Page 65 - Kerala

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan meets PM Modi to discuss the ESZ issue

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the latter's official residence in New Delhi, an official source said. The Chief Minister's Office shared photographs of the meeting which is being held in the wake of farmers and residents of areas close to forested parts of the southern state protesting against implementation of the one-kilometre eco-sensitive zones (ESZ) in those places. Other than photographs of the meeting, no other details were released by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO). An official source on Monday had said that the ESZ issue was likely to be discussed during the meeting. Besides that, the delay in getting the Central government's clearance for the semi-high speed rail project SilverLine, connecting Kasaragod in the north to Thiruvananthapuram in the south, and the financial crisis that has gripped the state during the time of COVID-19 pandemic may also be topics of discussion, the source had said. The state govern

Mullaperiyar water level touches max storage limit, flood warning sounded

An alert has been sounded by Kerala as the water level in Mullaperiyar dam here reached its maximum permissible storage capacity of 142 feet on Tuesday. District authorities here said the "third and final flood warning" was issued as the water level in the reservoir touched 142 feet at 10 am. It took three hours to reach the water level from 141.95 feet, which was recorded at 7 am to 142 ft at 10 am, they said. While the tunnel discharge was 750 cusecs, the average inflow was 1,687.5 cusecs and the storage capacity was 7,666 million cubic feet, they added. The 127-year-old Mullaperiyar dam has been a bone of contention between Kerala and Tamil Nadu for decades.

Kerala sees 5% rise in alcohol sales during Christmas, says BevCo

Kerala saw an overall five per cent increase over last year's sales of alcohol during the Christmas season this year, according to a source in Kerala State Beverages Corporation Ltd (BEVCO). The source said sales between December 22 and December 25 generated around Rs 250 crore. This number could further go up by December 31, the source said. On Christmas eve, there were sales for around Rs 90 crore from BEVCO outlets. This was slightly less than last year, but the sale receipts from the outlets were not yet in, said the source. Therefore, the figure could go up, according to the source. The State government slashed sales tax on wine from 112 per cent to 86 per cent, the source added.

Over 6,000 birds killed in Kerala's Kottayam amid bird flu outbreak

Over 6,000 birds were culled in three separate panchayats of Kerala's Kottayam district where a bird flu outbreak has been confirmed. A total of 6,017 birds, mostly ducks, were killed on Saturday in the Vechur, Neendoor and Arpookara panchayats of the district, a release from the district administration said. Around 133 ducks and 156 chickens in Vechur, 2,753 ducks in Neendoor and 2,975 ducks in Arpookara were killed, the release said. Bird flu or avian influenza, is a highly contagious zoonotic disease. Meanwhile, the Lakshadweep administration has for now banned transportation of frozen chicken to the islands from the mainland due to a reported outbreak of bird flu in Kerala.

Lakshadweep bans transport of frozen chicken over Kerala bird flu outbreak

The Lakshadweep administration has for now banned transportation of frozen chicken to the islands from the mainland due to reported outbreak of bird flu in Kerala. The Animal Husbandry department of the Union Territory of Lakshadweep took a decision to this effect on Friday. In its communication to the Director of Port, Shipping and Aviation at Kavaratti, the department has said, "The outbreak of avian influenza (bird flu), a highly contagious zoonotic disease, has been reported in the neighbouring state of Kerala. "Hence, it is decided to ban the transportation of frozen chicken from the mainland to the Lakshadweep Islands." The department requested that concerned officers be instructed to ensure that frozen chicken is not loaded onto ships or barges from the mainland to the islands.

India records 201 new Covid-19 infections; active cases rise to 3,397

) India reported 201 new coronavirus infections, raising the tally to 4.46 crore, while the active cases increased to 3,397, the Union Health Ministry said on Saturday. The death toll stands at 5,30,691 with one fatality reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am by the ministry stated. The daily positivity was recorded at 0.15 per cent and the weekly positivity at 0.14 per cent. A total of 90.97 crore tests for detection of COVID-19 have been conducted so far, with 1,36,315 tests being conducted in the last 24 hours, the ministry said. The active cases comprise 0.01 per cent of the total infections. The national COVID-19 recovery rate has increased to 98.80 per cent, it said. An increase of 17 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 case count in a span of 24 hours, the ministry said. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,41,42,791, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent. India has so far recorded at 4.46 crore ( .

