Page 37 - Kerala

Lok Sabha polls: Left Front urges Rahul Gandhi to contest from Hindi belt

CPI (M) state secretary M V Govindan said if the slogan is to defeat the BJP, Gandhi should contest from the Hindi belt

'Time, countdown, rocket hamara hai', says PM Modi on Gaganyaan mission

The Gaganyaan mission aims to launch a crew into space to orbit 400 km from the Earth for a three-day mission

CPI announces LS poll candidates in Kerala, Annie to contest from Wayanad

The Communist Party of India (CPI), the second-largest coalition partner in Kerala's ruling Left Democratic Front, has announced the names of its candidates for four crucial seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Notably, senior party leader Annie Raja has been nominated to contest from the pivotal Wayanad constituency, a seat presently held by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Party veteran and former MP Pannian Raveendran will contest from Thiruvananthapuram, another crucial seat represented by senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor. The announcement was made by Party State Secretary Binoy Viswam at a press conference. Former agriculture minister V S Sunil Kumar and the party's youth wing AIYF's leader C A Arunkumar will be fielded from Thrissur and Mavelikkara seats respectively, he added.

PM Modi to inaugurate technical facilities of Isro in Kerala on Tuesday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate three major technical facilities of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in Kerala on Tuesday. The Prime Minister will also be reviewing the Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme during his visit to the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) here. Modi will inaugurate a Trisonic Wind Tunnel at the VSSC, a Semi-Cryogenic Integrated Engine and Stage Test Facility at the ISRO propulsion complex at Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu and the PSLV Integration Facility at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, SHAR, Sriharikota. VSSC is the lead centre of ISRO responsible for the design and development of launch vehicle technology. According to ISRO, the Trisonic Wind Tunnel produces a controlled uniform air flow over scaled models of rockets and aircrafts in order to evaluate their aerodynamic characteristics and develop their designs. This tunnel is a test section size of 1.2 metre and can generate speed ranging from subsonic to supersonic up to four

Lok Sabha polls: It may not be a cakewalk for Rahul, Congress in Kerala

In the run-up to Lok Sabha polls, LDF appears to be better placed than in 2019 and BJP is leaving no stone unturned to emerge as a challenger in the state

Centre adopts anti-Kerala stand as people of state reject Sangh Parivar: CM

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday charged the union government with adopting an "anti-Kerala" stand and 'choking' the state financially as the people have rejected the sangh parivar and their politics. People of the state are not recognising the sangh parivar and their politics, as a result of which the BJP has failed to gain foothold in Kerala, he said. Vijayan was speaking after laying foundation stone of a memorial building for CPI (M) strongman late Azhikodan Raghavan. "Is it appropriate to persecute a state and it's people using the Centre's power as the BJP has failed to win seats here?" the CM asked. He claimed that the Centre was intervening into the state's affairs in violation of principles enshrined in the Constitution and imposing restrictions on its borrowing limit. "The union government is adopting an anti-Kerala stand as they have no love for the state," the Left leader added. He also accused the Congress-led UDF opposition of not strongly opposing the Ce

Kerala leading India's healthcare talent migration to MENA: Report

Kerala leads India's healthcare talent migration to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, especially to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) which witnessed a 3.3-fold increase in demand in 2023, said a report. Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh emerged as the leading states contributing to the migration of healthcare workers, including nurses, doctors, and laboratory technicians, to MENA countries, according to data by blue-collar worker platform Huntr. Migration of healthcare workers from Kerala, in particular, witnessed a notable increase in migration to the UAE, with a 3.3-fold rise in 2023, the report stated. The report is based on data on Huntr platform and employer organisations in the Middle East from 2022 and 2023. It further noted that the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar are the most preferred destinations for Indian healthcare professionals seeking job opportunities. These countries offer attractive incentives, including extended residency visas, financial benefits

Kerala will conduct gender audit and ensure equal pay for women: CM Vijayan

Wooing women voters ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday said a gender audit will be conducted in workplaces and steps will be taken to ensure equal pay for women, on par with men. Addressing the Chief Minister's Face-to-Face Programme with women in the state here, Vijayan said jobs should be made more favourable for women. "Until recently, the emphasis was only on educating women. But they also need to be convinced of the need for them to participate in the (formal) workforce from now on. Jobs should be made more favorable for women. For that, gender audit will be conducted in workplaces and equal pay will be ensured," Vijayan said. Highlighting the women-friendly policies of his government, he said, "Kerala has become a role model in the country by introducing menstrual leave for students in all state universities under the Department of Higher Education." As per the National Survey on Higher Education, the state has the highest ...

