Page 2 - Kerala

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

Cabinet sub-committee on PM SHRI meant to deceive CPI, says Satheesan

Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala assembly, V D Satheesan claimed on Thursday that the government's move to form a cabinet sub-committee to examine the PM SHRI scheme after signing its MoU was an attempt to "deceive" the ruling LDF constituent CPI. He argued that the committee should have been formed beforehand. Satheesan was referring to the CPI(M)-led Left government's decision a day ago to put on hold the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme after facing stiff resistance from its ally, the Communist Party of India (CPI). The government has also decided to constitute a seven-member cabinet sub-committee to study the implementation of the scheme, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had said on Wednesday. Satheesan claimed that the CPI(M) was "deceiving" its coalition partner, the CPI, by such decisions. "Forming a cabinet sub-committee to study the scheme and its implementation should have been done before signing the Memorandum of ...

Kerala eyes $50 billion IT value by 2031 with new digital vision plan

The draft IT Vision 2031 aims to generate 5 lakh jobs, attract Rs 20,000 crore in startup investments, and make Kerala a global hub for ethical and sustainable technology

Heavy rain, strong winds lash Kerala; fisherman killed as boat capsizes

Heavy rain accompanied by strong winds lashed several districts across Kerala on Monday, causing waterlogging in low-lying areas, officials said. In Alappuzha district, a fisherman died after his boat capsized near the Arthunkal coast following a strong wind. Police said that the deceased is Paul Devasia, a native of Arthunkal. He went out for fishing early in the morning, and though other fishermen rescued him from the water, he later died, police said. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for Kozhikode, Kasaragod, and Kannur districts, indicating the possibility of rainfall of 115.6 mm to 204 mm within 24 hours. A yellow alert has also been issued for Wayanad, Malappuram, Palakkad, Thrissur, Ernakulam, Idukki, Kottayam, and Alappuzha districts, where rainfall of 64.5-115.5 mm is likely. The IMD further warned of strong winds across all districts in the state. Officials said heavy rain was reported in the northern districts since early morning, l

One dead, 49 injured after tourist bus overturns in Kerala's Kottayam

A woman passenger died and 49 others were injured after a tourist bus lost control and overturned at Cheenkallel here in the early hours of Monday, police said. The deceased has been identified as Sindhu, a native of Peravoor in Iritty, Kannur district. According to the police, all passengers were from Iritty and were returning home after visiting Kanyakumari and Thiruvananthapuram. The accident occurred around 1 am when the bus, while negotiating a curve on the MC Road stretch near Cheenkallel Church, lost control, overturned, and crashed into a tree. All 49 passengers on board were taken to a private hospital in Monippally and the Kottayam Medical College Hospital. Sindhu, who was rushed to Monippally, succumbed to her injuries. Police said around 18 passengers sustained serious injuries, though their condition is stable. The overturned bus was later removed using a crane to clear the traffic disruption. Kuravilangadu police have registered a case against the driver, Vinod, fo

Kerala will be free of extreme poverty on Nov 1: CM Pinarayi Vijayan

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday said that on November 1, when Kerala celebrates its formation or 'Piravi' day, it will be declared as the first state in the country without extreme poverty. Vijayan, in a post on social media platform X, said it would be the fulfilment of the first decision taken by the state government in 2021 when the LDF regime came to power for a consecutive second term. "Instead of a one-size-fits-all policy, the government identified 64,006 vulnerable families and created specific micro-plans for each one's unique needs," he said in the post. The CM further said that with an investment of over Rs 1,000 crore, the government has ensured daily food to 20,648 families with 2,210 of those receiving hot meals, necessary treatment and medicine to 85,721 individuals and housing for thousands. He said that more than 5,400 new homes were built or are under construction, 5,522 homes were repaired and 2,713 landless families received land to build their ...

Not just CPI, entire Kerala kept in dark on PM SHRI MoU: Congress leader

Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly V D Satheesan on Saturday said that the CPI(M) and Chief Minister Pinarayi VIjayan kept the whole of Kerala, and not just its ally CPI, in the dark while signing the PM SHRI Schools MoU and alleged that there was some "conspiracy" behind it. Congress leader Satheesan claimed that the Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme MoU was signed on October 16, less than a week after the CM met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 10, but was not informed to the state cabinet when it met on October 22. He said that Vijayan needs to disclose what alleged pressure or blackmailing from the Centre forced them to sign the MoU so "secretively". "The MoU was signed secretively without any information to its allies or the state cabinet. Even CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby and LDF convener T P Ramakrishnan were unaware," the opposition leader claimed. Satheesan said that all this indicated that the CM and state General Education ...

