Page 51 - Kerala

19 people lose lives, over 10,000 displaced by heavy rains in Kerala

As many as 19 people have lost their lives and over 10,000 people have been shifted to relief camps in Kerala due to heavy monsoon rains which have been wrecking havoc in the southern state for over one week. Though the intensity of the rain appeared to decline, some parts of the the state continued to receive incessant rains on Saturday morning causing traffic jams and waterlogging in low-lying areas. According to the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), a total of 19 people have lost their lives in rain-related incidents in the southern state till Saturday evening. "As many as 10,399 people are there in 227 relief camps opened across the state following heavy rains," a SDMA official told PTI. As per the figures, as many as 1,100 houses were partially damaged so far and other details of damage were not yet available, the official added. As the intensity of rain that lashed the state for the past few days reduced, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) sounded a yellow a

Cochin Shipyard partners with ASAP Kerala to impart skill training to youth

ASAP Kerala, the skill development agency of the Higher Education department, and the Cochin Shipyard Ltd would have agreed to jointly conduct training programmes for skill development of youth of marginalised sections. The 'Samathva Project' for the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and fishermen at the state level and the 'She-Skills' project for the women of Ernakulam district were inaugurated by the Minister of Higher Education R Bindu here on Friday. The project will be implemented with the help of Cochin Shipyard's CSR fund of Rs.50 lakh, an official statement said. Nine vocational programs will be implemented through the projects with the help of Cochin Shipyard's CSR Fund. The initiatives would focus on the upliftment of youth from marginalized sections. Under the 'She Skills' project, courses like medical coding, general duty assistant and housekeeping associate would be offered. The 'Samathva' project would impart training for courses like Automotive Service Technician,

8 lives lost in rains in Kerala, over 7,800 shifted to relief camps

Eight people have lost their lives in the heavy rains unleashed by the Southwest Monsoon in Kerala, which has also displaced over 7,800 people from their homes. Even as the intensity of the rains reduced on Friday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert for Kannur and Kasaragod districts while there is a yellow alert in six other districts of Kerala for today. However, no red alert was sounded, indicating a drop in rainfall. The state disaster management authority (SDMA) said two deaths each were reported from Kannur and Kozhikode while one death each was reported from Alappuzha, Palakkad, Malappuram and Kasaragod districts. As many as 7,844 persons have been accommodated in 203 relief camps opened across the state, it said, adding that 51 houses in the state have been fully damaged while 1,023 houses are partially damaged due to the intense rains and the resulting floods. Earlier in the day, a minor landslide at the Gap road stretch of the Kochi-Dhanushko

Legendary artist, illustrator and sculptor Namboothiri passes away at 97

The famous illustrator and sculptor KM Vasudevan Namboothiri, from Kerala, passed away at the age of 97. PM Modi expressed his condolences on his demise

Govt which restricts press freedom danger to democracy, says Congress

The opposition Congress in Kerala on Thursday attacked the ruling CPI(M) over its recent action against an online channel and reporters of two Malayalam TV channels, saying that a government which intervenes with or restricts press freedom is an "insult" and a "danger" to democracy. Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K Sudhakaran said that the ruling Left in the state holds "grudges" against those media houses or reporters who criticise them and "takes revenge" when they get an opportunity. "That is the low standard politics of the CPI(M) in Kerala. Such a stand is reprehensible," the KPCC chief said and announced that a 'Media Freedom Meet' would be organised by it and as part of that police station marches would be held on July 26. Referring to the recent police action against a Thiruvananthapuram-based online news channel -- 'Marunadan Malayali' -- and its employees, Sudhakaran said that the force acted like "attackers" in the matter. "They can take action, but t

Freedom of press under attack in Kerala, alleges ex-I&B Minister Javadekar

Expressing concern over the police action against certain media houses in Kerala, former Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadeker said on Wednesday that freedom of the press was under attack in the state and accused the Left government of "terrorising the media" for exposing its alleged wrongdoings. Referring to the cases registered against a woman reporter of a prominent Malayalam news channel in Kochi a few weeks ago and the recent police action against a Thiruvananthapuram-based online news channel and its employees, the senior BJP leader alleged that those were the "first kind of terrorism against the media" in the southern state. He said the actions of the Left government against the media and media personnel clearly showed its 'political vendetta' against those who expose the alleged wrongdoings of the Pinarayi Vijayan-led dispensation. "This is clearly a political vendetta and an attack on freedom of the press. This is the Kerala government's effort to terroris

