Page 38 - Kerala

Arriving early: Monsoon sets in over Kerala and Northeast, says IMD

Meteorologists meanwhile said that the rains after arriving over Kerala will quickly cover neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Karnataka but then might slacken a bit

Southwest monsoon arrives in Kerala, says IMD: Here is what it means

The Southwest Monsoon has arrived in Kerala and advanced into much of Northeast India, the IMD announced on Thursday

Cong alleges Kerala ministers lied about liquor policy, demands probe

The Congress on Sunday continued its attack against the Left government in Kerala over its liquor policy, accusing Excise Minister M B Rajesh and Tourism Minister P A Mohammed Riyas of "lying" to the public by claiming that no discussion had taken place regarding the scrapping of the "dry day" norm. The opposition party questioned the silence of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on the issue and asked why a vigilance probe had not been ordered into the allegations despite receiving a complaint. The Congress also called for the government to announce a judicial probe into the allegations and to sack the excise minister. The criticism came after reports that the state government was considering scrapping the 'dry day' norm (which prohibits the sale of alcohol in the state on the first day of every calendar month), sparking a political storm in the state. While the Congress-led UDF has accused the LDF government of taking bribes to 'favour' bar owners, the Left claimed it has not yet he

Google maps navigation leads Hyderabad-based tourists into stream in Kerala

Using Google maps to navigate resulted in a tourist group from Hyderabad driving into a stream swollen with water near Kuruppanthara in this south Kerala district, police said on Saturday. The incident occurred late Friday night when the four-member group, including a woman, were going towards Alappuzha. The road they were travelling on was covered by water overflowing from the stream due to the heavy rains and since the tourists were unfamiliar with the area, they drove right into the water body while navigating using Google maps, they said. All four managed to escape unharmed due to the efforts of a nearby police patrolling unit and local residents, but their vehicle was completely submerged under the water. "Efforts are on to pull it out," an officer of Kaduthuruthy police station said. This is not the first such incident reported in Kerala. In October last year, two young doctors died in a car accident which occurred after they allegedly followed directions on Google Maps an

Adani Solar to expand business base in Kerala, sees huge potential in state

Adani Solar on Friday said it will be expanding its business in Kerala as the southern state has huge potential in the solar energy market. As part of its expansion plans, the company, which is the solar PV manufacturing arm of Adani Group, signed an MoU with Kochi-based Almiya group, a reputed solar distributor, as its official partner in the state. Adani Solar said it will be installing a 225 MW solar power plant in Purapura in one year and has set up a warehouse in Coimbatore for faster delivery of the panels in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. "We are expanding our business in Kerala. In 2023 alone we could establish solar panels for 70 MW in Kerala. Kerala has a huge potential in the solar energy market and Adani Group has very big plans for Kerala," Cecil Augustine, National Sales Head of Adani Solar said at a press conference here. He claimed that the solar panels, which are completely made in India, are of superior quality compared with any others in the market in Asia and they have

Avian flu outbreak confirmed in state-run poultry farm in Kerala's Kottayam

Decision was taken to euthanize and cremate all domesticated and pet birds within a one kilometer radius of the poultry farm

Left govt in Kerala enters fourth year, CM says poverty to end by 2025

As the Left government in Kerala marks its fourth year in office, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Wednesday the government plans to develop a knowledge economy and eradicate extreme poverty in the state by November 1, 2025. Listing out achievements of the Kerala government, Vijayan said in a statement that the consecutive Left governments have focused on developing basic infrastructure in the state. "This government is striving to transform Kerala into a knowledge economy, emphasising achievements in infrastructure development and the welfare sector. As part of it, we are addressing deficiencies and eliminating gaps in various areas. Kerala already has the lowest poverty rate in India, and we are now taking steps towards eradicating extreme poverty. By November 1, 2025, Kerala aims to become a state free of extreme poverty," Vijayan said. Vijayan said that while the Union government fails to fill the numerous vacancies in various Central government establishments, including

Kerala activates emergency operation centres amidst heavy rains, says govt

With heavy rains continuing to lash several parts of the state, the Kerala government said on Monday that emergency operation centres have been opened in all district collectorates and taluk offices to tackle any urgent situation. Special directions have been given to alert tourists who arrive in the southern state for holidaying about the rain situation, state Revenue Minister K Rajan said. He stressed the need for strict regulations in hilly areas in the wake of possible landslide threats. "The Disaster Management Authority has warned that there is even the possibility of mudslides on the road due to heavy rains," he told reporters here. Safety boards would be installed in such areas to warn travellers about the threat of a possible land slide, he said. The district collectors have been entrusted to take necessary steps to impose a night travel ban in hilly areas in their respective areas if necessary, Rajan explained. "The 24x7 Emergency Operation Centres have been opened in a

