Page 49 - Kerala

Kerala HC raps state govt over delay in disbursing salaries to KSRTC staff

The Kerala High Court on Monday criticised the state government over delay in disbursing salaries to the state-run corporation KSRTC staff, especially during the ongoing festive season of Onam, and directed it to make provisions for Rs 30 crore before August 24, when it will conduct further hearing on the matter. Justice Devan Ramachandran, in his order, said delay in payments can only lead to "unnecessary strife and controversy" within the ranks of the KSRTC. "It is rather intriguing that the Government is unable to inform this court of any alternative for the KSRTC apart from the monthly assistance being given to them by them; but still delays payment until the end of the month," the order said. Justice Ramachandran said while the entire state was in celebratory mode for Onam, the court "certainly cannot countenance" that the employees of KSRTC, especially its drivers and conductors, are without salary for July, 2023. The court said it failed to understand why the government ...

Onam 2023: History, significance, celebration, and important dates

Kerala has begun the celebration of their most auspicious festival. The Onam Festival 2023 commences from August 20 and will conclude on August 31, 2023

Kerala CM Vijayan launches Rs 2,400 cr solid waste management project

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday inaugurated the Rs 2,400-crore Kerala Solid Waste Management Project (KSWMP) as part of the second phase of 'Malinya Muktham Navakeralam' (garbage free) campaign here. Addressing a gathering, Vijayan said the southern state was being urbanised at a rapid pace and urged everyone to join hands to achieve a garbage-free Kerala. "According to certain reports, at least 90 per cent of the state's population will be urbanised by 2035. There are opportunities as well as challenges in this regard. Adapting to modern techniques for waste management is part of addressing the challenges," Vijayan said. Local Self Government minister, M B Rajesh, presided over the function where Industries Minister P Rajeeve, unveiled a new design for material collection facilities (MCFs) and resource recovery facilities (RRFs), developed by architect G Shankar. Congress leader and Ernakulam MP, Hibi Eden, launched a new Grievance Redressal Mechanism developed by

Kerala CM makes his first Vande Bharat journey from Kannur to Ernakulam

Kerala's first Vande Bharat Express was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Thiruvananthapuram Central Station on April 25

Kerala is in very bad shape financially, has highest debt: BJP leader

"Kerala Government is continuously borrowing loans and adding a huge burden on future generations of the state," he added

With effective market intervention, Kerala has lowest inflation: CM Vijayan

Kerala, which is a consumer state, has tackled inflation with "effective market interventions" and the price rise is lower than the national average, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Friday. The inflation rate is also the lowest among the states, he said amid concerns about rising prices nationwide. Inaugurating the Supplyco Onam Fest Vijayan said the Left government was proud of the fact that it kept its election promise not to increase the prices of 13 essential commodities for the common man. Accusing the Centre of 'failing' to control the prices, he claimed that Kerala had the lowest inflation rate in the country. "Kerala has one of the lowest inflation rates in the country due to an effective market intervention by the State government. We're a consumer state, so the price rise should usually reflect in our state as well. But all the figures show that we were able to keep the inflation rate much below the national average," Vijayan said. Inaugurating the statewide netw

Kerala eyes at severe drought as it records 44% deficit in rain this season

Kerala, the gateway of the monsoon in the country, is staring at the worst drought of the past few years as the state has recorded a 44 per cent deficit in seasonal rainfall, officials said here on Friday. For the period June 1 to August 16, Kerala received only 877.2 mm of rainfall whereas normal rainfall figures recorded for the Southwest Monsoon in the state are 1,572.1 mm, according to the India Meteorological Department. This translates to a 44 per cent deficit this season. Rainfall data of the seven days from August 10 to 16 illustrate how acute the situation is. There has been a deficit of 94 per cent during that period, as rainfall recorded was a mere 6.5 mm compared to normal rainfall of 109.6 mm. Idukki, where Kerala's biggest hydroelectric power project is located, has recorded the lowest rainfall this season up to August 16, with a deficit of 60 per cent. "The rainfall forecast for the next two weeks also shows a below-normal pattern," IMD Kerala Director K Santhosh to

