Page 61 - Kerala

Special court verdict on April 4 in case of tribal man's killing in 2018

A special court in Kerala on Thursday said it will on April 4 pronounce its verdict in the case of killing of a tribal man in Palakkad district of the state for allegedly stealing food articles in 2018. Madhu, a tribal from Attappady, was killed after he was caught, tied and thrashed by a group of local people alleging theft on February 22, 2018. The special court for trial of offences under the SC/ST Act reserved judgement in the case after hearing arguments from April last year. The trial in the matter saw witnesses turning hostile, allegations of threats to the victim's family to settle or withdraw the case and a change in the Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) in June last year, Advocate Rajesh M Menon, who was the additional public prosecutor in the case, took charge as SPP in June last year after the victim's family sought a change in prosecutor. SPP Menon confirmed that the special court reserved its judgement and has set April 4 to pronounce its decision. There are 16 accuse

Protest in Kerala's Idukki over capture of rice eating tusker Arikomban

Protests broke out in several parts of this high range district on Thursday with locals taking to the roads and blocking traffic, aggrieved over the Kerala High Court's decision not to permit capture of 'Arikomban', a wild tusker, for the time being. The High Court had on Wednesday constituted a five-member expert committee to take a decision on what action should be taken with regard to Arikomban, so named as it raids ration shops and houses for rice. The panel has to communicate its decision to the court by April 5, till when capture of the elephant has been prohibited. The court only permitted tranquilising and radio collaring of the tusker if it forayed into inhabited areas despite the best efforts of the forest and wildlife personnel to deter it from doing so. Protesting against the court's decision, people of several panchayats of the district came out onto the roads and blocked traffic in some areas, according to TV visuals. The protesting public, including women and childr

Kerala Lokayukta to take up case against CM over mishandling of CMDRF

The Kerala Lokayukta is expected to deliver its verdict in a case against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday

India reports 2,151 fresh Covid cases, highest single-day rise in 5 months

At present, active case load in the country is 11,903 cases, according to Health Ministry; daily positivity rate is 1.51%, while weekly positivity rate is 1.53%

State prepared to handle Covid-19 wave, says Kerala Health Minister

She also added that senior citizens, pregnant ladies and children are advised to wear a mask while stepping out

Fire breaks out again at Kerala's Brahmapuram Waste Treatment Plant

Fire broke out again at Brahmapuram Waste Treatment Plant on Sunday, barely a couple of weeks after a devastating blaze lasted at the site for days before being extinguished. Police said eight fire tenders have been pressed into service to douse the fire which was detected at one of the sectors inside the plant. Brahmapuram plant was in news when a massive fire had broken out there on March 2 and thereafter, the air quality in the port city of Kochi and neighbouring municipalities and gram panchayats had worsened as they were engulfed in the dense smoke billowing from the garbage dump. "A few fire tenders were already present at the plant to monitor the situation. Senior fire force officials, revenue department and city corporation officials are currently there," District Collector N S K Umesh told the media. A police officer said it's a minor incident and fire tenders are dousing it. Meanwhile, State LSGD Minister M B Rajesh told the media that the fire situation was under ...

UK expresses interest to partner with Kerala in higher education sector: CM

The United Kingdom has evinced interest to work with the Kerala government in the higher education sector among others, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Wednesday. Vijayan called on British Deputy High Commissioner, Chandru Iyer, here and discussed the potential in state's collaboration with the United Kingdom in the areas of healthcare, education, Fintech among others. "Had a fruitful discussion with the British Deputy High Commissioner, @chandruiyer, regarding potential collaboration between the UK and Kerala to enhance crucial sectors like education, healthcare, and scientific research. Thank you for your valuable insights and support," Vijayan tweeted. Detailing the efforts of his government, Vijayan said it has been focusing more on the quality of higher education in the state and there was ample scope to cooperate with Britain in that sector. "The Deputy High Commissioner has informed about the plan to conduct an Education World Forum. We will discuss the possibility o

As Covid cases crosses 1,000; Kerala on alert, use of masks recommended

In the meeting, which came on the eve of the third anniversary of Kerala announcing a lockdown due to Covid, she said the use of masks when visiting hospitals should be a must

Kerala NMMS Result 2022 is out today at official website with details

The candidate appeared for the Kerala National Means cum Merit Scholarship (NMMS) 2022 will have to enter roll numbers and dates of birth to get the Kerala NMMS result 2022

Vijayan to go slow on case against 7 Oppn MLAs for Assembly fiasco: Rpt

Of the seven opposition legislators named, two are women and the FIR includes charges which can fetch imprisonment for a decade

Kerala gets first transgender person as lawyer in Advocate Padma Laxmi

Kerala gets its first transgender advocate Padma Laxmi enrolled with the Bar Council of Kerala on Sunday, March 19

Kerala Cong hints at nationwide protests after police visits Gandhi's house

Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly VD Satheesan on Sunday hit out at the Central government after a team led by Special CP (Law and Order) visited Rahul Gandhi's residence to seek information

Kerala is now BJP's next staging post to increase its vote share

BJP wants to replicate the Nagaland model, taking minorities with it. In the N-E, critics even dubbed it the 'Bharatiya Jesus Party'

