Page 36 - Kerala

Why is Kerala holding polls for the Russian Presidential Elections

Russians in Kerala cast votes for Russian Presidential elections at designated booths as Presidential elections in Russia are underway. Watch the video to know more.

Lok Sabha polls: Lotus is going to bloom in Kerala this time, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the BJP will win seats from Kerala in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and said the people of the state were suffering from the corrupt and incompetent government. Addressing the public campaign here for candidates of the BJP-led NDA, he said, "Lotus is going to bloom in Kerala this time." Attacking the Left and the Congress in Kerala, Modi said the people of the state have endured hardship under governments plagued by corruption and incompetence. Modi said due to the corrupt and incompetent government in Kerala, people are suffering, and they will benefit only if the cycle of consecutive LDF and UDF governments is broken. "In the last elections, the people of Kerala made us the double-digit vote percentage party. And now, our destiny of double-digit seats here is not so far," Modi said. He said both the LDF and UDF governments have turned a blind eye to the struggles of rubber farmers. "Additionally, the state's law and order situation has

Kerala CM to inaugurate four new terminals of Kochi Water Metro Limited

Kerala Chief Minister to launch four new terminals of Kochi Water Metro Limited on March 14, 2024. The project cost is Rs 1,136.83 crore

LS elections 2024: Human-animal conflict a major talking point in Kerala

Amidst the serene landscapes and lush greenery of Kerala's hilly and forested districts, a troubling saga has unfolded in recent months, with communities facing a surge in human-animal conflicts that have left a trail of death, injury, and mounting economic losses in their wake. At least nine lives have been lost in Idukki and Wayanad Districts in the last three months, and numerous others have been injured in wildlife attacks, particularly by elephants, tigers and wild boars, among others. Livestock and cherished pets have tragically become prey to maulings, as elephants and wild boars stray from forests into agricultural areas, leaving farmers disheartened and distressed. As the state grapples with these tragic events, the issue has become a major talking point in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF), led by the Congress are pushing for amendments to the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972, which .

Will allow Kerala to borrow Rs 5,000 cr as exceptional measure: Govt to SC

The Centre told the Supreme Court on Wednesday it is ready to allow the Kerala government to borrow Rs 5,000 crore, subject to certain conditions, to deal with the financial issues facing the state as a "very special and exceptional measure". However, the Kerala government said Rs 5,000 crore "does not take us anywhere" and the absolute minimum requirement stood at Rs 10,000 crore. The Centre's statement came a day after a bench of Justices Surya Kant and K V Viswanathan asked it to consider providing a one-time bailout package to Kerala by March 31 to deal with the resource crunch. The apex court was hearing a suit filed by the Kerala government accusing the Union of India of interfering in the exercise of its "exclusive, autonomous and plenary powers" to regulate the state's finances by imposing a ceiling on borrowing. "However, giving utmost consideration to the suggestion of the court, as a very special and exceptional measure, not to be used or cited as a precedent by any othe

CAA in line with promise given by founding fathers: Kerala Governor

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that his government will not implement CAA in the state

AG&P Pratham reduces its CNG price by Rs 2.5 per kg in Kerala, Andhra

AG&P Pratham, one of the leading city gas distribution players in the country, has announced a price cut of Rs 2.5 per kilogram in the compressed natural gas sold at its outlets in Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. The price cut took effect from March 7, the company said in a release. With the reduction of Rs 2.5 per kg, the price of CNG sold at the company outlets in Thiruvananthapuram, Alappuzha and Kollam is Rs 85.50, the release has said. In Andhra Pradesh, the reduction is the same, but the prices would vary between Rs 90.50 and Rs 91.50, the company has said. The change in pricing "aims to enhance savings of CNG vehicle owners substantially and facilitate the widespread use of natural gas in the transportation segment", it has further said. Ajith V Nagandran, AG&P Pratham Regional Head, expressed enthusiasm about the price drop, stating that the company was excited to announce the CNG price reduction from the existing rate of Rs 88 per kg to Rs 85.50 per kg in its operating ...

