Page 2 - Kerala

Central Labour Codes won't be implemented in Kerala: Minister Sivankutty

Kerala Labour Minister V Sivankutty on Thursday made it clear that the Centre's Labour Codes would not be implemented in the state. Speaking to reporters here, Sivankutty said that the majority of the states have taken steps to implement the labour codes, but not Kerala. The minister further said that the Union Labour Ministry had called a meeting of all the states last month and there, Kerala had clearly indicated its stand that it would not implement the labour codes. When reporters asked whether the state succumbed to central pressure to prepare the draft regulations linked to the labour codes, he denied it. "If we were succumbing to central government pressure, we would have given a letter accepting the codes. we have not done that," he said. The draft regulation was notified in the state on December 14, 2021. He also asserted that the draft regulations were not prepared in secret. "It was done openly and I recommended in the file that public opinion be sought regarding it.

Sabarimala missing gold: Court gives Padmakumar's custody to SIT for 2 days

A Kerala court on Wednesday sent CPI(M) leader and former TDB president A Padmakumar to the custody of the SIT, which is probing the loss of gold from the Lord Ayyappa shrine in Sabarimala, for two days, police said. The special vigilance court granted the request of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) for Padmakumar's custody to question him in connection with the loss of gold from the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) door frames, police said. He has to be produced before the court on Thursday evening, when the custody period will get over, it said. According to the SIT appointed by the Kerala High Court, the former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president referred to the 'gold-plated copper plates' as 'copper plates' in the records. He was arrested last Thursday. Padmakumar, a former CPI(M) MLA who served as TDB president in 2019, is the eighth accused in the second case related to the missing gold from the Sreekovil door frames. The SIT is probing two cases, one involving gold lo

No need to postpone Kerala's SIR, process nearing completion: ECI tells SC

The Election Commission said 99 per cent of voters have already received the forms, and 50 per cent of the forms are already digitised

SIR form deadline Dec 4, not Nov 26: Kerala chief electoral officer

Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Ratan U Kelkar on Sunday said that the deadline for completing the distribution, collection, and digitisation of forms for the SIR of the electoral roll is December 4, as stipulated by the EC, and not November 26. At the same time, Kelkar said it is possible to complete the process a few days ahead of schedule, which would provide extra time to trace any voters who may have been left out during the Special Intensive Revision. Kelkar added that in many areas, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have already completed the distribution and collection of forms and would soon finish the digitisation process. He further said that camps have been set up in several locations where people can submit their forms directly for digitisation. "Through such a collective process, I am confident we can finish the work before the stipulated date of December 4," Kelkar told reporters at a digitisation camp here. "This will give us time to focus on any voters who may have been

SC issues notice to ECI on Kerala's petition seeking postponement of SIR

Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the Kerala government, submitted in the court that the SIR schedule clashes directly with the state's upcoming local body elections

SC seeks EC's response on pleas challenging SIR in Kerala, other states

The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear a batch of pleas challenging the Election Commission's decision to conduct Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Kerala, Uttar Pradesh and other states. A bench of Justices Surya Kant, SVN Bhatti and Joymalya Bagchi issued notice to the Election Commission on all the fresh petitions filed by different political leaders, challenging SIR exercises in different states on different grounds. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for a petitioner challenging SIR exercise in Kerala, submitted that local body elections are also scheduled to be held in the state and, therefore, there is some urgency involved in the matter. The bench directed the pleas challenging SIR exercise in Kerala will be listed on November 26 and rest of the petitions challenging electoral roll revision exercise in other states will be taken up for hearing in the first or second week of December. The top court is already hearing a batch of pleas challenging the validi

Brain-eating amoeba: Why Karnataka has warned pilgrims visiting Sabarimala

Kerala's sharp rise in Naegleria fowleri infections has led Karnataka to caution Sabarimala pilgrims, urging awareness of symptoms, risks, water-safety measures to prevent the highly fatal infection

Serene Communities, Asset Homes to build 4 senior-living projects in Kerala

Serene Communities by Columbia Pacific has partnered with Asset Homes to invest Rs 500 crore in four senior-living projects across Kerala

Kochi ranked among Booking.com's top 10 must-visit destinations for 2026

Booking.com's Travel Predictions 2026 shows Kochi rising among global hotspots as travellers seek hyper-individual journeys shaped by culture, memories, astrology and meaningful personal experiences

Proud moment: Kerala CM hails state's top ranking in Ease of Doing Business

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan hailed the state's repeated success in the national Ease of Doing Business rankings as a "proud moment", attributing the achievement to efficient governance and a focus on innovation. In an 'X' post on Tuesday night, the CM said the achievement reaffirms "our steady progress" in creating an investor-friendly ecosystem. "A proud moment as #Kerala shines again in the Ease of Doing Business rankings. Once more, the State has been placed in the top Fast Mover category in the Business Reforms Action Plan & Reduction of Compliance Burden, reaffirming our steady progress in creating an investor-friendly ecosystem," Vijayan said. With 99.3 per cent reforms implemented, up from 91 per cent last year, Kerala continues to lead through efficient governance, teamwork, and a strong focus on innovation-driven growth, he added in the post. After receiving the honour from Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal in New Delhi, State Industries ...

