Page 66 - Kerala

Bird flu in Kerala: Preventive measures to be taken, says Health Minister

In the wake of bird flu cases being reported in the State, Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Sunday said there was no cause for concern, but precautions need to be taken for preventing transmission of the infection to humans. The Minister, according to a government release, said that all districts have been alerted and everyone should follow directions issued by the Health department. The release said that the Health department was monitoring for fever and other symptoms among people in the affected areas. Symptoms of the infection in humans include severe upper back pain, fever, cough, shortness of breath, cold and blood in the sputum, it said. Those at risk of the infection should get in touch with the nearest health center or a doctor on noticing any of these symptoms or if they have respiratory problems, the release said. It also said that bird flu or avian influenza is an infectious viral disease found in birds which is not usually transmitted to humans. But it can infec

World's first palm-leaf manuscript museum comes up in Thiruvananthapuram

A treasure house of both obscure and celebrated tales of the erstwhile Travancore kingdom that became Asia's first to defeat any European power on Indian soil, the recently opened Palm leaf Manuscript Museum in the Kerala capital has further brightened the state's cultural and academic space. Billed as the world's first palm leaf manuscript museum, the facility is essentially a repository of curious nuggets of administrative, socio-cultural and economic facets of Travancore spanning a period of 650 years till the end of the19th century, besides documents relating to territories of Kochi in the state's middle and Malabar further north. Besides brightening the state's culture space, the museum also serves as a reference point for historical and cultural research for academic and non-academic scholars, officials said. Among the manuscripts that the museum houses are accounts of the famed Battle of Colachel wherein the valiant Travancore king Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma (1729-58) .

There will be no probe by Central agencies against CPI-M leaders: Congress

Since the BJP/RSS combine and the CPI-M are two sides of the same coin, there will be no probe against the CPI-M leaders by national agencies, a top Congress leader in Kerala said

Despite being educated, unemployment rate high among Kerala youth: Tharoor

Unemployment rate among the youth in Kerala is huge and there is a need to make the state more attractive for its younger generation to prevent them from going outside for jobs, Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor said on Monday. Tharoor, speaking at the inauguration of the 146th Mannam Jayanthi celebration at the Nair Service Society (NSS) headquarters at Perunna in Changanassery here, said unemployment among the youth in Kerala was 40 per cent in June 2022. Mannam Jayanthi is held to celebrate the birth anniversary of NSS founder and social reformer Mannath Padmanabhan. He said only Jammu and Kashmir was in such a situation, but that was due to militancy problems there. "No other state is showing such concerning figures of unemployment among the youth. In other states those uneducated or unskilled are the ones lacking jobs. However, in Kerala everyone is literate, educated and has passed class 10, yet a lot of them do not have jobs," the Thiruvananthapuram MP ...

All-time liquor sale in Kerala on a high during New Year eve: BevCo

Kerala saw an all-time record-breaking liquor sale of over Rs 100 crore on New Year's eve, according to a source in the Kerala State Beverages Corporation Ltd (BEVCO). "It was an all-time record for December 31 and for any other day of the year till now," the source told PTI. On December 31, 2022, around Rs 107 crore worth of alcohol was sold from the 268 BEVCO outlets across the State, the source said. During the festive season from December 22 to December 31, alcohol worth around Rs 690 crore was sold, he said. The highest sales as on December 31 were reported from the BEVCO outlet on Powerhouse Road in Thiruvananthapuram where alcohol worth Rs 1.12 crore was sold, he said. "All BEVCO outlets, including those in high-range areas of the State, saw sales of more than Rs 10 lakh. We have never seen such sales in those areas," the source said. The reasons for the increased sales were improved logistics, availability of stock and better enforcement by the Excise Department against s

70 hospitalised in Kerala after food posioning during a baptism event

At least 70 people were admitted to various hospitals in Kerala's Pathanamthitta district after an alleged food poisoning during a baptism function held at Malappally in the district earlier this week

Kerala gives nod for land acquisition to build airport near Sabarimala

The order from the Revenue Department states that 2,570 acres of land will be taken between Erumeli South and Manimala

CPI(M) decides to bring Cheriyan back into cabinet; Cong criticises move

The ruling CPI(M) in Kerala has decided to bring MLA Saji Cheriyan back into the cabinet, a move which was criticised by the Congress which said on Saturday the Left party ought to have waited for the final outcome of the case against him before taking a decision. Cheriyan, in July, had resigned from the cabinet over his alleged remarks against the Constitution during a speech in Pathanamthitta district and the lodging of a criminal case against him in connection with that. CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan on Saturday confirmed that the state secretariat of the party, a day ago, took the decision to bring Cheriyan back into the cabinet. "All that remains is for the Chief Minister and the Governor to decide on a date for the oath taking ceremony," Govindan told reporters. He also claimed that "all decisions" have come from the court in connection with the issue and nothing more remains to happen. On the other hand, senior Congress leader and MP K Muraleedharan said that the Chie

Kerala to end energy-intensive irrigation practices, says Agri Minister

Kerala Agriculture Minister P Prasad on Wednesday said efforts are on to propagate solar energy-based irrigation facilities which can phase out existing energy-intensive farming practices. The southern State has already initiated a transformational and holistic shift to sustainable methods of cultivation, livelihood diversification, decentralised renewables and energy efficiency to help farmers survive the climate crisis, he said. The State is preparing an action plan to help decrease energy-intensive methodologies in land preparation, adding inputs, irrigation and harvesting, the Minister said after inaugurating a two-day consultation on 'Energy Transition in Agriculture Sector of Kerala,' organised jointly by Asar Social Impact Advisors and Energy Management Centre (EMC) under KSEB here. Prasad said that food processing and value-addition processes would also be brought under renewable energy. The State had accelerated its massive carbon neutral initiative that would help develop

Guv vs govt, Vizhinjam violence, double murder stirred Kerala in 2022

While unlocking from the pandemic-induced restrictions enlivened the public spaces and festival venues across Kerala where people thronged in camaraderie in 2022, the political space was hot with its wrangling, especially with the Governor-government tussle only getting intense. The year saw the long-drawn differences between Governor Arif Mohammed Khan and the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government deepen, and public resentment over a couple of mega infrastructure projects spilling out on to the streets to the discomfiture of the ruling CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front government (LDF). A sensational double murder involving two women under suspicion of human sacrifice, in which three persons including a couple were arrested, shook the conscience of the Kerala society, known to be a progressive one. The statements and actions of Governor Khan dominated the world of news in Kerala after he, in his capacity as Chancellor, opposed the alleged nepotism in appointments being made in state-run

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