Page 54 - Kerala

Kerala Cong observes black day, holds protest against Sudhakaran's arrest

Congress Party workers also staged protest marches across the state on Friday night against the arrest

Kerala Cong chief arrested, out on bail in cheating case; party protests

KPCC chief K Sudhakaran was on Friday arrested by the Crime Branch in a cheating case in which the prime accused is controversial antique dealer Monson Mavunkal, and later released on bail. Sudhakaran later told reporters that he was arrested after several hours of questioning by the Crime Branch. "They questioned me. After that, they recorded my arrest and then I was released on bail. I have faith in judiciary. I will face the case in court," he told reporters here. Following his arrest, the national leadership of Congress came down heavily on Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan by equating him with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. AICC general secretary in-charge, communications, Jairam Ramesh said while the rest of the opposition in the country was on one track, Vijayan was acting as "Mundu Modi". "Rest of the Opposition is on one track nationally, while Pinarayi Vijayan is busy proving what has all along been known that he is Mundu Modi. This unwarranted harassment of Kerala P

KPCC chief Sudhakaran arrested by Crime Branch, later released on bail

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief K Sudhakaran was on Friday arrested by the Crime Branch wing of the police in a cheating case, in which the prime accused is controversial antique dealer Monson Mavunkal, and later released on bail. Sudhakaran, after being released on bail, told reporters that he was arrested after several hours of questioning by the Crime Branch before which he had appeared in the morning for questioning. "They questioned me. After that, they recorded my arrest and then I was released on bail. I have faith in the judiciary. I will face the case in court," he told reporters here. Sudhakaran, surrounded by several party leaders and workers, said that he was "fully confident" that the police had no evidence against him in the case for him to be punished. "I am not afraid. I am not going to hide anywhere," he said. On being asked whether he rejected links with Mavunkal, the KPCC chief said that he has. Meanwhile, senior party leaders of Congress in Kera

Fight erupts between CPI(M), Congress in Kerala over fake certificate issue

A political fight has erupted between the ruling CPI(M) in Kerala and the opposition Congress regarding the fake certificate issue in the state with the grand old party on Thursday accusing the Left Front of protecting those involved in illegal activities. The CPI(M) on the other hand refuted the allegations against it on the issue and also came to the aid of its student wing SFI, whose two former members are facing charges of using fake certificates. While expelled SFI leader Nikhil Thomas is accused of submitting a fake certificate for admission to the M.Com course in a college in Kayamkulam area of Alappuzha district of the state, former SFI member Vidya K Maniyodi is facing charges of furnishing a fake teaching experience certificate to secure a guest faculty post in a government college. Vidya, who was absconding for nearly two weeks, was arrested on Wednesday night from a village in Kozhikode district and Thomas was expelled from SFI's primary membership on Tuesday. Dissatisf

Will not give assent to University Laws Amendment Bill: Kerala Governor

Speaking to the reporters, he said that the purpose of appointing the governor as chancellor in Universities of all the states was to avoid a university-to-executive interface

Kerala CM to inaugurate KSUM's first Infinity Centre in Dubai today

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the first Infinity Centre of Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) in Dubai on Sunday, rolling out his government's ambitious programme of setting up one-stop destinations across the world to strengthen the state's ecosystem for nascent companies. Vijayan, who is on a tour to US and Cuba, will arrive in Dubai to take part in the event. Chief Secretary V P Joy will chair the ceremony at Taj, Burj Khalifa, a KSUM release said, adding that the event will mark the start of a series of such launch pads for Kerala's startups to explore foreign markets by enabling non-resident Indians to help become entrepreneurs in association with KSUM. "The idea of Infinity Centres comes in the context of NRIs totalling 3.2 crore, topping India in the global list of hosting the largest number of migrant citizens," the release said. "Adding about $78 billion in remittance to the Indian economy, they play a huge role in the development of India. Considering

World Bank approves financing for Kerala climate resilience project

This additional financing will further deepen Kerala's resilience in the critical areas of coastal erosion and water resource management