Heavy rains raise levels of dams, trigger mudslides in parts of Kerala

Heavy rains continued to lash parts of Kerala on Saturday leading to rise in water level of dams in Palakkad, Idukki and Thrissur districts. The rains also led to minor mudslides in parts of rural areas of Thiruvananthapuram district, causing damage to homes. Water levels in Walayar, Malampuzha, Moolathara, and Chuliyar in Palakkad dams approached their maximum storage capacities, prompting authorities to open the shutters by several centimetres. Water levels reached the 'red alert' status in various dams, including Ponmudi and Madupetty, in Idukki and 'orange alert' status in Sholayar dam in Thrissur. Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department informed that it would be releasing surplus water from the Periyar Dam. It said that two radial surplus shutters of Periyar dam R2 and R3 will be opened to one meter by 12 noon and five vertical surplus shutters V1, V2, V3, V4 and V5 will remain open at 1.5 meters The present discharge of water from the dam is 1780 cusecs (Cubic

Sabarimala gold theft case: SIT conducts searches in Ballari, Bengaluru

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the loss of gold from the Sabarimala temple conducted searches at the apartment of prime accused Unnikrishnan Potty in Bengaluru and at a jewellery shop in Ballari, officials said on Saturday. Potty was taken to Bengaluru as part of the investigation on Friday. Sources said the SIT searched the jewellery shop owned by Govardhan, who reportedly funded the gold-plating work of the temple's Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) door frame, which was officially sponsored by Potty. Officials said the SIT seized several gold bars from the jewellery shop. However, it is yet to be confirmed whether the seized gold was extracted from the gold-clad copper plates of the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols that were sent for electroplating in 2019, they added. The SIT has already recorded Govardhan's statement as part of the probe. Meanwhile, the team also searched Potty's apartment at Srirampura, Bengaluru, and visited an Ayyappa temple there, where he had

Datanomics: Kerala set to become India's first extreme poverty-free state

But its definition of extreme poverty was based on a lower floor of earning than the World Bank's

Barring hijab in school denies girls secular education: Kerala govt to HC

The Kerala government on Friday told the High Court here that not permitting a Muslim girl to wear her headscarf (hijab) to school was an "invasion" of her privacy and dignity and a "denial of her right to secular education". The government said the right of the girl to wear a headscarf in her house and outside it, "does not stop at the school gate". The submissions were made in an affidavit filed in response to a plea moved by the church-run St Rita's Public School at Palluruthy here challenging the General Education Department's directive to permit the Muslim girl to attend classes wearing her religious headscarf or 'hijab'. The school had also challenged the department's notice, which stated there was "serious malfunctioning" at the institute. When the matter was taken up on Friday, the lawyer appearing for the girl said that her parents had decided to discontinue her studies at the school and admit her to another institution. In view of the submission on behalf of the student'

World Bank approves $280 mn loan for health system improvement in Kerala

The World Bank on Friday said it has approved a USD 280 million loan for a health system programme in Kerala to improve the life expectancy and quality of life for 11 million elderly and vulnerable people. The programme aims to treat and support over 90 per cent of patients registered for hypertension and diabetes in the state through individual electronic tracking mechanisms. It will also establish a home-based care model for bedbound, homebound, and vulnerable elderly to provide comprehensive health services. "The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors have approved a new programme to improve the life expectancy and quality of life for 11 million elderly and vulnerable people in the state of Kerala through wider access to health coverage and resilient health systems," the World Bank said in a statement. The USD 280 million Kerala Health System Improvement Programme will build a more comprehensive health system resistant to climate shocks. It will also strengthen Kerala's digita

Orange alert in 8 districts of Kerala as heavy rains cause disruptions

Overnight heavy rains and strong winds brought down trees and power lines, damaging houses, vehicles and causing power and traffic disruptions in parts of Kerala. The continuous rains also caused waterlogging in low-lying areas in many parts of the state and rise in water levels of various rivers. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday issued an orange alert in eight districts of the state for three hours from 7 am. It also predicted the likelihood of thunderstorms with moderate to intense spell of rainfall and maximum surface wind speeds reaching 50 kmph in gusts during the day in isolated places in the state. An 'orange alert' denotes "very heavy" rainfall of 11 to 20 cm.

Kerala signs MoU with Education Ministry to join PM SHRI Schools scheme

Kerala on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding with the Centre to join the PM SHRI Schools scheme, officials said. It was after a prolonged spell of uncertainty that the Kerala government under the Left Democratic Front decided to become a signatory to the Central government's Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme, brushing aside objections raised by key coalition partner CPI. The scheme aims to develop infrastructure in two schools from each block with Central assistance. Each selected school receive an annual average assistance of Rs 1 crore for five years. Sivankutty confirmed that the decision to join the scheme has been communicated to the Centre, and the department's secretary has been instructed to sign the agreement. "This was the only way to secure the Centre's share of Rs 1,500 crore, which is pending for various educational programmes in Kerala," the minister said. Although the CPIM and the Department of General Education had agreed to join t

Prez Murmu unveils bust of ex-President KR Narayanan at Kerala Raj Bhavan

President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday unveiled the bust of former President, the late K R Narayanan, on the premises of Kerala Raj Bhavan here. The bust, erected to honour the first Indian President from the Dalit community, was unveiled in the presence of former President Ram Nath Kovind, Bihar Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, an official release said. In a brief speech following the ceremony, the President said that Narayanan's life is a story of courage, perseverance, and self-belief. "Through immense dedication and the power of education, he went on to occupy the highest constitutional office of our nation. His academic excellence was a symbol of what determination and opportunity can accomplish when guided by purpose," Murmu said. She said that before entering politics, Narayanan built a distinguished career in the Indian Foreign Service. He upheld India's values of peace, justice, and cooperation wit