Page 5 - Pinarayi Vijayan

Kerala CM Vijayan urges Centre to release grant for Vizhinjam seaport

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has urged Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to release the Centre's share of Rs 817.80 crore in the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) for the Vizhinjam seaport here without imposing the condition that the state has to repay it later. Vijayan, in a letter to the FM, said the condition imposed by the Empowered Committee constituted by the Department of Economic Affairs, that the VGF amount should be repaid by Kerala in Net Present Value (NPV) terms by way of premium (revenue) sharing, would result in a huge loss of Rs 10,000 to 12,000 crore to the state exchequer. "The state is investing resources to the tune of Rs 5,595 crore out of the total project outlay of Rs 8,867 crore. I am sure, the Hon'ble Minister would appreciate that given the financial situation of a small state, like Kerala with limited financial resources, this scale of investment involves tremendous sacrifice on the part of the state. "In addition, as the repayment of Rs 817.80

Kerala CM asks Union FM to give grant for Vizhinjam port unconditionally

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has urged Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to release the Centre's share of Rs 817.80 crore in the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) for the Vizhinjam seaport here without imposing the condition that the state has to repay it later. Vijayan, in a letter to the FM, said the condition imposed by the Empowered Committee constituted by the Department of Economic Affairs, that the VGF amount should be repaid by Kerala in Net Present Value (NPV) terms by way of premium (revenue) sharing, would result in a huge loss of Rs 10,000 to 12,000 crore to the state exchequer. "The state is investing resources to the tune of Rs 5,595 crore out of the total project outlay of Rs 8,867 crore. I am sure, the Hon'ble Minister would appreciate that given the financial situation of a small state, like Kerala with limited financial resources, this scale of investment involves tremendous sacrifice on the part of the state. "In addition, as the repayment of Rs 817.80

Communal forces attempting to undermine Kerala's progress: CM Vijayan

He also called upon the people of the state to embrace humanistic values that transcend religious, caste, and regional differences

Kerala government to cover medical costs for temple fire accident victims

The Kerala government on Wednesday decided to bear the medical expenses of those injured in the fire accident at a temple near Neeleswaram in Kasaragod district that left 154 people injured, eight of them seriously. The incident occurred late Monday night at Anjoottanbalam Veererkavu temple near Neeleswaram when firecrackers stored in the vicinity exploded, according to the police. The decision to bear the medical expenses of those injured in the incident was taken in a Cabinet meeting, the chief minister's office (CMO) said in a statement. Three persons including two temple committee officials were arrested in connection with the incident on Tuesday after a case was registered under the Explosive Substance Act and various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to probe into the fire accident. Besides that, the additional divisional magistrate has been directed to carry out an inquiry separately into the incident and submi

CM Vijayan accuses BJP, Cong of misrepresenting Muslim-dominated Malappuram

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday launched a scathing attack against the BJP and the Congress-led UDF, alleging that the Sangh Parivar is misrepresenting Malappuram district, with the grand old party supporting this narrative. Vijayan, who recently faced backlash for remarks linking gold smuggling and hawala transactions in Malappuram to "anti-national activities," said the government is taking strict action against gold smuggling and that crimes should be viewed as crimes, not attributed to any particular community. "There are efforts to link these issues to a specific community, but the government will not endorse that perspective," the CM stated, clarifying his earlier controversial remarks about the Muslim-majority Malappuram district. The opposition Congress-led UDF had targeted Vijayan over his Malappuram remarks, accusing him of unfairly portraying the Muslim-majority district, prompting demands for an apology and clarification. While inaugurating the by-elect

Congress hits out at CM Vijayan over silence on Kannur ADM's death

The opposition Congress in Kerala has slammed Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan by questioning his silence on the alleged suicide of former Kannur ADM Naveen Babu following corruption allegations levelled against him by CPI(M) leader P P Divya. Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief K Sudhakaran and Leader of Opposition in the state assembly V D Satheesan both questioned why the CM was silent on the matter as he did not even convey his condolences to the bereaved family. Terming Babu as an honest and good officer, Sudhakaran alleged that the government was dragging its feet on investigating the matter. Similar allegations were made by Satheesan who claimed that Vijayan and his office were trying to save the culprits behind the alleged suicide of Babu. He also contended that the CPI(M) created a fake document to show Babu was corrupt and save Divya, the former Kannur District Panchayat President. Satheesan also sought to know why District Collector Arun K Vijayan kept silent