Kerala CM holds discussions about health, literature with Cuban authorities

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who is on a two-day trip to Cuba, met top officials of the Latin American country on Friday and held discussions on cooperation in various key sectors. During his separate meetings with Cuban deputy minister of Public Health, Tania Margarita Cruz and Havana Governor, Yanet Hernndez Prez, in the capital of the Latin American country, the two sides held discussions on cooperation in Ayurveda, the public health sector, literature, and housing, among others. A statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said Cruz expressed interest in collaborating with Kerala's health sector, and Perez sought cooperation in various sectors like science and sports. The Governor sought Kerala's cooperation in urban affairs, housing, and agriculture, and the meeting also decided to create an opportunity to engage the literary communities in both Havana and Kerala and ensure participation in the international film and book festivals. Discussions regarding

KPCC chief Sudhakaran raises plight of Christians in UP with PM Modi

In an open letter to PM Modi, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president K.Sudhakaran expressed deep concern over the distressing situation faced by the Christian community in parts of Uttar Pradesh

CM Vijayan, Indian Ambassador to US discuss bringing investments to Kerala

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Indian Ambassador to the United States Taranjit Singh Sandhu on Wednesday held discussions on bringing more investments to the state and the assistance that the embassy can provide for it. The ambassador, during the discussion, said there was a potential for investments in the defense and space sectors and for collaboration in the field of pharmaceutical vaccines, a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said. Vijayan also tweeted about the meeting, saying it was "productive". "Had a productive meeting with the Indian Ambassador to the US, @SandhuTaranjitS. We discussed the vital aspects of investments and collaborations for Kerala's progress and explored exciting opportunities across various sectors like space, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, and tourism." he tweeted. Vijayan and Sandhu, during their meeting, also deliberated on sending health workers to America, improving their nursing education to better their standards and

Kerala approves 14th Five Year Plan approach document to transform economy

The Kerala government on Wednesday approved the approach document for the 14th Five Year Plan (2022-27), which, according to it, aims to transform multiple sectors of the economy and the entire state into a modern society. The document was approved by the state Cabinet, chaired virtually by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who is currently on a tour to the US and Cuba, a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said here. According to it, Kerala will continue to focus on areas including health, education, housing, social welfare, social justice, and gender justice, which together will serve as a force for accelerated growth of the productive sectors in the economy. The government said science and technology, higher skills, and skills available in the knowledge economy will be used to enhance the growth of agriculture, allied activities, modern industry, infrastructure development, and income-generating services. The economic policy will be designed to modernise and ...

India set to host IIAS conference on administrative reforms in 2025

The annual conference will be attended by 30 countries, 18 national sections, and over 50 IIAS universities/ institutes of public administration

World Bank assures Kerala of investment in basic infrastructure sectors

World Bank officials on Tuesday assured Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan that they were ready to make investments in the state's basic infrastructure sectors. The assurance was given to Vijayan when he met Anna Bjerde, the Managing Director (operations) of the World Bank, at Washington DC, a statement issued by his office said. In the meeting, discussions were also held regarding the progress in various projects, including the Rebuild Kerala initiative which is being carried out in collaboration with World Bank, it said. Earlier, a high-level team from World Bank had visited Kerala to review the various development and policy programmes being implemented in the state as part of the Rebuild Kerala initiative and had also held discussions with the CM, the statement said. The meeting held in Washington DC was in continuation of that, it said. Besides the CM, Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal, Chief Secretary V P Joy and Planning Board Vice Chairman V K Ramachandran also ...

