Page 23 - Kerala

Kerala govt urges BJP to amend fireworks rules for Thrissur Pooram festival

The Left government in Kerala has taken strong exception to the recent gazette notification issued by the Centre stipulating certain conditions for conducting fireworks, contending that these would be detrimental to the smooth conduct of the iconic Thrissur Pooram festival. In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, State Revenue Minister K Rajan expressed that the notification issued by the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry on October 11 has brought "utter disappointment" to Pooram enthusiasts, for whom fireworks are an "integral part" of the festival. He sought the prime minister's personal intervention to amend the rules in order to allow the Thrissur Pooram to proceed with all its festivities and rituals. Among other stipulations, Condition No 2 requires that the licensed magazine be located at least 200 metres away from the display site. Noting that under the Explosive Rules of 2008, the prescribed distance had been 45 metres, the letter stated that the increase in thi

Wayanad just second seat for Gandhi family, alleges NDA candidate

The NDA candidate for Wayanad Lok Sabha polls, Navya Haridas, on Sunday said the Gandhi family is considering the hill constituency as a mere "choice" or "second" seat" and people of the segment have realised this now. A two-time councillor in the Kozhikode Corporation, Haridas said what the voters of Wayanad want is a leader who stands up for them and resolves their problems. Addressing reporters in Kozhikode, the young leader said, as far as India is concerned, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is not a new face, but for Wayanad, she is a newcomer. "Priyanka is coming as a representative of the Gandhi family who had failed to raise the issues of Wayanad in the Parliament," she alleged. A techie-turned politician, Haridas, further criticised the Congress party for giving seats to Gandhi family members. She said people of Wayanad had given a mandate to Rahul Gandhi with the belief that he would be with them for the next five years. But when he got a chance to keep Raebareli, the Gandhi scion

Congress hits out at CM Vijayan over silence on Kannur ADM's death

The opposition Congress in Kerala has slammed Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan by questioning his silence on the alleged suicide of former Kannur ADM Naveen Babu following corruption allegations levelled against him by CPI(M) leader P P Divya. Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief K Sudhakaran and Leader of Opposition in the state assembly V D Satheesan both questioned why the CM was silent on the matter as he did not even convey his condolences to the bereaved family. Terming Babu as an honest and good officer, Sudhakaran alleged that the government was dragging its feet on investigating the matter. Similar allegations were made by Satheesan who claimed that Vijayan and his office were trying to save the culprits behind the alleged suicide of Babu. He also contended that the CPI(M) created a fake document to show Babu was corrupt and save Divya, the former Kannur District Panchayat President. Satheesan also sought to know why District Collector Arun K Vijayan kept silent

Wayanad bypolls: Cong leader Priyanka Gandhi to file nomination on Oct 23

If Priyanka Gandhi wins Lok Sabha polls, she will be the third MP from the Gandhi family in the current Parliament. Sonia Gandhi is a member of Rajya Sabha

Murine Typhus in Kerala: Everything about this rare bacterial disease

A Kerala man has been diagnosed with a rare bacterial disease Murine Typhus. According to a report, the man recently travelled to Vietnam and Cambodia. So what is this new rare disease

Wayanad Lok Sabha bypolls on Nov 13; Priyanka Gandhi eyes poll debut

Rahul Gandhi chose Rae Bareli, vacating Wayanad, after winning both seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The Congress party said that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would contest the bypolls there

Pilgrims without online booking to get darshan at Sabarimala: Kerala CM

The Kerala government on Tuesday made it clear that the pilgrims who visit Sabarimala without virtual queue booking will also be provided smooth darshan at the Lord Ayyappa temple. The Pinarayi Vijayan government backtracked from its earlier decision to provide darshan only through online registration during the upcoming pilgrimage season amidst widespread protest. Chief Minister Vijayan made the announcement in the Assembly, while replying to a submission by V Joy (CPI-M) in this regard. "Facilities for smooth darshan will be ensured for pilgrims who come without (online) registration as well...Darshan will be ensured to those who do not register online and those who come without knowing about the system," he said. Similar facilities had been provided in the hill temple during the last pilgrim season as well, he said. However, the chief minister, during his brief speech, didn't clearly state whether the spot booking system would be maintained as it was in the previous year, along