Heavy rains prompt warnings, travel bans in many Kerala districts

As rains lashed many parts of Kerala, authorities on Sunday urged people, particularly those living in hilly and coastal areas, to exercise vigil. The Meteorological Department has issued red alerts for Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, and Idukki districts for Sunday and Monday, and sounded orange alerts for four other districts, including Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, and Ernakulam, for these days. The Met office predicted thunderstorms with moderate rainfall and gusty winds reaching speeds of 40 km/h at one or two places in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam, Kannur and Kasaragod districts of Kerala till 1 pm on Sunday. The Idukki District Collector has ordered a ban on night travel through the hilly areas of the district from Sunday until the red and orange alerts are withdrawn. "Strict instructions have been issued to the District Superintendent of Police, Sub Divisional Magistrates, Regional Transport Officers, and Tehsildars t

Monsoon to hit Kerala coast on June 1, says private forecaster Skymet

The onset of monsoon over Kerala marks the start of its four-month journey across the mainland, which culminates with the rains withdrawing from the far west corner of Rajasthan

Monsoon expected to hit Kerala coast on May 31, to boost crop output

The monsoon onset over Kerala is likely to be on May 31, with a model error of plus/minus four days, the India Meteorological Department said

Kerala BJP accuses Cong of spreading fake video affecting PM's security

The BJP on Friday accused the Congress in Kerala of spreading a fake video that could affect the security of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and demanded action against the same. The allegation by BJP state chief K Surendran comes two days after police in Karnataka, where the Congress is in power, summoned the party's national president J P Nadda and its IT cell head Amit Malviya in connection with a social media post allegedly intimidating members of SC and ST community not to vote for a particular candidate. Surendran, in a statement, hit out at the grand old party by alleging the contentious video uploaded from the official X account of the Kerala unit of the Congress poses a threat to the PM's security. He demanded immediate action on the issue. Surendran also urged the Election Commission to immediately intervene in the matter and take appropriate action. He further claimed the Congress was making baseless allegations that the PM carries money in the Air Force helicopter in whic

Malayalam cinema gets a new home outside Kerala: Is this boom sustainable?

Its share of the Indian box office has already risen to three times the average for the last many years

SSLC Kerala Board 10th Result 2024: Scorecards to be released at 4 pm

Students need to download their scorecards from the official sites at keralaresults.nic.in, and results.kite.kerala.gov.in. At 3 pm today, the board will declare class 10th result

Kerala airports see protests against AI Express' last minute cancellations

Protests by irate passengers were witnessed at all airports in Kerala on Wednesday against the last minute cancellation of their Air India Express flights. Passengers, mostly travelling to the Gulf nations, claimed that they were informed about the flight cancellations after they completed their security check and were waiting to board the flight. While Air India Express has offered a full refund or complimentary rescheduling to another date, passengers are not happy with that. Many of them claimed that they could lose their jobs if they do not reach their place of work today, while some others' work visas are about to expire. One woman, who was to travel from Kannur to Sharjah with twin babies and her husband, said she has to rejoin work on May 9, but Air India Express was offering her a flight from Kochi only on May 10. "What would be the point in me travelling on May 10? If I do not reach there before May 9, my boss will say not to come and I will lose my job," she told ...

Indian Coast Guard detains Iranian fishing vessel with 6 Indian crew

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has detained an Iranian fishing vessel with six Indian crew off the coast of Kerala, the defence ministry said on Monday. The vessel was detained on Sunday following a swift "sea-air" coordinated operation by the ICG, it said. The ministry said the crew alleged that the "Iranian sponsor" of the vessel ill-treated and deprived them of basic living conditions and confiscated their passports. Initial investigation revealed that the owner of the boat was an Iranian national who had contracted the Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu, it said. "The Indian Coast Guard detained an Iranian fishing vessel, with six Indian crew, west of Beypore off the coast of Kerala late on May 5. The swift sea-air coordinated operation involved the ships and aircraft of the ICG," the ministry said in a statement. "After intercepting the boat, an ICG team boarded the vessel and thoroughly investigated it to check the involvement of any anti-national activity," it said. "Initial .

Probe 'terrible mismanagement' of Lok Sabha polls in Kerala: Congress to EC

Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly V D Satheesan said the elections in Kerala were "grossly mismanaged", leading to considerable delays in numerous polling booths

Lok Sabha polls 2024 Phase 2: Over 27.5% voter turnout recorded till 11 am

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Tripura records the highest voter turnout, of 36.42%, till 11 am on Friday

Battle for Kerala: CPI(M)'s national party status, BJP's likely inroads

In 2019, the BJP secured only 13 per cent of the votes polled in Kerala and 16 per cent along with its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) allies

Tharoor or Chandrasekhar? Kerala's capital braces for battle of titans

In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, BJP's O Rajagopal gave Tharoor a tough fight as the latter defended his seat only by a margin of less than 16,000 votes