Editors Guild voices concern over intimidation by Kerala govt, minister

The Editors Guild of India on Tuesday voiced concern over alleged intimidation and harassment of journalists by Union minister Smriti Irani and the CPI(M)-led government in Kerala. In a statement here, the Guild claimed that Irani intimidated a journalist during her visit to her Lok Sabha constituency Amethi on June 9 and threatened to call the owners of the Hindi daily he worked for. In a separate incident, on June 10, a senior woman journalist in Kerala was named as an accused in a First Information Report (FIR) lodged by the state police in response to a complaint filed by the Student Federation of India (SFI), the student arm of the ruling CPI(M) party. "This trigger happy approach to browbeat and harass reporters and news camera persons undermine the freedom of the press," the Guild said in a statement. "The minister's threat to call newspaper owners and couch journalistic questioning as an affront to the people, was a clear intimidatory tactic," the Guild said. It also urged

Kerala to woo women tourists with app detailing tailored packages

As more and more women are travelling solo and in groups of their own, Kerala Tourism has decided to launch a mobile application listing women-friendly tourism packages, women tourist operators and guides, as well as suitable amenities, to make the visit to the state more pleasant and hassle-free for women travellers. The State Responsible Tourism Mission (RT Mission), the nodal agency for implementing the 'Women-Friendly Tourism' project, has been asked to prepare the content of the app, which will have all location-specific information and images including the socio-cultural features of various places of Kerala, the tourism department said on Tuesday. In a release, Tourism Minister P A Mohamed Riyas said creating a "conducive ambience for women tourists" in the state is a policy priority of the government. "We are living in a world where it has become a trend for women to travel to far off places in groups of their own or individually... The app on women-friendly tourism project .

Live-in couples can't claim divorce thereon, rules Kerala High Court

The Kerala High Court has said that when two parties decide to live together by virtue of a mere agreement, and not in accordance with any personal law or the Special Marriage Act

Kerala CPI(M) secy Govindan says his statement on media misinterpreted

Under attack from various quarters for his statement targeting the media, CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan on Tuesday made a U turn, claiming that his remarks were misinterpreted and that he did not say the media would face legal action for reporting against the Left government in the state. Accusing the media of adopting the approach of making sheep into dogs, Govindan said here that he was only responding to the "conspiracy" involved in blaming the state secretary of SFI, the student wing of the CPI(M), in connection with a mark list controversy in a government autonomous college in Kochi. A woman journalist of a leading news channel was booked by police in a conspiracy case on SFI leader P M Arsho's complaint. Adopting a hard stand on the matter, Govindan had said that any anti-government or anti-SFI campaign in the name of reporting would invite action. His statement targeting the media was slammed by opposition parties, cultural icons, and the media fraternity in the souther

Disappointed to hear of proceedings against journalists in Kerala: Tharoor

Congress leader also posted a picture carrying the famous quote of French writer Voltaire, "I may disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"

Difficult to deal with stray dogs due to certain provisions: Kerala govt

Facing flak from various quarters over the death of an 11-year-old differently abled boy in a stray dog attack in Kannur district of the state, the Kerala government on Monday blamed central legislations for not being able to effectively deal with aggressive vagrant canines. Terming the incident as "extremely unfortunate and painful", State Minister for Local Self-Governments M B Rajesh said certain provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and the Animal Birth Control (ABC) rules issued under it need to be relaxed for effectively dealing with the nuisance posed by stray canines. He claimed that it was difficult to set up and run ABC centres as per the central norms as the rules stipulate that sterilisation should be done in an AC operation theatre, the dog should be treated there for four days and be released only after the wound is healed. The minister, in a statement, further claimed that the government was taking all precautions and measures to prevent such tragic .

Kerala 'a beacon of progressive ideas', says CM Vijayan at diaspora meet

Kerala shines as a beacon of progressive ideas where every voice matters and the spirit of unity paves the way for a brighter future, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said. Vijayan on Sunday addressed hundreds of members of the diaspora community from the state at a public event in Times Square. On Saturday, he inaugurated the American Regional Conference of the Loka Kerala Sabha, a non-resident Keralites' convention in New York. "We have made giant strides in every sector over the last six years," he said. Addressing the public event at the centre of the popular Times Square, Vijayan highlighted Kerala's progressive values, social harmony and equitable growth. He outlined infrastructure development and investments in public schools and the health system and other sectors undertaken and economic growth and development achieved by his administration. He further said the state is a model of inclusive development and has emerged as an example of people-centric progress. Compassio