Kerala Govt

Kerala approves new industrial policy to become hub of developed industries

The Kerala government on Wednesday approved its new industrial policy which is aimed at a quantum leap in the key production sector for making the State a hub of most developed industries. Kerala Industries Minister P Rajeev said that the Cabinet approved the new policy which would be focusing on Environmental Social Governance (ESG) investments. "One of the new significant features of Kerala's new industrial policy is, we are focusing on Environmental Social Governance (ESG) investments. We have already constituted a committee consisting of experts from Oxford and representatives of industries to frame an industry framework for Kerala," Rajeev said. He said the intention of the government is to make Kerala the leading State in attracting ESG investments. As part of the new policy various academic, cooperative and private industrial parks focusing on 22 key production sectors would be set up, the Minister said. The new policy, as part of the Industrial Revolution 4.0, has provisio

Spreading false propaganda against women's safety is not good: Vijayan

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday said that some people are spreading false propaganda against women's safety across the state and promoting such things is not a good tendency

Fire at Brahmapuram waste plant in Kochi set deliberately: UDF in assembly

The still smouldering fire at the Brahmapuram waste plant in Kochi was set "deliberately" to avoid inspection of the site where several years worth of garbage was lying accumulated, Congress-led UDF opposition alleged in the Kerala assembly on Monday. The government, on the other hand, said the fire appeared to have been caused due to the high temperatures in the state, but it was investigating the matter to find out the actual reasons for it. Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the state assembly V D Satheesan claimed in the House that the fire has not yet been extinguished or even brought under control and alleged that neither the local administration nor the state government was doing anything to address the serious situation. The poisonous smoke generated from there, which has even entered homes of the areas neighbouring the waste plant, will cause both short and long term health problems for the people there, he contended in his submission in the House. The LoP, also an MLA from Nor

Kerala govt to set up more courts for speedy disposal of vigilance cases

The Kerala government has decided to increase the number of courts handling vigilance matters for speedy disposal of such cases. The decision was taken in a meeting chaired by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for evaluating vigilance activities in the state, a government statement said. Besides deciding to set up more courts, the meeting also came out with a slew of fresh directions for improving the probe in vigilance cases, the statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said. Among the fresh directions, one was with regard to appointment of vigilance officers. It was directed in the meeting that before appointing officers in the internal vigilance cell, an intelligence inquiry has to be conducted and a report of the same be prepared, the statement said. For appointment of police officers to the vigilance department, it was directed that an examination has to be conducted and a list of eligible candidates prepared, it said. The eligible candidates would be train

Kerala HC rejects plea claiming arrest, detention for waving black flags

The Kerala High Court on Tuesday dismissed a plea seeking a declaration that arrest and detention for waving black flags in protest is 'illegal' and 'unconstitutional.' The petition, which also sought compensation for those booked for waving black flags at Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in protest last year, was rejected by a bench of Chief Justice S Manikumar and Justice Murali Purushothaman. The detailed order giving reasons for dismissing the plea is not yet available, advocate Rajesh Vijayan, who appeared for the petitioner, said. The matter assumes significance as many Youth Congress workers were arrested or put in preventive detention in the last few days for waving black flags at the Kerala CM, or allegedly planning to do so, while he was in Kozhikode and other districts of the state. The plea, by one Sam Joseph, had also sought an inquiry into the alleged professional misconduct by the officers concerned who had on June 11 last year taken into preventive custody two ...

Food Safety Dept to undergo performance audits district-wise in Kerala

The Food Safety Department would undergo a performance audit district-wise in the state to evaluate its enforcement activities, the Kerala government has said. As the number of people eating from outside is increasing, food safety cannot be compromised and therefore, the department should strengthen its enforcement activities, Health Minister Veena George said. Speaking at a meeting of the Assistant Commissioners of the Food Safety Department, the minister also said that the government would not allow corruption in the department as it was a bigger offense than adulteration of food. She said that food safety officials should take action in accordance with law, but not wrong ones. Strict action would be taken against food safety officials who are corrupt, the minister added, according to the release. George said that performance audits would be carried out on a district basis in the Food Safety Department and the districts would be ranked based on the outcome. Performance of all .

Cooperation between neighbours vital to prevent spread of disease: Kerala

As various infectious diseases are throwing up unprecedented challenges across the world, the Kerala government has emphasised upon cooperation between its health department and those of the neighbouring states to prevent spread of communicable ailments. State Health Minister Veena George said it was necessary for the health departments of the bordering states to work in cooperation with each other to prevent spread of infectious diseases effectively. The minister was speaking at an inter-state meeting of various states inaugurated by her on Monday, a government release said. At the meeting, George said that health workers in border districts, when required, should coordinate with each other in the areas of data sharing, early warning, preparation of strategic action plans, development of local awareness materials, implementation of containment and quarantine guidelines. She said that climate change, antimicrobial resistance, and pesticide resistance have all contributed to disease

Protection of coastal areas from erosion of utmost importance: Kerala govt

The protection of the state's coastal areas, facing erosion due to strong sea waves, is of the utmost importance and Rs 1,500 crore has been allocated for the same, the Kerala government has said. Kerala Water Resources Minister Roshy Augustine said that around Rs 5,400 crore would have to be spent for protecting the coastal areas from erosion. Of that Rs 1,500 crore has been allocated under a KIIFB project, he said on Sunday after inaugurating the reconstructed seawalls in Azhikkal coastal area of Azhikode constituency in Kannur district of the state. Augustine, at the event, said the major problem being faced by the people in coastal areas was sea water entering their homes and disrupting their living conditions. He said the reconstruction of the seawalls in Azhikkal in a time-bound manner was an example of the government's tireless efforts to resolve the problem faced by people living in coastal areas. Similarly, construction of seawalls, using tetrapods, was 80 per cent comple