Congress in Kerala in quandary as stalwart Karunakaran's daughter joins BJP

The decision of Padmaja Venugopal, daughter of former Kerala chief minister and Congress stalwart late K Karunakaran, to join the BJP has left the grand old party in a quandary in Kerala before the Lok Sabha polls. Padmaja officially joined the BJP at a function held at the party headquarters in New Delhi on Thursday. The saffron party has suggested that it marks the decline of the grand old party. Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief K Sudhakaran termed Padmaja's decision as "cheating and betraying" the party and a "breach of confidence". He added that there were no reasons for Padmaja to leave the party and it was a "wrong and unfortunate decision". The KPCC chief said that he himself had taken many decisions to protect her interests, but she disregarded all that to leave the party and join the BJP. "Nevertheless, as she is the daughter of the late K Karunakaran, we still have love and respect for her," he said. Emotionally reacting to the development, K Muraleedhara

Kerala's answer to Netflix: Launch its own OTT platform called CSpace

According to local media, as many as 42 films will be screened on the platform initially, which will be managed by the Kerala State Film Development Corporation

Kerala to launch India's first govt-owned OTT platform on March 7

Kerala is poised to make waves in the digital entertainment realm with the launch of CSpace, India's inaugural government-backed OTT platform. Set to debut this Thursday, the platform aims to deliver a unique blend of informative and entertaining content tailored for the masses, an official statement said here on Tuesday. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will launch the OTT platform at Kairali Theatre on March 7 at 9.30 am. Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cherian will preside. "CSpace is essentially a response to the growing imbalances and multifarious challenges in the OTT sector in terms of content selection and propagation," said Shaji N Karun, noted film director and Chairman, Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC), at a press conference here. CSpace is managed by KSFDC, a state-owned company entrusted with the promotion of Malayalam cinema and industry, on behalf of the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala. For selecting and approving the content, KSF

Govt issues advisory for its citizens in Israel following death of an Indian

India on Tuesday issued an advisory to its residents in Israel after a man from Kerala was killed and two others injured in an anti-tank missile strike on an orchard in Margaliot.

Centre's financial restrictions threaten cooperative federalism: Kerala FM

Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal said that the financial disparities imposed by the BJP-led Union Government on Kerala go beyond politics, posing a significant challenge to cooperative federalism, and called on the Central government to ensure fair treatment for all states. "The BJP-led Union Government's financial discrimination against Kerala is not just a political slogan but a question of cooperative federalism, and it is the duty of the Central government to protect the interests of the states," the minister told PTI in an interview on Monday night. Balagopal, who has been challenging the BJP-led Centre for its alleged discrimination against Kerala on financial matters for quite some time, said that the issue has now been raised by other non-BJP ruled states, including Congress-ruled Karnataka, as the states are feeling strangled by the Centre. "It's more than a political issue. This is a question of cooperative federalism," Balagopal said, when asked whether the alleged .

India issues advisory for its nationals in Israel after Kerala man killed

The advisory came a day after an Indian citizen was killed after an anti-tank missile fired from Lebanon struck an orchard near Israel's northern border community of Margaliot

Kerala sets record with 21.8 mn domestic tourist arrivals in 2023

Kerala has set a new record in domestic tourist arrivals in 2023 with 2.18 crore tourist footfalls, a 15.92 per cent increase from the previous year, Minister for Tourism and Public Works P A Mohamed Riyas said on Monday. In 2022, Kerala witnessed 1,88,67,414 domestic tourist footfalls. Significantly, domestic tourist arrivals recorded an increase of 18.97 per cent compared to 2019, the minister told a press conference here. In 2023, Ernakulam district witnessed the highest influx of domestic tourists with 44,87,930 visitors, followed by Idukki (36,33,584), Thiruvananthapuram (35,89,932), Thrissur (24,78,573), and Wayanad (17,50,267). The state also witnessed a healthy increase in international tourist arrivals with 6,49,057 visitors in 2023, as compared to 3,45,549 tourists in 2022, indicating a remarkable growth of 87.83 per cent. Ernakulam district was visited by 2,79,904 tourists from abroad, followed by Thiruvananthapuram (1,48,462), Idukki (1,03,644), Alappuzha (31,403), and