Neo-liberal policies cause for crisis in agriculture sector, says Kerala CM

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday said the agriculture sector and the farming community are going through tough times and blamed the neo-liberal policies being implemented in the country for the crisis. Despite all the difficulties, the LDF government in the state is adopting diverse measures to strengthen the agriculture sector, he said. Efforts should be made for further interventions to reach its benefits to maximum number of people, he wrote in his Facebook page on the occasion of the Malayalam new year Chingam today, which is considered auspicious by the Kerala people. 'Chingam 1' of the Malayalam calendar is also observed as Farmers' Day in the southern state to recognise the services rendered by peasants to the society. He said the beginning of the Malayalam month is an occasion to remember the state's rich agricultural heritage and legacy. The CM also stressed the need for evolving new projects in tune with the changing times for the prosperity of the farm

Kerala restores deleted portions on Gandhi's assassination in textbooks

Recently, the state government decided to include chapters removed by NCERT in Classes 11, 12 books

Stone pelting on trains continues in Kerala, Vande Bharat window damaged

Incidents of stone pelting on trains in Kerala continued with some miscreants on Wednesday damaging one of the windows of the moving Vande Bharat express. Three days after two trains were pelted with stones in the northern Kannur district, the Vande Bharat express from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram met with the same treatment resulting in damage to one of its windows and raising safety concerns over rail travel. Railway officials said the incident occurred near Vatakara between 4 PM and 4.30 PM. The window of the C-8 coach of the train was damaged in the incident, officials said. "No one was injured in the incident. The glass was shattered from the outside," they said. Visuals of the incident on TV channels showed the windowpane badly damaged and taped up from the outside. On Sunday evening, stones were pelted on the Mangaluru-Chennai Superfast Express and Netravati Express when the trains reached a region between Kannur South and Valapattanam in the district. The windowpane o

Kerala to bear 50% interest on capital loans by cashew cos: Minister Rajeev

The Kerala government on Wednesday decided to bear a portion of the PF and ESI payments of the private cashew companies in an effort to revive the crisis-hit industry in the southern state. State Industries Minister P Rajeev while launching eight new value-added cashew products by the Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation (KSCDC) for the Onam market here, said the government has also decided to bear 50 per cent of the loan interest burden of these factories and has reached a settlement with the banks to write off all interest and compound interest on Non-Performing Assets of cashew factories. "Now the government has intervened with the banks, and the banks are now ready to write off the penal interest and the accumulated interest, and they are ready to settle these NPAs by settling 50 per cent of the amount of the loan up to Rs 2 crore and 60 per cent of the principal amount up to Rs 10 crore," Rajeev told PTI. He said the Kerala cashews produced by the KSCDC and Kerala State

Kerala govt to give free Onam kits to poor families, welfare institutions

The Kerala government on Wednesday decided to provide over six lakh free Onam kits to poor families and residents of welfare institutions in the state for the festival this year. The decision was taken in a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, a statement issued by his office said. It was decided in the meeting that Rs 32 lakh would be allocated in advance to Supplyco, a state-run agency, to procure the items for the kit which would be distributed through ration shops, the statement said. Of the 6,07,691 kits to be distributed, 5,87,691 will go to Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) card holders and the remaining 20,000 to residents of welfare institutions, it said. The kit will contain tea, whole and split varieties of green gram, semolina payasam mix, ghee, cashew nuts, coconut oil, sambar powder, chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, toor dal, powdered salt and a cloth bag, the statement said. Earlier in July, state Finance Minister K N Balagopal had .

Hatsun Agro inaugurates 200th outlet under IBACO brand in Hyderabad

Dairy products maker Hatsun Agro Products has set up its 200th outlet under the premium ice cream brand IBACO in Hyderabad on Wednesday. The store has been set up in Pragathi Nagar, Hyderabad and would offer various flavors including almond crunch, cotton candy, sea salt caramel pecan and Belgian chocolate among others. "IBACO is our brand that started serving ice cream in scoops. We are known for our innovation and out-of-the-box thinking to bring out unique and never tasted before flavours," company chairman RG Chandramogan said. "I am happy that we have reached a milestone with the launch of the 200th outlet," he added. The Chennai-based company has presence in Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Kerala, Odisha, Goa and Gujarat.

