Page 7 - Pinarayi Vijayan

Root cause of Wayanad disaster is climate change, says CM Vijayan

He said that experts estimate that due to climate change, rain-dependent rice yields in our country could decrease by 20% by 2050 and by 47% by 2080

Kerala CM protecting those behind controversial 'kafir' post: Oppn UDF

The Congress-led opposition UDF on Friday continued its attack on the ruling CPI(M) in Kerala over the "kafir" campaign that was carried out hours before the LS polls in Vadakara constituency, by accusing Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of protecting those who were behind it. The issue in question pertains to a social media post put up ahead of the Vadakara election that reportedly asked people not to vote for LDF candidate K K Shailaja as she was a "kafir" (non-believer). Terming it a hate campaign akin to a terror act which was aimed at dividing people along religious lines for political gains, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly V D Satheesan questioned why no case had been registered till date against those who spread the controversial post on social media. Satheesan also questioned how the CM, who holds charge of the Home Department, can feign ignorance about the affidavit filed by the police in the Kerala High Court reportedly stating that the post in question was circulated

Nation sad over Wayanad landslides, but time to move forward: CM Vijayan

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday said that while everyone in the country was sad regarding the Wayanad landslides that claimed over 200 lives, it was time to live and move forward for the survival of the state. Vijayan, speaking after hoisting the national flag at the Central Stadium here on the occasion of the 78th Independence Day of the country, also said that even as India excelled in various sectors since its independence in 1947, the scientific awareness in the country was being damaged and superstitions, harmful customs, and outdated rituals were making a comeback. Referring to the landslides in Wayanad, the CM said that Kerala and the country were celebrating the independence day in a time of grief following the disaster. "But, we cannot remain sad. We need to live and move forward for the survival of the state. So, the independence day, this year, should give impetus to the joint activities that ensure the state's survival," he said. The Marxist veteran a

Kerala landslides: CM announces Rs 6 lakh compensation for kin of deceased

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday announced a compensation of Rs six lakh for the next of kin of those who died in the massive landslides that hit Wayanad district on July 30 and claimed over 200 lives. Vijayan said that of the Rs six lakh, Rs four lakh would come from the State Disaster Response Fund and the remaining from the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF). He also announced that Rs 75,000 would be allocated from the CMDRF to those who lost eyes and limbs or suffered disability up to 60 per cent due to the landslides. The CM also said that Rs 50,000 financial assistance would be given to those who suffered disability between 40 to 60 per cent or suffered very serious injuries in the disaster. Besides that, the survivors opting for rented accommodation or living with their relatives will get Rs 6,000 per month towards rent as part of the government's rehabilitation programme, he said. This amount, however, will not be available to those who get ..

Kerala CM seeks fund from Centre to rebuild Wayanad, combat climate change

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday sought financial assistance from the Centre for the rehabilitation of those who had lost everything in the series of massive landslides in Wayanad recently and requested support to combat climate change. The CM listed out the state's demands before Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he arrived here to visit the calamity-hit hamlets in this hill district. After explaining to the PM the impact and intensity of the disaster, which had shocked the state last week, Vijayan also handed over its details as a note, a CMO statement said here. A detailed assessment of the damage is underway and the initial assessment is that the loss incurred was to the tune of thousands of crores of rupees, it said. The state would submit to the Centre a detailed memorandum with regard to the disaster later, the CM said. "The impact of global warming and climate change has affected the state to a great extent and frequent and unpredictable natural disasters

Kerala announces township in secure location for Wayanad landslide victims

The Kerala government on Saturday announced that a township will be established in a secure area to rehabilitate those displaced by the catastrophic landslide that occurred in the Mundakkai region of Wayanad district. During a press conference here, Vijayan said a comprehensive rehabilitation process is planned and will be implemented swiftly. Vijayan said various offers have come from the global community to provide land and construct houses. A 'Help for Wayanad' cell has been formed under Joint Land Revenue Commissioner A Geetha IAS to coordinate these offers. "The government plans a comprehensive rehabilitation process for the survivors, aiming for swift completion. A new, safer area will be identified for constructing a township. The Education Minister will visit Wayanad to ensure that children's education is not disrupted," Vijayan told the reporters here. Detailing the offers received, the CM said Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan has informed that senior Congress leader Ra

