Page 16 - Kerala

Amit Shah says BJP is Kerala's future, Congress heading towards extinction

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday took a jibe at the Congress and said that the Bharatiya Janata Party would be the future of Kerala

Take steps to galvanise economy, says Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan to Centre

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday urged the Central government to make the States take up what he called as productive spending to galvanise the economy of the country. Speaking at the 30th southern zonal council meeting here, Vijayan said there was a need for discussion on the proposed laws based on the concurrent list of the 7th Schedule of the Constitution before they were enacted. "There can be contestations, but through discussions and debates, consensus can emerge narrowing down the areas of differences. This is the essence of a healthy federal democracy," Vijayan said. He recalled the co-operative spirit with which the States faced the situation in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. "Differences stood apart and we rose to the need of the hour to protect and provide the people relief. Though the immediate threat has receded, the fiscal empowerment of the Union and the States are of equal importance to meet the long impact of the pandemic on the economy.

Air routes in Kerala remain under-served despite 4 airports: Shashi Tharoor

Tharoor made the observation while chairing the opening session of "TVM and Connectivity Summit" organised here by Trivandrum Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TCCI)

Amit Shah to chair Southern Zonal Council meet in Kerala on Saturday

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will chair a meeting of the Southern Zonal Council in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on Saturday where issues like sharing of river water, coastal security, connectivity and other issues of common interests will be discussed, officials said on Friday. The Southern Zonal Council comprises Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and the Union Territory of Puducherry. The meeting will be attended by chief ministers, ministers, chief secretaries, principal secretaries and senior officers of the member states and senior officers of central government, a home ministry official said. It will discuss issues of common interests in areas of sharing of river water, coastal security, connectivity, power and other issues, he said. As per the established procedure and practice, the zonal council meeting is preceded by a standing committee of the council, in which the agenda items to be placed before the council are scrutinised and prioritised. The Modi

PM Narendra Modi inaugurates various development projects in Kerala

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday dedicated to the nation various projects including that of the Indian Railways and the Kochi Metro and laid foundation stones for the redevelopment of three Railway stations in Kerala. The Prime Minister, who arrived here at 4 pm today on a two-day visit to the state, inaugurated the 27-km double line of Indian Railways connecting KuruppantharaKottayam Chingavanam sections completed at a cost of Rs 750 crore. The PM also dedicated to the nation the newly electrified section between KollamPunalur completed at a cost of Rs 76 crore, which will offer a fillip to eco-tourism besides serving as a faster and affordable means of transportation through the picturesque route and flagged off special train services between Kottayam-Ernakulam and KollamPunalur. Among the railway development projects for Kerala, Modi laid the foundation stone for three station redevelopment projects worth an estimated Rs 1,059 crore. Also, Modi laid the foundation stone

DHSE Kerala Plus One Improvement exams from October 25; know more

Candidates can find the official notice on the DHSE's website at dhsekerala.gov.in

PM Modi launches Rs 4,500-cr rail infrastructure, metro projects in Kerala

Ahead of Onam, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday launched various projects of Kochi Metro and the railways worth Rs 4,500 crores in Kerala

Biggest priority of Centre is to provide fundamental facilities: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the biggest priority of the union government is to provide fundamental facilities to every citizen of the country and build modern infrastructure. Addressing a public meeting at Nedumbassery near here, the Prime Minister, who arrived here on a two-day visit, said his government is working to provide homes to the poor. Under 'Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana', two lakh houses have been approved and more than 1.30 lakh have been completed in Kerala, he noted. Modi further said the Centre has spent around Rs 1 lakh crore on various projects in the southern state. "The central government is working to open at least one medical college in every district, and it will hugely benefit the youth of Kerala. To develop modern infrastructure, the BJP government is spending around Rs 1 lakh crore on multiple projects in Kerala," he said. Certain groups are coming forward and getting organised into a faction to save those facing graft charges, Modi said.

Kerala CM announces preventive detention for regular drug offenders

The Chief Minister said that the state government intends to take to prevent the increasing use of drugs in the state

PM Modi to unveil new ensign of Navy during INS Vikrant's commissioning

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil a new ensign of the Indian Navy during the commissioning of the country's first indigenously-built aircraft carrier -- INS Vikrant on September 2, the PMO said on Tuesday. The Prime Minister will commission INS Vikrant at Cochin Shipyard Limited in Kochi and during the event, he will also "unveil the new Naval Ensign (Nishaan), doing away with the colonial past," the PMO said in a statement. The new ensign will be "befitting the rich Indian maritime heritage," it added. INS Vikrant will contribute in ensuring peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and Indian Ocean region, Vice Chief of Indian Navy Vice Admiral S N Ghormade had said on August 25, ahead of the warship's commissioning. Built at a cost of around Rs 20,000 crore, it will be commissioned into the Navy at a ceremony in Kochi. "At 9:30 AM on 2nd September, the Prime Minister will commission the first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant at Cochin Shipyard Limited in Kochi," the

Kerala Assembly passes Lok Ayukta Bill despite stiff opposition by UDF

Despite stiff opposition raised by the UDF members and their subsequent boycott, the Kerala Assembly on Tuesday passed the controversial Lok Ayukta (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to make the executive the appellate authority over reports by the anti-corruption watchdog. After hours-long heated arguments and debates, the opposition announced their boycott of the day's proceedings saying they did not want to witness the "killing" of the anti-corruption agency using its brute majority in the Assembly. Before walking out of the House, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan said it was a "black day" in the history of the state Assembly. "The opposition cannot support the attempt made by the government to eliminate and weaken an anti-corruption agency. We are registering our stern opposition against passing this bill...we will fight it tooth and nail," he said. When the Congress-led opposition alleged that the bill, which carries away the rights of the constitutional agency, would weaken the