Justice delayed, but happy: Siddique Kappan's wife on grant of bail to him

The wife of Kerala-based journalist Siddique Kappan on Friday welcomed the bail granted to him in a money laundering case, but said it was "justice delayed". "Justice delayed, but I am happy. I am happy he has got bail. I am unhappy with the fact that it took so long," Raihanath Kappan told the media at her residence in Vengara in Malappuram district. The Allahabad High Court granted bail to Kappan in the money laundering case today. His wife said that bail order was not yet available so she did not know what the conditions were except that two persons have to be found to stand as sureties. She said that she returned from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh two day ago. Kappan, currently lodged in the Lucknow district jail, was arrested two years back while he was on his way to Hathras in Uttar Pradesh, where a Dalit woman had died after allegedly being raped. He and three others were accused of having links with the Popular Front of India. In September, the Supreme Court granted him bail

Search engines like Google cannot claim to be 'content-blind': Kerala HC

The Kerala High Court has held that search engines like Google cannot claim to be mere intermediaries with no control over the content that appears in search results

Technopark sees boost in IT export revenue; Kerala CM praises performance

Kerala's information technology hub Technopark has achieved a growth of Rs 1,274 crore in its IT export revenue compared to the last financial year, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said. Technopark achieved an export revenue of Rs 9,775 crore in FY 2021-22, which is 15 per cent higher than the previous year. Last financial year (FY 20-21), Technopark's export revenue was Rs 8,501 crore, he said. In addition, the recognition by the Government of India for filing GST accurately and CRISIL (Credit Rating Information Service of India) rated A+/Stable till June 2023 were also remarkable achievements, the Chief Minister said. Vijayan, in a Facebook post on Thursday, said the IT hub is soaring to new heights and its achievements were the result of various schemes implemented by the LDF government to ensure the growth of IT parks in the southern state. "During the last one and half years, Technopark allotted office spaces to 78 companies covering an IT built up area of 2,68,301 sq. ft

Kerala sounds alert, asks districts to step up surveillance on Covid-19

Kerala Health Minister Veena George said that a general alert has been issued in the state due to the increasing number of Covid-19 cases in some countries such as China, Japan, South Korea and US

AMR action: Kerala to cancel licences of pharmacies selling antibiotics

Recognising that the misuse and overuse of anti-microbials are the main drivers in the development of drug-resistant pathogens, the Kerala government has decided to cancel the licences of pharmacies selling antibiotics without a doctor's prescription. The government also announced steps to make all primary health centres in Kerala antibiotic smart primary health centres, as part of strengthening its anti-microbial resistance (AMR) activities in the southern state. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death. As a result of drug resistance, antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines become ineffective and infections become increasingly difficult or impossible to treat. In a statement on Wednesday, the state Health Department said direct ...

Software exports from Technopark grow 15% to touch Rs 9,775 crore

IT exports from the Technopark campus in Thiruvananthapuram grew 15 per cent to touch Rs 9,775 crore for fiscal 2021-22 fiscal, according to the figures released on Wednesday

Covid surge: Kerala govt to step up measures to stop possible virus spread

In view of the surge in COVID-19 cases abroad, the Kerala government on Wednesday decided to intensify measures to prevent the spread of the virus in the southern state. This was announced by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at a press conference here. Vijayan urged people to take steps to protect themselves from getting infected by the virus, although COVID-19 cases are less in the state. The Chief Minister also reminded the public that the lessons learned during the peak period of COVID-19 cases in the state should be followed to deal with the virus. Vijayan advised people not to ignore fever, cold and sore throat, and not to be in close contact with people who have symptoms of COVID-19. Several cities in China, including capital Beijing, have been facing a growing number of coronavirus cases attributed to a new variant of the Omicron strain with reports of overcrowded hospitals and shortage of beds.