Wayanad landslides: CM says 'nobody left to save'; death toll crosses 300

During a review meeting held in Kalpetta, Wayanad, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that all those who are alive have been saved in the last three days

Wayanad landslides: Massive rescue ops underway; 256 dead, 191 missing

Rain-triggered landslides struck Wayanad on Tuesday, claiming the lives of at least 256 people and leaving several hundred injured

Kerala landslides: Autopsy count mounts as doctors battle to save survivors

Doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals, are working round the clock in Kerala's landslide-affected Wayanad, grappling with a distressing situation that involves providing critical care to severely injured survivors and performing autopsies on the remains of victims claimed by the catastrophic event. "Until 7 am today, we have completed 256 autopsies, which include body parts as well. So, it's not 256 full bodies, but also includes body parts. We have handed over 154 bodies to the district administration," said State Health Minister Veena George. She explained that autopsies have been performed on bodies that were swept away by the river and recovered from the Pothukal area in Malappuram district. Speaking about the traumatic situations faced by health workers, the minister revealed that over 100 autopsies were performed on Wednesday night. "It's quite unfortunate. Last night, we performed 112 autopsies, I think. I saw a health worker there, and she was crying. She hadn'

Search ops underway at Mundakkai, number of missing unknown: Minister

As a massive search operation is underway at Mundakkai region in landslide-hit Wayanad with a team of over 3,000 rescue workers, the authorities and locals are still grappling to determine the exact number of people missing. According to the state government, the toll has gone up to 173 while an estimated number of 191 people are missing, though official sources indicate that the actual number may be much higher. The rescue operators are contending with adverse conditions, including muddy soil and rain, as they search through destroyed homes and buildings. State Revenue Minister K Rajan, who is in the disaster-struck region, coordinating the rescue efforts, told the media that the authorities are yet to finalise the number of missing people. "Initially, we used the voter list to identify the missing persons. But since it does not contain the details of the children, we are now relying on ration cards and other details. We are trying to identify the missing people by checking the ..

100 bodies recovered: Major General VT Mathew on Wayanad landslide

Reacting to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's statement that the Kerala government could have minimised the losses in Wayanad, the Kerala Health Minister called it "unfortunate"

Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi leave for landslide-hit Wayanad in Kerala

167 people have been declared dead in the aftermath of the landslides as per the Kerala Revenue Department

Kerala landslides: CM Pinarayi Vijayan to chair all-party meet in Wayanad

An all-party meeting, chaired by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, will be held in the hill district on Thursday as search and rescue operations by various agencies and armed forces continue in the landslides-hit areas here. State ministers camping in the district, MLAs from Wayanad and political party leaders will participate in the meeting, the district administration said. Besides the all-party meet, Congress leader and former Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are expected to visit the relief camps set up in the landslides-hit areas of the district, according to a statement issued by the party. According to the updates of the death toll on Wednesday night, 167 people have died and 191 are missing in the landslides with over 200 injured. Of the dead, 100 have been identified, the district administration said. The rescue operations continued on the third day with teams of the army, navy and coast guard carrying out a detailed search at three locati

Wayanad landslide: Toll rises to 45, Army deployed for rescue op. Updates

Wayanad landslide updates: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to Kerala CM on the crisis and assured of all the help from the Centre

Will implement projects worth Rs 13,013 crore in 100 days, says Kerala CM

The Left Democratic Front government in Kerala will implement development projects worth Rs 13,013.40 crore in 100 days as part of its third anniversary, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced on Tuesday. The projects, which are part of the fourth edition of the 100-day programmes, are expected to be completed by October 22, he said. A total of 1,070 projects under 47 departments have been included in the latest 100-day initiative, Vijayan said in a statement. The fourth edition of the 100-day programme, which began after this government took power, will further boost various government activities that ensure the well-being of common people, social progress, and comprehensive and sustainable development, the Chief Minister said. The 100-day initiative has been designed to focus on areas that require special attention, in addition to implementing promises made in the election manifesto, he said. "The initiative aims to implement projects worth Rs 13,013.40 crore across 47 ...