Kerala tomato flu cases 'same as' HFMD, severity unlikely: Expert

State had reported 82 cases of tomato flu among young children till July 26

Functioning of Kerala govt not satisfactory, CM handling all depts: CPI

CPI's Ernakulam District conference has criticised Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan in its working report which was presented at the conference

Kerala says Centre obstructing development in state, ruining it financially

The Centre is attempting to obstruct development activities in Kerala and push it into financial ruin by their fiscal policies, which limit the borrowing capacity of the state and through the Enforcement Directorate (ED) probe into the financial dealings of KIIFB, the LDF government claimed in the assembly on Wednesday. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that while borrowings by government-run entities like Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) were being included in the debt of the state to limit the loans that it can avail from the open market, the Centre at the same time was not disclosing all the loans availed by PSUs like NHAI, Air India Holdings and Indian Railways Finance Corporation. This "discriminatory" stand of the Centre was evident from a recent report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) which said that the central government has not fully disclosed the huge loans availed by the NHAI, Air India Holdings Ltd and the Indian Railways Finance

Kerala govt planning to amend gaming laws to curb online rummy

With celebrities promoting online rummy and massive advertisement campaigns being run to attract people into playing the card game, which has allegedly pushed many into financial ruin and commit suicide as a result, the Kerala government has said it was considering amending its gaming laws to regulate such online games. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said in the state assembly that the government was considering bringing in the amendment subject to the outcome of its appeal in the Kerala High Court against a single judge order, quashing the ban on online rummy games played for money. However, till that happens, various state departments, including the police, are conducting awareness programs in schools and colleges. Besides that, a social policing system, various schemes of student police cadets and awareness campaigns through the media are also being implemented to prevent people from being addicted to such games, Vijayan said on Tuesday. The CM was responding to a ...

Kerala govt devised mobile app to prevent cyber crimes against children: CM

The Kerala government is taking various steps, like coming out with a mobile app, to prevent cyber crimes against children in the state, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Tuesday. Vijayan was responding to queries in the legislative assembly regarding the increasing instances of cyber crimes against children and steps taken by his government and its agencies to tackle the problem. The CM said that due to the COVID-19 pandemic and resultant closure of educational institutions, online classes were held through use of digital equipment and the internet. Extensive use of digital equipment, like mobile phones, and the internet led some children to fall into traps in the cyber world, he noted. To prevent this Kerala Police has devised various projects and schemes. Besides that, the state Women and Child Development Department was coming out with a mobile app to prevent cyber attacks or crimes against children, he said. On upload and download of illicit photographs of child

Silver Line project not shelved, hopeful of clearance, says Kerala CM

Kerala's biggest infrastructure project Silver Line (K-Rail) has not been shelved and is awaiting the Centre's clearance, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan informed state Kerala Assembly

Kerala to introduce online monitoring system of medicines in govt hospitals

Amidst allegations of shortage of medicines in state-run hospitals in Kerala, a claim denied by the Left government, a monitoring system is expected to be introduced soon to keep track of availability and distribution of medicines in government-run medical institutions in the southern state. The proposed introduction of the monitoring system was announced by Kerala Health Minister Veena George after inaugurating a training workshop here on ensuring availability and distribution of drugs in hospitals. The minister said that there should be a scientific system in place for dealing with storage and distribution of medicines and indent of drugs should be prepared taking into consideration the requirement as well as possible increase in each hospital. She said that hospital employees should use the online system of Kerala Medical Services Corporation (KMSCL) to ensure availability of medicines. Real time data of medicines will be available through the special software once all the ...

26,000 anti-rabies vax tested by CDL available in hospitals: Kerala govt

With an increase in dog bite cases being reported from various districts of Kerala, the state government has made available 26,000 vials of anti-rabies vaccine in public hospitals in the southern state. The state Health Department, in a statement, has said that the anti-rabies vaccines (IDRV) have been made available after being tested by the Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL). It also said that more vials of the vaccine would be made available after they are tested by CDL. The step was being taken as there has been a large increase in the number of people coming to hospitals for anti-rabies vaccine due to bites from dogs and cats, the Health Department statement said. It also said that reportedly dog bite cases have increased by two to three times in many districts of the state and therefore, Kerala Medical Services Corporation (KMSCL) was taking steps to procure more vaccines and distribute them to hospitals. Meanwhile, a 53-year old woman died of suspected rabies infection in the .

Vizhinjam port surrounded by boats from sea, protestors break open gates

Kerala's under-construction Vizhinjam port on Monday witnessed an unprecedented style of agitation with protesting fisherfolk surrounding the strategically important site from the sea on boats, even as others on land entered its premises by breaking open its huge gates. Representatives of the protesting fisherfolk, who were hailed as Kerala's own army for their adventurous rescue operations in flood-hit areas of the state in 2018, had on Sunday made clear their intention to block the port from the sea, to intensify their agitation after talks with the state government last week failed. On Monday, the fisherfolk not only blocked the port from the sea, but on land many of them climbed over the gates and broke the locks from the inside, letting through the horde of protestors waiting outside. Visuals aired on TV channels showed how the police, who were deployed there since morning in huge numbers, stood helplessly as the protestors climbed over the gates and broke the locks. The ...