Muslim groups in Kerala to put up legal, political fight against UCC

UCC is not an issue of Muslims, it is of all people. We will unite all people against it and fight legally and politically,' said Indian Union Muslim League(IUML) state president

Kerala gets ODF Plus status for proper sanitation, waste disposal

Kerala has been bestowed with the 'Open Defecation Free (ODF) Plus' status by the Centre for making all the villages in the state meet the parameters prescribed under the Swachh Bharat Mission, the state government said on Sunday. The southern state gained the coveted status as all the villages have been equipped with modern facilities for sanitation and waste disposal as per the parameters set by the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, a release issued by the Kerala Solid Waste Management Project (KSWMP) said. Kerala is targeting to achieve 100 per cent ODF Model status by December 2023 and is expected to become the first state in the country to achieve that goal, it said. According to the KSWMP release, the criteria for declaring a village as ODF Plus includes its sustained ODF status along with implementing either solid or liquid waste management systems. "The focussed efforts by all villages and grama panchayats in meeting the yardsticks in this regard helped Kerala attain the status

Punjab delegation visits Kerala to learn tech to plug revenue leakage

A Punjab government delegation led by Finance and Excise Minister Harpal Singh Cheema visited Kerala to learn about technological interventions in plugging revenue leakage and raising excise revenue. The delegation also comprised Financial Commissioner, Taxation, Vikas Partap, and Excise Commissioner Varun Roojam. Their visit to Kerala also included learning about the supply chain management ERP software and point of sale system being used by the Kerala Excise department, said an official release. "The purpose of the visit was to learn about the technological interventions which are important from the point of view of plugging revenue leakages and enhancing the excise revenue," Cheema said. He said the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software will provide the Punjab Excise Department an integrated and real-time view of its core processes. These would be easily accessible through one centralised system, the minister said. Cheema said this software will help in enhancing transpar

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan calls medicos 'pillars' of public health sector

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday extended greetings to medicos on the occasion of National Doctor's Day and described them as 'pillars' of the public health sector. The committed efforts of doctors in maintaining the wellness of our society make them pillars of our public health sector, he tweeted. The CM urged everybody to ensure support for their "exemplary service". "On this #DoctorsDay, let's salute their firm will and resoluteness in providing healthcare and ensure support for their exemplary services," Vijayan added.

CPI(M) has become a Muslim party: Kerala BJP chief hits out at CM Vijayan

Earlier, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Friday that the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is on the electoral agenda of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)

Kerala CM alleges electoral agenda behind UCC move, urges govt to withdraw

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday alleged that the "electoral agenda" of the BJP is behind raking up the issue of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and urged the Central government to withdraw from the move to impose it. In a statement, Vijayan, who is also a senior leader of the CPI(M), said the Centre's move can only be seen as a plan to implement the "majority communal agenda of 'one nation, one culture' by wiping out the cultural diversity of the country". "The Central Government and the Law Commission should withdraw from the move to impose the Uniform Civil Code," he said.

Kerala Gov justifies withdrawing pleasure from state FM Balagopal last year

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Friday justified withdrawing his pleasure from state Finance Minister K N Balagopal last year over his remarks on people from other states, and said withdrawal of pleasure does not mean his dismissal. Khan said he still strongly holds the view that if a person who has taken the oath to uphold the unity and integrity of India says publicly that those who hailing from a particular region of the country cannot have understanding of the education system of another state of the country, it is a violation of the oath. "So, expression of displeasure is different...in that sense it was. Because in my opinion it was. (But) Chief Minister did not consider it violation of oath, he is continuing," he told reporters here. He was responding to the queries of reporters regarding the incident in October last in the wake of the ongoing tussle between the Governor and the government in Tamil Nadu. On Thursday, hours after dismissing minister V Senthil Balaji fro

Kerala launches new scheme to provide jobs opportunities to transgenders

The Kerala government has launched a new scheme to provide employment opportunities to the transgender community in diverse and innovative sectors. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday said the Pride project is being implemented with the objective of ensuring the participation of the marginalised group in the knowledge employment sector. The state-run Knowledge Economy Mission and the Social Justice Department are jointly implementing the programme, he said in a Facebook post. The project is also part of the government's initiative to provide employment to 20 lakh people by 2026, he explained. The Chief Minister said the LDF government is committed to ensuring all kinds of civil and human rights and providing support to the TG community. The project would help them resolve their unemployment issues and address the invisibility crisis they were facing in the society through better job opportunities, he added.