Kerala will press for more relaxation in CRZ, says state CM Vijayan

The Kerala government on Monday said it would continue adopting strong measures to secure further relaxation in the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) from the Centre, in line with the state's interests. The central government has approved the draft Coastal Management Plan prepared and submitted by the state to obtain relaxation in the regulation limit for the construction activities on the sea and backwater coasts, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told the state assembly. An official announcement in this regard is expected soon, and with this, the state would get related benefits, he said. The CM was replying to a calling attention motion by P Nandakumar on the CRZ issue in the House. In 2019, the union government had issued a notification to allow further relaxation in the Coastal Management Act, and the state appointed a three-member expert panel to study these concessions to make them completely beneficial to the state, he said. On the basis of the committee's report, detailed ...

Intervention of Centre, RBI needed to curb cyber financial fraud: Kerala CM

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday stressed on the need for a comprehensive cybersecurity framework for the financial ecosystem to address the increasing incidents of online financial fraud. He pointed out that the state has already sought joint intervention from the Centre and the Reserve Bank of India in this regard. With the growth of technology, cybercrime is also on the rise by the day, and the cyber police division of the state police is working effectively to check such frauds, the CM said. He was replying to a submission by Anvar Sadath (Congress) in the state assembly. "The state police have been creating widespread awareness through social media pages to guard against cyber financial frauds," the CM said. In Kerala, cyber police stations are there in all districts, and a toll-free number and exclusive website have been launched for people to lodge complaints against cyber crimes, he said. "Over 30,000 bank accounts involved in such frauds have already been

News Highlights: Faima calls for shutdown of elective services in hospitals from Monday

Catch all the latest news updates from around the world here

Kerala govt officers need CM's approval for official visits: Raj Bhavan

This clarification followed Governor Arif Mohammed Khan's recent statement regarding officers visiting the Raj Bhavan without prior authorisation from the CM

Left govt 'defensive' on harassment incidents in Hema Committee report: UDF

The Congress-led UDF opposition on Friday claimed the Left government in Kerala was on the "defensive" about the incidents of sexual harassment and abuse mentioned in the Justice K Hema Committee report and that is why it was not being discussed in the state Assembly. The opposition allegation came after Speaker A N Shamseer denied permission to a notice moved by the UDF MLAs to adjourn the House and discuss the issue of alleged lack of further probe in connection with findings in the report. Shamseer said that permission was being denied as the issue was under the active consideration of the Kerala High Court. Raising strong protest against the Speaker's decision, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, V D Satheesan, claimed the notice was moved as Shamseer himself had said the issue should not be raised as a question in the House and to move a submission or something else. "It is an insult to the House if we do not discuss this issue which concerns women. We are strongly protestin

Fair probe required on complaint accusing Kerala CM of stirring Left: UDF

The Congress-led UDF opposition on Thursday demanded a fair probe into the complaint against Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan accusing him of making a speech instigating brutal assaults against Youth Congress members during the Nava Kerala Sadas outreach programme of the government last year. Leader of Opposition in the state assembly V D Satheesan made the demand in a submission in the House where he contended that a magisterial court has ordered a probe against the CM on the complaint. Responding to the submission on behalf of the CM, state Excise and Parliamentary Affairs Minister M B Rajesh said that the court has only asked the police to investigate whether there are sufficient grounds to proceed further with the complaint. "The court ordered the police to investigate under section 202 (1) of the CrPC as to whether there are sufficient reasons to proceed with the complaint and submit a report," Rajesh said. The court order of October 3 came on a complaint by Ernakulam ..