High-powered panel grants approval to various projects under Nabard's RIDF

A high-powered committee headed by the Kerala chief secretary has granted in-principle approval to infrastructure development projects worth Rs 1,441 crore in the state under tranche 31 of NABARD's Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF), the Chief Minister's Office said on Saturday. The National Bank For Agriculture And Rural Development's (NABARD) RIDF tranches are annual allocations of funds for rural infrastructure development in India. The approvals granted to the various projects were announced in a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) on Saturday. The CMO statement said that various projects were recommended, considering the normative allocation of Rs 550 crore under RIDF tranche 31. Projects worth Rs 159.64 crore, which include the creation of Rapid Response Teams, construction of forest station complexes and infrastructure development of forest offices, have been approved for the Forest Department, it said. The Electricity Department has been sanctio

Ernakulam-Bengaluru Vande Bharat launched, first to link 3 southern states

The Ernakulam-KSR Bengaluru Vande Bharat, one of the four trains that Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off on Saturday, is the first inter-state semi-high-speed premium train service linking Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, the Southern Railways said. Since it links three states, the train will boost business and tourism, officials said. The eight-coach train traverses major cities of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, including Thrissur, Palakkad, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode, Salem, before reaching Krishnarajapuram and KSR Bengaluru. It is the third Vande Bharat train that originates from Kerala. "KSR Bengaluru-Ernakulam Vande Bharat Express will provide seamless connectivity between Ernakulam, the commercial capital of Kerala and the cosmopolitan city of Bengaluru," a press note from Southern Railway said. "The existing two Vande Bharat services, between Kasaragod and Thiruvananthapuram (via Kottayam), and Thiruvananthapuram and Mangaluru Central (via Alappuzha) intertwine the southern

Statsguru: Kerala outshines others in literacy and poverty reduction

Kerala marks a social milestone with zero extreme poverty and world-class human development metrics - but weak job creation and industry remain its Achilles' heel

Kerala govt sanctions ₹377.8 cr to repair Sabarimala pilgrimage routes

With the annual mandalam-makaravilakku pilgrimage in Sabarimala set to begin in a few days, the Kerala government said it sanctioned Rs 377.8 crore for the renovation of various roads used by Ayyappa devotees. The amount has been allocated for 82 roads across 10 districts, state Finance Minister K N Balagopal said on Sunday. While Rs 68.90 crore has been sanctioned for 14 roads in Thiruvananthapuram and Rs 54.20 crore for the renovation of 15 roads in Kollam, Rs 40.20 crore has been earmarked for the repair of six roads in Pathanamthitta, where the hill shrine is located, he said in a statement. According to the minister, the allocations for other districts are as follows: Rs 36 crore for nine roads in Alappuzha, Rs 35.20 crore for eight roads in Kottayam, Rs 35.10 crore for five roads in Idukki, Rs 32.42 crore for eight roads in Ernakulam, Rs 44 crore for 11 roads in Thrissur, Rs 27.30 crore for five roads in Palakkad, and Rs 4.50 crore for one road in Malappuram. The state ...

Educational reality show to spotlight school excellence in Kerala

Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education (KITE) is set to launch the fourth edition of its unique-in-India educational reality show, 'Haritha Vidyalayam,' this December. KITE is the technical arm of the state General Education Department. Haritha Vidyalayam is a pioneering initiative aims to showcase the achievements and best practices of the state's public education sector on a national platform, officials said in a statement here on Sunday. Government and aided schools are invited to apply for this edition by November 15. Applications are sought separately for primary schools and high school/higher secondary school categories. K Anvar Sadath, CEO, KITE, said schools will be selected for the preliminary round based on various crucial parameters, including academic and co-curricular activities, infrastructural facilities, social participation, digital education integration, recognised accolades, and unique, innovative school-specific activities. "The primary objective o

Kerala fares better than US on various social indicators: CM Vijayan

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday claimed that the state fares much better than the United States of America on various social indicators, like maternal and infant mortality rates, and termed it as "the real Kerala story". Vijayan, speaking after announcing the eradication of extreme poverty from the state at a public event here, said that it was a fact that Kerala's infant mortality rate and maternal mortality rate are lower than those in the US. "This is no small achievement. How did our state, with a GDP of just USD 167.90 billion, surpass the economic giant with a GDP of USD 30.51 trillion? We only have 0.55 percent of their GDP. Yet we managed to surpass America. This is the 'real Kerala story'," he said. Vijayan said that 22.3 mothers lose their lives per 100,000 births in the United States, while in Kerala it is 18. "In Kerala, there are five infant deaths per thousand births. In the United States, it is 5.6. While Kerala is far ahead with a literacy rate of

Vice-President CP Radhakrishnan to visit Kerala from November 3-4

This will be the Vice President's maiden visit to Kerala after assuming office

Kerala shows poverty can be eradicated with collective effort: CM Vijayan

Kerala is set to be declared the first state to eliminate extreme poverty, an achievement driven by coordinated efforts, as Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan explains in an interview to the media

Hockey player Manuel Frederick, Kerala's 1st Olympic medallist, dies at 78

Manuel Frederick, the first person from Kerala to win an Olympic hockey medal, died in a Bengaluru hospital, where he was undergoing treatment for cancer, on Friday morning, family sources said. He was 78. Frederick, who hailed from Kannur district of Kerala, was the goalkeeper of the Indian team that won the bronze medal by defeating Holland in the 1972 Munich Olympics. He played for the Indian team for seven years and was honoured with the Dhyan Chand Award in 2019 for his contributions to sports. He also has the distinction of being the goalkeeper who helped his team win 16 national championships in tiebreakers. Frederick started as a striker in football and a goalkeeper in hockey. He became active in hockey through the St. Michael's School team in Kannur. Born on October 20, 1947, Frederick played in the Bombay Gold Cup at the age of 17 and played his first international match for India in 1971. He is survived by his two daughters.

Bride's father wears QR code shirt to receive cash gifts at Kerala wedding

A father replaced the traditional gift envelopes with technology at his daughter's wedding - wearing a Paytm QR code on his shirt so guests could send their blessings digitally