Railways announces 51 special trains to Kerala to cater to extra rush

Indian Railways on Tuesday announced 51 special trains to Kerala to cater to the extra rush of passengers during the upcoming Christmas-New Year season. In a statement, the Southern Railway announced 17 special train services to different places in Kerala for Christmas and New Year. "Apart from the special trains notified by Southern Railway, other zonal railways have notified a total of 34 services to Kerala -- 22 special trains by South Central Railway, eight special trains by South Western Railway and four special trains by East Coast Railway," it said. With this, a total of 51 special trains will be operated serving the state of Kerala during the Christmas/New Year season, the statement said. These special trains will be operated during the period from December 22, 2022 to January 2, 2023. Earlier in the day, Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor had criticised the Railway Ministry for not recognising the people's demand for more trains during the season and sought Railway Mini

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan launches Jio 5G in Kochi, Guruvayoor temple

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday inaugurated the 5G services provided by Jio in Kochi city and Guruvayur temple premises. Vijayan launched Jio True 5G and Jio True 5G Powered Wi-Fi services, digitally from Thiruvananthapuram, for an event organised here. Speaking at the event, Vijayan said the 5G services in the long run will bring transformational benefits for people of Kerala. Jio, in a release said, it has invested over Rs 6,000 crore for deploying the 5G network in Kerala and will be launching 5G services in Thiruvananthapuram by the end of this month followed by Thrissur, Kozhikode, and Malappuram by January 2023. "By December 2023 every tehsil and taluk of Kerala will have Jio's 5G services," the release said. It said 5G will also enable citizens and the government to remain connected on a real time basis and will also improve implementation and efficiency of government schemes for the last mile user. Jio group epxressed their gratitude towards the Chief ..

Kerala Bevco records sale of liquor worth Rs 50 cr on World Cup final day

Tipplers in Kerala celebrated the football World Cup final held in Qatar on Sunday contributing around Rs 50 crore to the state's coffers by purchasing liquor. The Kerala State Beverages Corporation (KSBC), also known as Bevco, registered a sale of around Rs 50 crore on December 18, more than the usual Rs 33 crore to 34 crore, collected on Sundays. Bevco CMD, Yogesh Gupta said around Rs 15 crore additional revenue came on last Sunday. However, this does not include the details of sale of liquor from private bars. "It was a Sunday and the World Cup final match might have also contributed to the increase in revenue," Gupta told PTI. He said the corporation expects over Rs 600 crore sales during the upcoming Christmas holiday season for ten days starting from December 21. During the last Onam season, the Bevco collected Rs 624 crore registering a record sales from September 1-7. Thousands of Malayalees across Kerala celebrated Argentina's penalty shootout win over France in the 202

Intend to limit buffer zones within forests; may launch survey: Kerala govt

The Kerala government on Tuesday said its intention was to try limiting buffer zones within forest regions and that it was also considering a field survey of affected areas to resolve concerns of the public on the issue. Speaking to reporters at Thiruvananthapuram after meeting major archbishop-catholicos of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, Baselios Cleemis, Kerala Transport Minister Antony Raju and state Water Minister Roshi Augustine said the Left government's intention was to try and limit buffer zones within the forests. The ministers, while downplaying the meeting with Cardinal Cleemis as casual, said the government was also considering carrying out field surveys of the areas where buffer zones have to be implemented in accordance with the Supreme Court directions. They met the Cardinal hours before the high level meeting, called by Vijayan on Monday, to be held in the afternoon. The high level meeting will be chaired by the CM and would comprise the state Ministers of ...

Sporadic violence reported from parts of Kerala after Argentina win

Sporadic incidents of violence were reported from various parts of the state on Sunday night as celebrations in the wake of Argentina's World Cup win went out of control. Different incidents of minor violence were reported from Kannur district last night in which two cases were registered and six persons were under custody. "One person suffered a stab injury on his leg and was hospitalised during an incident of violence at Palliyamoola in the district. In another incident at Thalassery, a police officer was injured," a senior special branch police officer told PTI. Kannur Police said a total of six persons were under custody in both the incidents. A police officer was attacked and dragged by a five-member gang at Kaloor junction in Kochi city. "A gang of five attacked the police officer who was on duty on Sunday night. They attacked him and dragged him while he opposed them blocking the road and celebrating," police said. In the Kochi incident, a case has been registered against

Messi's victory celebrations in Kerala takes violent turn, teen dies

In Kannur, the Argentian victory celebrations of supporters turned violent

India sees 135 new Covid infections, active cases rise marginally to 3,559

India logged 135 new coronavirus infections, while the active cases increased marginally to 3,559 from 3,552, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday. The Covid case tally was recorded at 4.46 crore (4,46,76,087). The death toll stands at 5,30,674 with two fatalities reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated. The active cases comprise 0.01 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate increased to 98.80 per cent, the ministry said. An increase of seven cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,41,41,854 while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent. According to the ministry's website, 220 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide vaccination drive. India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40