgam terror attack a 'murder of humanity': Kerala Governor after 26 die

Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Friday said here that the terror attack in Kashmir's Pahalgam was the "murder of humanity" and that the terrorists were trying to "wipe out" all the work that was done there by the Central government in the last few years. Arlekar also said that in the current circumstances citizens of India need to stand together as a nation, in an apparent reference to criticisms of security lapses from some quarters, including the Congress and the CPI(M). The Governor was speaking to reporters after paying his respects to the mortal remains of N Ramachandran, a resident of Edappally here, who was gunned down in the April 22 terror attack that claimed 26 lives. "It is a very sad moment not only for Kerala, but the entire country. In fact, what happened in Pahalgam was against humanity. This was a murder of humanity and we all are so saddened that we cannot express it," he said. "All that was done in the last few months and years is being wiped out by

SC rejects plea for CBI probe into death of Kerala's ADM Naveen Babu

A bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and K Vinod Chandran refused to interfere with the Kerala High Court order, which had declined to order a CBI investigation into his death

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 ...

Wayanad township rehabilitation work commences following Kerala HC order

Construction work of the township for the Wayanad landslides victims commenced early Saturday morning at the Elstone Estate near Kalpetta here. The work began a day after the Kerala High Court paved the way for the state government to take possession of the Elstone Estate land, meant for the project, after depositing an additional Rs 17.77 crore. A Wayanad district administration official said that following the High Court order on Friday, the District Disaster Management Authority held a meeting the same evening and decided to deposit the amount and take possession of the land. Thereafter, District Collector Meghashree D R and other concerned officials completed all the required formalities during the night, the official said. A representative of the Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society (ULCCS), the main contractor of the project, told media here that the construction work has commenced and it will move forward quickly. "The first thing to be done is to construct a road

The past and the present of new CPI(M) General Secretary M A Baby

Ensuring that the CPI(M) remains the largest Hindu party in Kerala - leaving little space for the BJP - is Mr Baby's central priority

Centre, NDMA can ask banks to waive loans of Wayanad landslide victims: HC

The Kerala High Court on Thursday said that while the RBI cannot ask banks to waive the loans of Wayanad landslides victims, the Union government and the National Disaster Management Authority can do so. A bench of Justices A K Jayasankaran Nambiar and Easwaran S said it will pass orders "nudging" the Centre and the NDMA to ask the banks to waive off the loans. The bench pointed out that the Kerala Bank had waived off the disaster victims' loans and it had an exposure of around Rs five crore. The High Court observed that if the Kerala Bank can do it, then the other banks, which have lesser exposure, can also do the same. "It only requires a bit of goading from the NDMA and the Union government," it said. The observations came in the wake of the central government filing an affidavit earlier in the week stating that according to the RBI's Master Directions on Natural Calamities, the loans of the Wayanad landslides victims can only be restructured or rescheduled. The bench also dir

Not waiving loans of Wayanad landslides victims 'betrayal': Priyanka Gandhi

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday said that the Union government decision not to waive loans of people affected by the landslides in Wayanad in July last year was a "betrayal". Priyanka, also the MP from Wayanad, was referring to the central government affidavit in the Kerala High Court stating that the loans can only be rescheduled or restructured in accordance with the RBI's Master Directions on Natural Calamities. "Wayanad landslide victims have lost everything -- homes, land, livelihoods. Yet, the government refuses to offer even a loan waiver. Instead, they get mere loan rescheduling and restructuring. This is not a relief. This is a betrayal," she said in a Facebook post. The Congress MP further said that she and her party "strongly condemn this apathy and stand shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters in Wayanad". "Their pain will not be ignored. We will raise their voices at every platform until justice is served," she said. The Centre'

Veteran Kerala leader Marian Alexander Baby elected CPI(M) party chief

Baby's election to the top post of the party, and the rejigged 18-member Polit Bureau-its highest decision-making body-where eight new members were inducted

MA Baby elected CPI(M) general secretary; second Keralite to hold post

MA Baby's long-standing experience in the party and his deep organisational roots ultimately won him the top post

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

Kerala Ezhava leader sparks row by calling Malappuram a 'separate nation'

Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan has made controversial remarks against Muslim-dominated Malappuram district in the state, describing it as a "separate nation" or an exclusive "state of certain people". SNDP is an organisation that represents the numerically strong Ezhava community in Kerala. While addressing a convention of community members at Chungathara here on Friday, Natesan said that people belonging to the backward community are living under constant fear in Malappuram. He charged that the community members could not even breathe freely here and were treated just as "voting machines". "I think, you (community members) cannot live here speaking your independent opinion. Malappuram is a separate nation...or a separate state of certain people." He further said that was the reason for the continuing backwardness of Ezhava people in Malappuram. He sought to know whether the community members in Malappuram have received any benef

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, ...