Human-animal conflicts: Bhupendra Yadav to visit Wayanad to address issue

Days after Wayanad in Kerala witnessed violent protests over the death of three people in wild animal attacks, Union Minister for Environment and Forest Bhupendra Yadav on Wednesday said the situation is very grave there so he has called senior scientists from Wildlife Institute of India and will also be meeting the victims. A district-wide hartal call was given by all three major political fronts in Wayanad to protest against the increasing number of wild animal attacks in the region with the latest being on Friday where an eco-tourism guide of the Forest department was killed by a wild tusker near Kuruva island. "There is a conflict situation and I am going to Wayanad. We feel that the situation is very grave. So, I called senior scientists from WII (Wildlife Institute of India), state and Central officials. My officers have apprised me of the situation. I will go and meet the victims as well and we will take appropriate call," he told reporters at the Kempegowda International ...

Kerala CM urges global standards in research for education institutions

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday stressed on the need for a serious introspection of the inability of the state in achieving global standards in the area of research. He said his government has been spending huge amount in the research sector for the last three years and it is not seen as an expense but as an investment for the future. Kerala is the state which spends the highest amount for disbursing scholarship to students, he remarked while addressing a gathering ahead of an interaction with select college students at the Malabar Christian College here. "We should think seriously about Kerala's inability to attain world-class standards in the area of research. We are failing to achieve in-house excellence. We should think about it seriously and suggest solutions," he said. Listing various programmes implemented by the Left government in the higher education sector, the Chief Minister said their objective was not superficial changes but thorough reforms in tune wi

Fiscal federalism: No breakthrough in talks with Centre, says Kerala FM

Kerala Finance Minister KN Balagopal on Thursday said there was no "breakthrough" in the meeting between the state officials and Centre over the issues of fiscal federalism. A four-member group, headed by Balagopal, held a meeting with central government officials, including the Union Finance Secretary. The Kerala government has approached the Supreme Court, accusing the Centre of interfering in the exercise of its "exclusive, autonomous and plenary powers" to regulate the state's finances by imposing a ceiling on net borrowing. "There was no positive outcome at today's meeting... there was no breakthrough. We submitted the most feasible options (to the Centre)," Balagopal said at a press briefing in the national capital. The meeting was convened after the Centre on February 13 told the apex court that it is open to discussions with Kerala to resolve the dispute. Apart from Balagopal, other members of the group are Chief Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister KM Abraham, Financ

Kerala to form panel to monitor wild animals' movement across state borders

A day after a 42-year-old man was trampled to death by a wild elephant at Wayanad's Mananthavady, the Kerala government on Sunday decided to form an inter-state coordination committee to monitor the movement of wild animals across state borders. State Forest Minister A K Saseendran, after an evaluation meeting held here, told the media that Wayanad district, which has been witnessing higher number of man-animal conflicts recently, will receive two more Rapid Response Teams (RRT) in addition to the one it has now. "An inter-state coordination committee will be formed before February 15 which will discuss the further course of action. As of now, there are three forest divisions in Wayanad. A special cell for these three divisions will be formed and a nodal officer will coordinate the functions," Saseendran said. He added that of the 500 beat forest officers from today's passing out parade, 170 will be posted in Wayanad. The minister also informed that the elephant which trampled ...

Artist A Ramachandran dies at his residence from prolonged illness at 89

Renowned artist A Ramachandran died from prolonged illness at his residence here on Saturday. He was 89. "He was sick for quite some time now and passed away at 9 this morning from medical complications, his son Rahul told PTI. Details of the last rites will be confirmed later, he added. Born in 1935 in Attingal, Kerala, Ramachandran was known for his monumental canvases, colourful oils and watercolours. In 2002, he was elected a Fellow of the Lalit Kala Akademi and received the Padma Bhushan for outstanding service to the nation in 2005.