LDF govt agrees to debate Thrissur Pooram disruption issue in Assembly

The LDF government on Wednesday agreed to debate in the House an adjournment notice moved by the UDF opposition to discuss the need for a judicial probe into the disruption of the iconic Thrissur Pooram festival in April this year. State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs M B Rajesh, speaking on behalf of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, said that the adjournment notice' contents were similar to the notices moved on the last two days of the House. He contended that the opposition's intention behind moving the notice was to create a "political smokescreen" and raise in the Assembly the "wrong propaganda being spread through the media outside the House". "We will discuss the issue raised in the notice to reveal the opposition's true intentions," he said. In view of the government being agreeable to discuss the matter, Speaker A N Shamseer said the issue would be taken up at noon. The adjournment notice was moved by UDF MLAs, including Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, Anoop Jacob and K K

Gold smuggling remarks row: Kerala CM opposes Governor's summons

Chief Minister has issued a letter to the Rajbhavan stating that summoning officials without informing the elected government is beyond the constitutional authority of the governor

Kerala Assembly adjourned for the day after heated exchange between CM, LoP

The Kerala Assembly was adjourned for the day on Monday after a protest on the floor of the House following an intense verbal spat between Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan who traded charges. Angry opposition members climbed the podium of Speaker A N Shamseer who tried to conduct the business amid the ruckus, and even held a black banner preventing the House from seeing his face. The heated war of words between the CM and the LoP escalated after Vijayan strongly criticised the latter for attacking the chair. The controversy began when Satheesan announced the boycott of question hour, protesting the conversion of 49 starred questions into non-starred ones. Watch and Ward personnel had to forcibly push MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan (Congress) away when he tried to enter the Speaker's dias amidst the melee. A visibly angry CM rose and said blocking the Speaker's sight with banners cannot be allowed in the House at any cost. The slogans in the banner, .

Malayalam film actor Siddique questioned by SIT over rape allegations

Malayalam film actor Sidhique appeared before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Monday for questioning in connection with a rape case registered against him. The SIT, led by an IPS officer, is currently interrogating Sidhique at the Cantonment police station here. In her complaint, a young female actor alleged that Sidhique sexually assaulted her at a hotel in Thiruvananthapuram under the pretext of offering her a role in a film. The Supreme Court had granted Sidhique interim protection from arrest last week, after the Kerala High Court rejected his anticipatory bail plea. The High Court had cited the seriousness of the accusations and the need for custodial interrogation, while dismissing his bail plea. Sidhique has been booked under Sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. He claims the complainant has been harassing him with false accusations since 2019. This case is part of a broader investigation into allegations of sexual harassme

Kerala's rebranding push for private investment: Businesses wait and watch

The Communist bastion is looking to reinvent itself as a friendly destination for private investment. But its economic and business indicators aren't flattering

BJP state chief Surendran discharged by Kerala court from poll bribery case

A Kerala court on Saturday discharged BJP state president K Surendran and five others from the Manjeshwaram election bribery case. Surendran and the others were discharged by Kasaragod Sessions Judge Sanu S Panicker. The BJP state chief's lawyer told reporters that the court said that prima facie the case would not stand. The lawyer also said that the court accepted the defense argument that there was no need to go for trial in the case. He further said that the defense was able to prove that the case was a fabricated one and that there was a political conspiracy behind it. The detailed order is not yet available. Surendran, while talking to media outside the court after the verdict, recalled that he was saying right from the beginning: "truth will prevail". He added that it was a "well planned conspiracy to implicate him in the false case to destroy his political prospects". "Leaders of the CPI(M), Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) were behind the conspiracy,"

3-level probe ordered by cabinet into Thrissur Pooram disruption: Kerala CM

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday said the state cabinet has ordered a three-level probe into the disruption of the Thrissur Pooram festivities in April this year. One of the investigations would be by the state police chief against any alleged failures on the part of ADGP (Law and Order) M R Ajithkumar with regard to the Pooram disruption, Vijayan said at a press conference held here after the cabinet meeting. The CM said the decision for a three-level probe was taken as a report given by ADGP Ajithkumar regarding the Pooram disruption "was not found to be comprehensive" and the state police chief had said there were failures on the part of Ajithkumar in connection with the festival. The other two probes would include a Crime Branch investigation into the various illegalities or crimes committed in connection with the Thrissur Pooram disruption and an inquiry by the Intelligence ADGP into any failures on the part of the various officials deputed to ensure the iconi