Textbooks to include waste management lessons from next academic yr: Kerala

To create awareness in young minds on the importance of keeping their surroundings clean, the Kerala government has decided to include lessons on scientific waste management, a serious challenge faced by the state, in textbooks from the next academic year. The decision was announced by State General Education Minister V Sivankutty on Tuesday at a function held at the SMV Government Higher Secondary School here on the occasion of the country's 77th Independence Day, a statement issued by the Kerala Solid Waste Management Project (KSWMP) said. The minister also honoured the Haritha Karma Sena (HKS) members at the function. In his speech on the occasion, Sivankutty said it was important to create proper awareness about scientific and sustainable waste management in young minds as it will have an enduring impact in the society. "This is why this topic is going to be included in textbooks," he was quoted as having said. He also lauded the efforts of the HKS members and said it was not

Attempts to subvert Kerala's unity, secularism should be nipped in bud: CM

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday said that the unity, secular mindset and scientific thinking of the people of the state has made it an example to be followed and that attempts to subvert these aspects should be nipped in the bud. Vijayan, in his speech after hoisting the national flag on the occasion of 77th Independence Day celebration, said that the freedom earned by us would become meaningful only if attempts to change the unity, secularism and scientific temper of the people are thwarted. "Let us make this 77th Independence Day celebration meaningful by pledging to strengthen our freedom, unity, democracy, secularism and scientific thinking," he said in his speech. Vijayan also said that as the nation celebrates its 77th Independence Day instances of caste and ethnic divisions have cast a shadow over the republic and injured its secular nature. Besides that, even federal values have been subverted, he claimed. In such a situation, every citizen ought to renew

Individual developers can set up industrial parks; Kerala revises policy

The Kerala government has decided to allow individual developers to set up industrial parks in the state and will provide them with Rs 3 crore for creating infrastructure facilities like roads, electricity and water supply within such estates. To facilitate individual developers to set up the parks and give a boost to the industrial infrastructure in the state, the government has revised its Private Industrial Estate (PIE) scheme, the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) said in a statement. Earlier, only companies, cooperatives and consortia of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) units were eligible to take advantage of the PIE scheme of 2022, it said. "As per the revised scheme, individual developers having a minimum of 10 acres of land at their disposal can apply for developing industrial parks. So far, eight individual developers have been given permits to build private industrial parks in different parts of the state, and 20 applications are under ...

Kerala Derby: Goukulam edge past Blasters 4-3 in Durand Cup

Gokulam Kerala earned three valuable points along with bragging rights as they edged past formidable ISL outfit Kerala Blasters 4-3 in a Durand Cup group league game here on Sunday. There were four goals in the first-half and three in the second as Gokulam clinched their second straight victory in as many games to go on top of the group. Bouba Aminou (17th min), Sreekuttan (43rd min), Alex Sanchez (45+1 min) and Abhijith K (47th min) scored for the winners, while Emmanuel Justine (34th min), Prabir Das (54th minute) and Adrian Luna (77th minute) scored for the Blasters. For Indian Super League (ISL) side Kerala Blasters, this was their first game in the group and they will now be looking to win their remaining two, to remain in contention. Basit Bhat, who has been impressive in this tournament, won the corner after his long-ranger took a touch off a Blasters defender and deflected away from goal. Spaniard Nili Perdomo curled the right-footer in for Gokulam's Cameroonian captain Bo

Union govt refuses to interfere in exorbitant airfares for travel to Kerala

The Union government has refused to intervene in the issue of exorbitant airfares for travel to Kerala during the upcoming Onam season stating that dynamic pricing is in place and travellers have to book in advance. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's Office said in a release on Saturday that the Centre has refused to intervene in the issue. Vijayan had on July 5 sought the intervention of Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia in the matter, saying the exorbitant prices would impact numerous Keralites residing both in India and West Asia who are eagerly planning to return home for Onam festivities. In a letter to the chief minister, Scindia informed him that the aviation companies have the authority to decide the airfares, the release said. "There is only an increase of 9.77 per cent during the festival season. Since only the dynamic pricing system is in place, the only option is to book tickets in advance," the release said, quoting the letter from the Union minister. Steep

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Rahul gets rousing welcome on his 1st Wayanad visit after being reinstated

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was on Saturday accorded a rousing welcome by workers of the Congress-led UDF on his maiden visit to his parliamentary constituency, Wayanad, in Kerala after his Lok Sabha membership was restored. Hundreds of Congress workers, who assembled at the reception venue here, raised slogans in support of Gandhi as he reached there at 5.30 pm. Leaders of the Congress-led opposition alliance in Kerala welcomed him. Gandhi was reinstated as MP from Wayanad after the Lok Sabha Secretariat issued a notification in the wake of the Supreme Court staying his conviction in a defamation case last week.