Will launch bids for monetising 725,000 carbon credits soon: EESL CEO

Kapoor also talked about the contribution EESL will make in the recently announced PM Suryodaya Scheme

Democracy in India being crippled by 'Union over states' mentality: Vijayan

A democracy envisaged as a union of states is being "crippled" by the Centre's "undemocratic Union over States" mentality, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in New Delhi on Thursday, as he led a protest against the Centre's alleged neglect towards the southern state on financial matters. Spearheading the ruling Left's protest, Vijayan criticised the 'Union over States' mentality of the Centre, by which it accords itself supremacy over the states, saying it not only manifested in financial matters, but was evident in the functioning of governors in opposition-ruled states as well. The chief minister was addressing a gathering that included LDF MPs, MLAs, senior Left front leaders such as CPI General Secretary D Raja and CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, Jammu and Kashmir National Conference Chief Farooq Abdullah, Tamil Nadu's Minister of Information Technology and Digital Services Palanivel Thiagarajan and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, at Jantar Mantar in th

'ED is new weapon of Centre': Arvind Kejriwal on probe agency summons

Slamming the BJP-led central govt, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the Centre has 'waged a war' against Opposition governments

Centre not solely responsible for Kerala's financial woes: Cong-led UDF

As the ruling Left Democratic Front in Kerala is holding a protest in the national capital against the alleged neglect by the Centre, the Congress-led UDF opposition on Thursday reiterated that the union government was not solely responsible for the southern state's financial woes. Leader of Opposition in the assembly V D Satheesan said that the UDF did not join the LDF protest in Delhi as "they created a narrative blaming the Central government for all the financial problems of the state to hide their mismanagement, extravagance and corruption". The opposition has been saying this for some time. He also termed as "lies" and "an inflated figure" the Left government's claims that around Rs 57,000 crore was to be received from the Centre. Satheesan also claimed that what the Left government said in the Supreme Court was different from what it said in Delhi and what was said in the state assembly regarding the financial woes of Kerala. He also claimed that the Left government moved t

Kejriwal, Mann to participate in Kerala's 'historic protest' against Centre

The mega agitation will be held in Delhi's Jantar Mantar against the Centre's alleged discrimination towards Kerala

CBI books TTPL's current, former MD in Rs 120 cr loss in consultant hiring

The CBI has registered an FIR against the managing director of Kerala government PSU Travancore Titanium Products Limited (TTPL) and others in connection with its losses of Rs 120 crore due to alleged irregularities in the hiring of 'MECON, Ranchi, Uttaranchal' as a consultant in 2004. The FIR registered recently also names TTPL former managing director Eapen Joseph. 'MECON, Ranchi, Uttaranchal', was hired as a consultant for the installation of a pollution control plant. The CBI alleged that Joseph abused his official position and committed criminal misconduct to enter into a criminal conspiracy with then officials -- chief manager (marketing) Santosh Kumar and executive director A M Bhaskaran. They allegedly appointed 'MECON, Ranchi, Uttaranchal', a PSU under the steel ministry, as a consultant at a charge of Rs 9 crore instead of the agreed Rs 3.5 crore, the FIR, registered on the directions of the Kerala High Court, said. The FIR lists the MD of TTPL as accused number one but d

Debts of states affect credit rating of country: Centre tells Supreme Court

Uncontrolled borrowing by states would affect the credit rating of the whole country and the fiscal edifice of Kerala has been diagnosed with "several cracks", the Centre has told Supreme Court on the issue of limits imposed on the state's borrowing capacity. In a note submitted before the top court, Attorney General R Venkataramani submitted that public finance management is a national issue. Venkataramani said if the State indulges in reckless borrowing to finance unproductive expenditure or poorly targeted subsidies, it will crowd out private borrowing from the market. "Debt of States affects the credit rating of the country. Moreover, default by any State in debt servicing would create reputational issues and will have domino effect endangering the financial stability of the whole of India," the note said. The AG said uncontrolled borrowing will lead to increase in the borrowing costs of private industries and adversely impact the production and supply of goods and services in