Gen AI conclave will help Kerala become leading hub of AI: CM Vijayan

The country's first international Gen AI conclave will be held in Kerala next week and it will give an impetus to the state's efforts to become India's leading hub in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Friday. In a Facebook post, Vijayan said over a thousand delegates will take part in the two-day conclave being organised at Kochi by global technology company IBM in collaboration with the state government on July 11 and 12. In conjunction with the conclave, IBM is also organising the WatsonX Challenge, he said. The WatsonX challenge is the connecting of academic knowledge and real-life use cases using generative AI. The CM said that the team that wins the challenge, in which over 50 startups working in the field of artificial intelligence will take part, will not only get an award, it will also get an opportunity to present their ideas in front of investors from the global level. Vijayan, in his post, also said that besides IBM, vari

Uproar in Kerala Assembly after UDF accuses SFI of violence; CM defends it

The Kerala assembly witnessed an uproar on Thursday as the opposition Congress accused the SFI of indulging in criminal activities in state campuses, prompting Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to defend the Left student outfit and counter-allege atrocities by the Congress-backed KSU. The Congress-led UDF alleged that the CM and CPI(M) were providing political patronage to its student outfit -- Students Federation of India (SFI) -- which they claimed was responsible for violent and criminal activities in university campuses and beyond, across the state. The allegation was made by the opposition in the notice moved by several UDF MLAs, including M Vincent, seeking adjournment of the House proceedings to discuss the alleged beating up of a leader of the Kerala Students Union (KSU), the student wing of the Congress, by the SFI on the University of Kerala campus here. The opposition's motion was rejected by Vijayan who said that the police have registered cases in connection with the ...

Private company booked for polluting Periyar river near Kochi in Kerala

A case has been registered against a private company for allegedly polluting Periyar river near Kochi weeks after protests by environmental activists and locals against the alleged illegal discharge of chemical effluents into the waterbody, which posed a threat to the biodeiversity in it. The state Pollution Control Board also reportedly slapped a notice on the institution, one among the several companies located on the banks of Periyar river here, after the violation was detected during their recent patrolling, sources said. Police and the PCB adopted the tough stand against the firm amidst a raging row over the recent mass death of fish in Periyar river. Kochi had witnessed widespread protests by fish farmers, local people, environmental activists and political parties after dead fish were found floating in large numbers in fish farms across panchayats such as Varapuzha, Kadamakkudy, and Cheranalloor near here last month A police officer said a case was registered against the ...

Kerala Assembly passes resolution to change state's name to 'Keralam'

The Kerala Assembly on Monday unanimously adopted a resolution urging the Centre to officially change the state's name to Keralam'. The Assembly passed the resolution for the second time because the Union Home Ministry, which reviewed the first resolution, suggested some technical changes. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who moved the resolution, wanted the union government to change the southern state's name from "Kerala" to "Keralam" in all languages included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of the country. Moving the resolution, the CM said the state was called Keralam' in Malayalam and that the demand to form a united Kerala for the Malayalam-speaking communities had strongly emerged since the time of the national freedom struggle. But the name of our state is written as Kerala in the First Schedule of the Constitution. This Assembly requests the Centre to take immediate steps to amend it as Keralam' under Article 3 of the Constitution and have it renamed as Keralam'

Two organ trafficking complaints received, 3 arrests made: Kerala CM

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday informed the state assembly that the state police was investigating complaints alleging that organ trafficking was taking place in the state and several arrests have been made in this connection. Replying to a question on organ trafficking, Vijayan said three people were arrested so far in connection with a case registered at Nedumbassery in Ernakulam district. "One complaint was lodged by a Malappuram resident alleging that two private hospitals in Ernakulam have links to international organ trading mafia. The second complaint is regarding illegal organ transplantation from Thiruvananthapuram," he said. In the Nedumbassery case, he said three people were arrested and the process has been initiated to issue a Blue Corner notice through Interpol for prime accused Madhu Jayakumar, who is absconding. A 13-member police team is probing the matter. Meanwhile, the police is probing into the illegal organ transplantation from ...