No Arogya Setu data of Kerala was shared with US tech firm: IT Minister

We are not aware of any such incident in which a US-based tech firm was authorised by the Kerala government to collate, collect, manage and handle the health data of the people

Kerala CM announces three-tier probe in Brahmapuram fire in Assembly

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday announced a three-tier probe by different agencies into the fire that broke out in a waste treatment plant at Brahmapuram in Kochi. The special investigation team (SIT) of the state police would investigate the criminal case registered in connection with the fire that broke out on March 2, he told the state Assembly. The fire at the waste dumpyard was doused completely on March 13, the Chief Minister said while making a special statement on the issue in the House. Vijayan, who had been facing intense criticism by the opposition parties for not breaking his silence on the fire incident, made the statement in the House under the Rule 300 of the Rules of Procedures and Conduct of Business of the Assembly. "The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau will probe all the procedures at the waste treatment plant so far right from its inception, he said. At the same time, an expert team would be deployed to make recommendations on how to avo

Brahmapuram site doesn't conform to waste management rules: HC panel

A committee constituted by the Kerala High Court has found that the waste treatment site at Brahmapuram here, where a massive fire broke out recently, doesn't conform to the provisions of Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. The panel said the quantity of biodegradable waste brought to Brahmapuram may be reduced considering various factors, including the available area of a windrow plant in the site. In its report submitted to the High Court on Monday, the committee said a major portion of a building has already collapsed and has been removed from the site. The existing building situated at the site is in a dilapidated condition and may collapse at any stage, said the committee consisting of the Ernakulam district collector and top officials of various departments, including the local self government, the state pollution control board, Kochi corporation, and the district legal services authority. The report said the committee was informed that due to the exorbitant cost involved in

Mandaviya seeks report from Kerala govt on Brahmapuram plant fire

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday sought a report from the Kerala government on a fire that broke out at the Brahmapuram waste treatment plant in Kochi over 10 days ago. "Have asked Kerala State Government to submit a report on the incident of fire at #Brahmapuram waste dumping yard in Kochi. Centre will support the State to ensure public health measures," Mandaviya said in a tweet. The fire broke out at the Brahmapuram waste treatment plant on March 2 and the site remains shrouded in toxic smoke. The Kerala government on Sunday said that 95 per cent of the fire at the plant had been extinguished. In a statement, district authorities had said 200 firefighters, 18 excavator operators, 68 civil defence members, 55 city corporation officials, 48 Home Guards, five personnel from the Navy, two from BPCL, three from CIAL and four from the Revenue department were working continuously. A medical team is also on standby, it had said. The Ernakulam district administration a

90% of fire at Brahmapuram waste plant extinguished, says Kerala govt

The Kerala government on Saturday said 90 per cent of the fire at Brahmapuram waste treatment plant was extinguished and efforts were on to douse the rest of the affected area. An expert committee meeting, chaired by Additional Chief Secretary A Jayathilak today, evaluated the situation and discussed methods to resolve the issue of smoke pollution emanating from the smouldering waste plant near Kochi city. Meanwhile, a monitoring committee appointed by the High Court inspected the site on Saturday and said fire was doused at five sectors of the plant with efforts underway to extinguish it in the last two sectors. The committee will submit its report to the High Court about its findings regarding the fire that broke out at the city corporation-run waste treatment plant on March 2. On March 5, the district administration of Ernakulam declared a holiday for children in all schools in areas under Kochi corporation and the nearby municipalities and gram panchayats, as huge and thick clo

Kerala to set up water kiosks, launch awareness drive as summer approaches

With many parts of Kerala reeling under intense heat, the state government on Saturday announced a series of plans including setting up water kiosks in local bodies and busy commercial streets in anticipation of a heat wave and possible sun stroke. Cold water, butter milk and oral rehydration solution (ORS) would be kept as per requirement in these water kiosks, known as 'thanneer pandals" in local parlance, across the state. The kiosks should be kept open till May, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan directed in a meeting of State Disaster Management Authority which was attended by heads of various departments and district collectorates here. District-wise notification should be issued to the general public about the location of such 'thanneer pandals' and public buildings and the space provided by noble people can be used for the same, he said. Village panchayats, municipalities and corporations would be allotted Rs 2 lakh, 3 lakh and 5 lakh respectively from the Disaster Response Fu

Inker Robotics secures $1.2 million funding under Kerala StartUp Mission

Kerala-based Inker Robotics, under the Kerala StartUp Mission, which deals with research and delivery in robotics and futuristic technology education, has secured a USD 1.2 million funding. The company has secured USD 1.2 million in a pre-series fundraising round headed by AHK Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm. Inker Robotics, which aims to create an impact on the next generation by empowering them with education in emerging technologies, expects the funding to enable them to further enhance its training delivery platform to develop more engaging content in robotics and emerging technology education. "We believe that our platform with its immersive and engaging approach is an effective way to teach futuristic technology skills to the young generation. We are thrilled to have the support of our investors as we work to empower the next generation with the skills they need to make them future ready," Rahul Balachandran, the founder and MD of Inker Robotics said in a ...