Corporate-controlled media failed in reporting from Palestine: Vijayan

The corporate-controlled media has failed in delivering accurate news from war-torn Palestine and a similar influence can be witnessed in the Indian media as well, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Saturday. Inaugurating the three-day international media festival at the Kerala Media Academy here, Vijayan said at the global level, the policy of the media has greatly been to hide the atrocities of Israel. "This is a time when media freedom is facing challenges across the world and in India as well. The world was in shock to know that over a hundred journalists lost their lives in the Israeli attack on Palestine's Gaza. Not just journalists, but women and children are also being murdered mercilessly," Vijayan said. Palestine is a free country and Israel has made Gaza an open jail but the corporate media houses have managed to keep this fact from the rest of the world, the CM said. The Left leader said, "The corporate-controlled media has failed in delivering accurate news

Centre raises concern about 5 states not signing PM SHRI School MoU

The Centre has expressed strong concerns about five states not signing MoUs with the education ministryfor PM SHRI schools and Punjab not implementing it despite continuing to take funds under the Samagra Shiksha scheme, sources said on Thursday. Odisha, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Delhi have not yet signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Union Ministry of Education, while 30 states and union territories (UTs) have done so. The scheme targets to upgrade 14,500 schools and is expected to benefit 1.8 million students. It also aims to ensure these schools serve as model institutes and encapsulate the spirit of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The government has already selected 6,448 schools from 28 states and UTs for the upgrade in the first round. "Despite taking funds from Centre for Samagra Shiksha Scheme, the refusal of five States/UTs, namely Odisha, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Delhi to sign MOUs for PM SHRI schools reflects a troubling patter

Presidential nod to Lok Ayukta Bill indicates Kerala Guv stand wrong: Min

President Droupadi Murmu's assent to the Kerala Lok Ayukta Bill, passed by the assembly in August 2022, indicates that the Governor Arif Mohammed Khan's stand on the matter was wrong, state Law Minister P Rajeev said on Thursday. His reaction comes in the wake of media reports that the President approved the amended Bill. Rajeev said that when the Lokpal Bill was being discussed in the Parliament, a decision was taken that the states have the power to frame a similar law and therefore, there was nothing wrong in the manner in which the amendments were made to the Kerala Lok Ayukta Act. He said that when the Governor had sought a clarification regarding the bill, it was read out to him and therefore, he ought to have signed it back then. "There was no need to send it to the President for assent. Now the Presidential assent indicates that the Governor's stand was wrong," the minister said. Khan had in November last year reserved seven bills, including the controversial University ..

BJP can get seats in two digits in Kerala if it is two zeroes: Tharoor

BJP has been wooing the Christian community, with the Prime Minister himself having met Christian religious leaders from the state multiple times, both in Delhi and Kerala, during his visit there

Congress to contest 16 seats in Kerala in upcoming Lok Sabha elections

The Congress Party will contest 16 seats in Kerala in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Leader of Opposition in the state assembly V D Satheesan said here on Wednesday. The allocation of seats within the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) for the Lok Sabha elections has been finalised, he said. Like in the previous polls, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), the second largest coalition partner in UDF, would contest in two seats, the LoP said while addressing a press conference here. Of the 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala, the Congress will contest in 16 seats, IUML- 2, KCJ (J) - 1 and RSP-1. The IUML leadership recently admitted that they had demanded one more Lok Sabha seat this time and said they won't backtrack from their decision. Satheesan, however, said issues were sorted through discussions. He also indicated that the IUML would be allotted a Rajya Sabha seat instead of the Lok Sabha seat they had demanded.

Every state, UT saw extreme weather event on at least 1 day in 2023: Report

India recorded extreme weather events on 318 of the 365 days in the year 2023, with all states and Union territories experiencing such events on at least one day, according to a new report released on Wednesday. These extreme weather events resulted in 3,287 human deaths, 1.24 lakh animal deaths, and damage to 2.21 million hectares of crop area, a report by independent think tank the Centre for Science and Environment's "State of Environment 2024" said. Himachal Pradesh recorded the highest number of days with extreme weather at 149, followed by Madhya Pradesh with 141, and Kerala and Uttar Pradesh with 119 each. Eight states recorded more than 100 days of extreme weather, the report said. Heavy rains, floods and landslides were recorded on 208 days in 2023. Lightning and storms occurred on 202 days, heatwaves on 49 days, cold waves on 29 days and cloudbursts on nine days. India experienced extreme weather events for 123 consecutive days between June and September 2023, the repor