Karnataka's dairy brand Nandini puts on hold its Kerala expansion plan

Popular Karnataka dairy brand Nandini, which opened a few of its outlets in Kerala recently, has decided to put on hold its expansion plan in this southern state. Kerala Minister for Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development, and Milk Cooperatives J Chinchurani said she has received information in this regard from the CEO of the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF), which uses the trade name Nandini. "Information has been received from the CEO that Nandini will not open new outlets in the state for the time being," the minister told reporters here. Welcoming the KMF's decision, Chinchurani said this shift has come in the wake of change of government in Karnataka following the victory of the Congress. She also said the state wanted the milk and milk products of the Kerala Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation's (KCMMF) Milma. The CPI (M)-led LDF government in Kerala had recently expressed concern over the entry into the state of milk and dairy products from Karnataka's Nandini. The Kerala ..

Calicut airport land issue: Scindia writes to Vijayan, expresses 'anguish'

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has expressed "deep anguish" to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over the state government's delay in providing the required land for having a runway end safety area at Calicut airport, which witnessed a fatal plane crash in 2020. Scindia also said that if the land is not provided to the Airports Authority of India (AAI), then the civil aviation ministry will be left with no choice but to proceed with action to curtail the runway length for safe aircraft operations from August. The airport at Calicut, also known as Kozhikode, is operated by AAI. Following the deadly crash of an Air India Express aircraft on August 7, 2020, at Calicut airport, a central government-appointed expert panel recommended that the state government may be requested to provide filled-up levelled land for the provision of Runway End Safety Area (RESA). The committee had also said that in case the required land is not made available, the runway length should b

Situation from Kashmir to Kerala makes sedition law crucial: Law panel head

Amid a clamour for repeal of the law on sedition, Law Commission chairman Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi on Tuesday said the present situation from Kashmir to Kerala and Punjab to the North-East makes it must to retain the law to safeguard the "unity and integrity of India". Defending the panel's recommendation to retain the law, which is at present under abeyance following directions of the Supreme Court issued in May last year, he said enough safeguards have been proposed to prevent its misuse. In an exclusive interview, he told PTI that special laws such as the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the National Security Act operate in different fields and do not cover the offence of sedition and therefore, the specific law on sedition needed to be there too. Justice Awasthi asserted that while considering the usage of the law on sedition the panel found that "the present situation right from Kashmir to Kerala and Punjab to the North-East is such that the law on sedition is necessary

Kerala has received 65% deficit rainfall so far during monsoon: IMD

Kerala, the gateway of the monsoon into the mainland of the country, has received deficient rainfall so far, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The southwest monsoon arrived in Kerala on June 8, nearly a week after its normal onset date of June 1. Compared to the normal south-west monsoon rainfall for the corresponding period, Kerala had a deficit of 65 per cent from the normal rainfall. The regional meteorological department, Kerala, however, said that the south-westerly winds are getting stronger, and more rainfall is expected in the coming days. "We have received only minus 65 per cent rainfall in Kerala. All the districts in Kerala have received below-normal rainfall this season so far," Dr V K Mini, director in charge, IMD, Kerala, told PTI. She said due to various factors, like the cyclones that formed over the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, the south-west monsoon had a slow pick-up and slow progression. "The pick-up started only last week. Now we a

Congress does not fear politics of vendetta: Rahul after meeting Sudhakaran

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday met party's Kerala unit chief K Sudhakaran who was arrested recently in a cheating case, and said the party "does not fear the politics of vendetta". At the meeting held here, Sudhakaran was accompanied by Leader of Opposition in Kerala V D Satheesan and AICC general secretary in-charge for the state Tariq Anwar. "The Congress party doesn't fear the politics of intimidation and vendetta," Gandhi tweeted after the meeting, sharing a picture with Kerala leaders. The development comes after Sudhakaran had offered to quit as the president of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC). However, on Sunday, the KPCC chief said he would continue to lead the state Congress unit as desired by the party's senior leadership and high command. On June 23, the state Crime Branch arrested the Kannur MP after questioning him in a cheating case in which the prime accused is controversial antique dealer Monson Mavunkal. Meanwhile, the Vigilance Wing of the Ke

The Kerala Story yet to find OTT buyers, director says industry ganged up

Directed by Sudipto Sen, The Kerala Story created a stir upon its release and became a box office hit