Plea in Kerala HC seeking law to prohibit practice of black magic, sorcery

A plea has been filed in the Kerala High Court seeking to pass a law to prohibit the practice of black magic, sorcery and inhuman evil practices in the society. A bench headed by the Chief Justice S Manikumar which had on Tuesday considered the plea, asked the government what was the reason for the delay in passing such a statute. The court has said that it will further hear the matter after two weeks. The writ petition filed by Kerala Yukthi Vadhi Sangam, which claims to stand for rationalism, humanism, scientific temper and spirit of inquiry, told the High Court that the state was continuously witnessing some crimes in connection with superstitious beliefs. "Currently, there are no adequate provisions in the general penal statute to prohibit the same or to be otherwise dealt with...Karnataka and Maharashtra are two states which have passed statutes in this regard," the plea, filed through lawyer P V Jeevesh, said. The petition sought to consider and take a decision on the ...

PT Usha alleges illegal encroachment at her athletics school in Kerala

'It is a growing institution, so many athletes are being trained there and this is not the first time such an incident has taken place'

Kerala's economy posted strong recovery in 2021-22: State Economic Review

Finance minister KN Balagopal on Thursday tabled the State Economic Review for 2021-22, claiming that the state had posted its fastest growth since 2012-13

Farmers should create value-added items from agriculture: Kerala minister

Farmers in Kerala should create value-added items out of their agricultural products and sell them as international brands in the world market to increase their income, state Agriculture Minister P Prasad said. Speaking after inaugurating the silver jubilee celebrations of Kudumbashree projects at Ranni in Pathanamthitta district of the state, the minister said farmers can boost their income by international branding and sale of such value added products and by better organising the agricultural labour force. "Mechanization of the agricultural labor force can help both the farmer and the laborers," he said. As a step towards that, necessary machinery will be provided to the agricultural work force in Ranni Perunad panchayat with the help of the agriculture department, Prasad said. He further said that "our diet and lifestyle invite diseases, so we must take up agriculture to avoid them". The minister also praised the Kudumbashree and said it was a system that the world can emulate

Kerala CM accuses Sangh Parivar of treating minorities as 'enemies'

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has accused the Sangh Parivar of treating Muslims and Christians as 'enemies of the nation' and urged everyone to unite against such divisive actions, drawing sharp criticism from the BJP. Vijayan said the Constitution, which was the best weapon to fight against caste discrimination and religious hatred, was presently under attack. The CM alleged the Sangh Parivar and the RSS have made it clear that their aim was to turn India into a 'Hindu rashtra'. He also accused the party in power at the Centre of being followers of a political group which did not take part in the freedom struggle. "They are attacking the very roots of our country, its democracy and the Constitution," he said while speaking after inaugurating the Constitution Protection Conference and Secular Meet here on Thursday. In his speech, Vijayan said that if the Constitution was destroyed, everything -- from an individual's dignity to the sovereignty of the country -- would be lo

Kerala Guv questions timing of BBC doc when India assumed G20 presidency

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Wednesday questioned the timing of the release of the controversial BBC documentary -- "India: The Modi Question" -- saying it came at a time when India assumed the presidency of the G20. Khan, speaking to reporters here, also said that he is surprised that people are attaching more importance to the opinion of a foreign documentary maker, "that too our colonial masters", than the verdict of the highest court of the land. "So many judicial verdicts, including that of the highest court of the land, the timing, all these things have to be taken into consideration. This is a time when India has assumed the G20 presidency. "Why has this particular time been chosen to bring out this scurrilous material? You cannot ignore these things and particularly when it is coming from a source who ruled over us for over 200 years," the Governor said.

Kerala political groups to screen BBC doc; BJP seeks CM's intervention

CPI(M)'s youth wing, DYFI, kicked off the political storm in the state over the documentary by announcing on its Facebook page that it would be shown in the state

Kerala FM Balagopal seeks inputs to revitalise state's sagging economy

Ahead of the state budget to be presented on February 3, Kerala Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal has sought the people's suggestions to reinvigorate the sagging economy of the state

Kerala govt planning to grant menstrual leaves in state varsities: Edu Min

Kerala Higher Education Minister Dr R Bindu said that the govt is considering granting menstrual leaves in all the state varsities as recently announced by the Cochin University

Kejriwal, Akhilesh, Left leaders to attend BRS public meet in T'gana on Wed

The ruling BRS in Telangana to organise a public meet at Khammam town on Wednesday, attended by Delhi CM Kejriwal, Punjab CM Mann, Kerala CM Vijayan, SP leader Akhilesh Yadav and CPI's D Raja

Tharoor Vs Others: AICC asks all Kerala leaders to maintain decorum

Sensing that if it does not intervene now, it might be a bit too late, the All India Congress Committee(AICC) asked the leaders to ensure that there is no more "free for all" in public domain

Kerala home secy, family injured after truck rams their car near Kayamkulam

Kerala Home Secretary Dr V Venu and his wife Sarada Muraleedharan met with an accident near Kayamkulam on Monday