Pilgrims without online booking to get darshan at Sabarimala: Kerala CM

The Kerala government on Tuesday made it clear that the pilgrims who visit Sabarimala without virtual queue booking will also be provided smooth darshan at the Lord Ayyappa temple. The Pinarayi Vijayan government backtracked from its earlier decision to provide darshan only through online registration during the upcoming pilgrimage season amidst widespread protest. Chief Minister Vijayan made the announcement in the Assembly, while replying to a submission by V Joy (CPI-M) in this regard. "Facilities for smooth darshan will be ensured for pilgrims who come without (online) registration as well...Darshan will be ensured to those who do not register online and those who come without knowing about the system," he said. Similar facilities had been provided in the hill temple during the last pilgrim season as well, he said. However, the chief minister, during his brief speech, didn't clearly state whether the spot booking system would be maintained as it was in the previous year, along

Kerala will press for more relaxation in CRZ, says state CM Vijayan

The Kerala government on Monday said it would continue adopting strong measures to secure further relaxation in the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) from the Centre, in line with the state's interests. The central government has approved the draft Coastal Management Plan prepared and submitted by the state to obtain relaxation in the regulation limit for the construction activities on the sea and backwater coasts, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told the state assembly. An official announcement in this regard is expected soon, and with this, the state would get related benefits, he said. The CM was replying to a calling attention motion by P Nandakumar on the CRZ issue in the House. In 2019, the union government had issued a notification to allow further relaxation in the Coastal Management Act, and the state appointed a three-member expert panel to study these concessions to make them completely beneficial to the state, he said. On the basis of the committee's report, detailed ...

Intervention of Centre, RBI needed to curb cyber financial fraud: Kerala CM

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday stressed on the need for a comprehensive cybersecurity framework for the financial ecosystem to address the increasing incidents of online financial fraud. He pointed out that the state has already sought joint intervention from the Centre and the Reserve Bank of India in this regard. With the growth of technology, cybercrime is also on the rise by the day, and the cyber police division of the state police is working effectively to check such frauds, the CM said. He was replying to a submission by Anvar Sadath (Congress) in the state assembly. "The state police have been creating widespread awareness through social media pages to guard against cyber financial frauds," the CM said. In Kerala, cyber police stations are there in all districts, and a toll-free number and exclusive website have been launched for people to lodge complaints against cyber crimes, he said. "Over 30,000 bank accounts involved in such frauds have already been

News Highlights: Faima calls for shutdown of elective services in hospitals from Monday

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Kerala govt officers need CM's approval for official visits: Raj Bhavan

This clarification followed Governor Arif Mohammed Khan's recent statement regarding officers visiting the Raj Bhavan without prior authorisation from the CM

Kannur airport yet to get 'point of call' status from Centre: Kerala govt

The Kerala government on Friday said that Kannur airport was yet to receive 'point of call' status, enabling foreign airlines to operate services from there, despite several representations to the Centre and a recommendation by a parliamentary standing committee in favour of that. State Parliamentary Affairs Minister M B Rajesh made this submission in the Assembly on behalf of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in response to UDF MLA Sajeev Joseph calling the CM's attention to the necessity of increasing the number of flight services from Kannur airport and to develop it into international standards. Rajesh said the issue of granting 'point of call' status to the airport was raised before the Centre several times. The CM himself met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu over this matter, he added. "The CM has submitted a memorandum to the Civil Aviation Minister on September 28," he said. A parliamentary standing committee has also recommended ...

Fair probe required on complaint accusing Kerala CM of stirring Left: UDF

The Congress-led UDF opposition on Thursday demanded a fair probe into the complaint against Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan accusing him of making a speech instigating brutal assaults against Youth Congress members during the Nava Kerala Sadas outreach programme of the government last year. Leader of Opposition in the state assembly V D Satheesan made the demand in a submission in the House where he contended that a magisterial court has ordered a probe against the CM on the complaint. Responding to the submission on behalf of the CM, state Excise and Parliamentary Affairs Minister M B Rajesh said that the court has only asked the police to investigate whether there are sufficient grounds to proceed further with the complaint. "The court ordered the police to investigate under section 202 (1) of the CrPC as to whether there are sufficient reasons to proceed with the complaint and submit a report," Rajesh said. The court order of October 3 came on a complaint by Ernakulam ..

LDF govt agrees to debate Thrissur Pooram disruption issue in Assembly

The LDF government on Wednesday agreed to debate in the House an adjournment notice moved by the UDF opposition to discuss the need for a judicial probe into the disruption of the iconic Thrissur Pooram festival in April this year. State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs M B Rajesh, speaking on behalf of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, said that the adjournment notice' contents were similar to the notices moved on the last two days of the House. He contended that the opposition's intention behind moving the notice was to create a "political smokescreen" and raise in the Assembly the "wrong propaganda being spread through the media outside the House". "We will discuss the issue raised in the notice to reveal the opposition's true intentions," he said. In view of the government being agreeable to discuss the matter, Speaker A N Shamseer said the issue would be taken up at noon. The adjournment notice was moved by UDF MLAs, including Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, Anoop Jacob and K K

Gold smuggling remarks row: Kerala CM opposes Governor's summons

Chief Minister has issued a letter to the Rajbhavan stating that summoning officials without informing the elected government is beyond the constitutional authority of the governor

Kerala Assembly adjourned for the day after heated exchange between CM, LoP

The Kerala Assembly was adjourned for the day on Monday after a protest on the floor of the House following an intense verbal spat between Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan who traded charges. Angry opposition members climbed the podium of Speaker A N Shamseer who tried to conduct the business amid the ruckus, and even held a black banner preventing the House from seeing his face. The heated war of words between the CM and the LoP escalated after Vijayan strongly criticised the latter for attacking the chair. The controversy began when Satheesan announced the boycott of question hour, protesting the conversion of 49 starred questions into non-starred ones. Watch and Ward personnel had to forcibly push MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan (Congress) away when he tried to enter the Speaker's dias amidst the melee. A visibly angry CM rose and said blocking the Speaker's sight with banners cannot be allowed in the House at any cost. The slogans in the banner, .

EY employee death: Kerala CM Vijayan highlights need to follow labour laws

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday stressed on the need to ensure that labour laws are strictly adhered to in all sectors of the country. Employees are subjected to restless work, threats of dismissal and denial of labour rights in some sectors including the IT sector in the country, he told the state Assembly. The Chief Minister was replying to a Calling Attention motion moved in the House regarding the recent death of Anna Sebastian, a 26-year-old chartered accountant who allegedly died due to work-related stress four months after joining Ernst & Young (EY) in Pune. It is necessary to ensure that labour laws are strictly followed in all sectors of the country. Vijayan stated that the lease agreement signed with the companies operating in the IT parks in the state stipulates that all labour laws in the state must be followed. "If these conditions are not complied with, employees can seek action according to the existing legal provisions," he pointed out. Although .

Kerala Assembly adjourned amid protests after CM, LoP's heated exchange

The Kerala Assembly was adjourned for the day on Monday after a protest on the floor of the House following an intense verbal duel between Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan. Raising slogans against the CM, members of the opposition UDF allegedly climbed the podium of Speaker A N Shamseer and held up a banner, preventing the House from seeing his face. This prompted Vijayan to condemn the opposition's actions. As the protest and sloganeering escalated, and the Congress-led UDF members were reluctant to return to their seats despite repeated requests, the Speaker adjourned the House for the day. The government decision to discuss the opposition's adjournment notice regarding the controversial remarks allegedly made by the Chief Minister about Malappuram was withdrawn. The second day of the session commenced on a stormy note with the enraged opposition expressing displeasure to Speaker Shamseer over the altering of 49 starred questions into ...

Kerala's rebranding push for private investment: Businesses wait and watch

The Communist bastion is looking to reinvent itself as a friendly destination for private investment. But its economic and business indicators aren't flattering

Kerala requests Centre to exclude inhabited areas from Periyar buffer zone

The Kerala government on Saturday said that it will again request the Centre to exclude residential areas near the Periyar tiger reserve from the buffer zone. The decision was taken at a State Wildlife Board meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, according to a statement issued by his office. According to the CMO statement, it was decided in the meeting to again request the Centre to exclude 502.73 hectares of inhabited areas of Pampa valley and Angel valley settlements from the buffer zone around the tiger sanctuary. This recommendation will be submitted to the Centre along with additional information sought by it, the statement said. The CM called the urgent meeting, also attended by state Forest Minister A K Saseendran, to ensure this issue is considered at the National Wildlife Board meeting to be held on October 9, it said. The proposal to exclude 8.9725 square kilometers of inhabited area from Thattekad bird sanctuary and include 10.1694 square kilometers of res