Kerala

High-level meeting suggests possibility of nuclear power station in Kerala

Kerala could get a nuclear power station if the state provides land for the purpose, according to a suggestion made during a recent high-level meeting between Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and State Power Minister K Krishnankutty here. Official sources stated that such a suggestion emerged during discussions about Kerala's demand, mentioned in a memorandum submitted to the union minister, that the thorium deposits in the state should be utilised and that the power generated from them should be provided to Kerala. State Power ministry sources in Kerala told PTI that Kerala did not demand a nuclear power station in the state but only suggested that the union government should make use of the Thorium deposits in Kerala. Khattar, while discussing various demands of Kerala, which is incapable of increasing its domestic power production and depend mostly on the existing hydro-electrical projects and power brought from neighbouring states, said that the union government is open

Over 60 NCC cadets seek treatment after suspected food poisoning in Kerala

As many as 60 NCC cadets were hospitalised following a suspected case of food poisoning at a camp held at a college in Kerala, creating an anxious situation, officials said. The case of food poisoning was reported at the camp organised at a college in Thrikkakara, by the 21 Kerala Battalion NCC on Monday evening, they added. The students who complained of food poisoning were taken to various hospitals. Many of them were discharged last night, they said. The NCC has ordered a department-level inquiry into the incident, an official source told PTI. Officials said four students initially complained of discomfort at around 7 pm after having their dinner, and the number grew to 40, then later to 60. All of them were taken to hospitals by the camp organisers. Many students left with their parents, who arrived at the camp following the incident. Meanwhile, the police have registered a case against around 10 individuals from outside for allegedly causing trouble in the camp area after ne

Kerala seeks Rs 24,000 cr special package to tide over liquidity crunch

Emphasising the need for more central funding, Kerala on Friday demanded a special package of Rs 24,000 crore to tide over the state's liquidity stress as well as Rs 2,000 crore for relief works at Wayanad, which was devastated by landslides earlier this year. In a pre-Budget meeting here, Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal also sought continuation of the GST (goods and services tax) compensation scheme to states until systemic issues are fully corrected and the original promise of GST revenue is attained. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, finance ministers from other states and senior officials, among others, were present in the meeting. "We reiterate our demand for a special package of Rs 24,000 crore to tide over the current liquidity stress by scheduling it over a period of two years from 2025-26," Balagopal said. Citing that substantial resources are required for relief works in Wayanad, he urged the government to provide a special package of Rs 2,000 crore in the

Consider excluding Rs 120 cr from airlift charges: Kerala HC to Centre

The Kerala High Court on Wednesday asked the Centre whether it can exclude around Rs 120 crore from the Rs 132 crore demanded as airlift charges for rescue operations carried out by the IAF in the state since 2006. A bench of Justices A K Jayasankaran Nambiar and Easwaran S said if the Rs 120 crore was freed up in this manner, the amount can be utilised immediately for the rehabilitation of the landslide victims in Wayanad. The bench asked the Centre to consider giving permission to temporarily free up the Rs 120 crore and relaxing the NDRF/SDRF norms so that the amount can be utilised for the rehabilitation purpose. "It is for a noble cause, so the central government should not have a problem," the court said and listed the matter on January 10, 2025 to await the Centre's response on the aspect. During the hearing, the bench also said that the sending of the bill of Rs 132 crore as airlift charges in October right after the state sought financial assistance from the Centre for ...

Wayanad landslide: Union govt 'adding chilli' to wounds, says Kerala FM

Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal on Sunday criticised the union government for demanding payment for disaster relief and rescue operations conducted by the Indian Air Force (IAF) during Wayanad landslides. He described the move as "adding chilli to the wounds" of the state, already burdened by the aftermath of the disaster. Addressing reporters here, Balagopal accused the BJP-ruled Centre of "failing" to provide even the funds it had promised to the state for disaster relief. The Finance Minister alleged that this was akin to mocking the people of the state. "In addition to such an approach, a new bill has been introduced in the name of the Air Force," he said. "Really, this approach is like adding chilli to a serious wound," Balagopal added. He also questioned the stance of BJP leaders, including Union Minister Suresh Gopi and former Union Minister V Muraleedharan, on the issue affecting Kerala. Balagopal made these remarks in response to queries regarding a letter dated O

Kerala CM urges PM to withdraw decision on VGF for Vizhinjam Port Project

Chief Minister Vijayan pointed out that the Centre's stance deviates from the general VGF guidelines, which classify it as a one-time grant, not a repayable loan

Priyanka Gandhi slams Centre for not providing relief package to Wayanad

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday accused the Centre of denying assistance to landslides-affected people of Wayanad due to politics and asserted that there should be no discrimination in times of natural disasters. Her remarks came after MPs from Kerala, including Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi, staged a protest in Parliament premises Saturday, demanding a relief package from the Centre for landslides-hit Wayanad. Staging their demonstration in front of the steps of the Makar Dwar, the MPs raised slogans calling for "justice for Wayanad". They also held a banner with "Justice for Wayanad, provide relief package for Wayanad" written on it. Speaking with reporters, Priyanka Gandhi said, "We are very disturbed by the fact that the government is refusing to give a special package to Wayanad. We have gone to the home minister, we have written to the prime minister and to everyone possible, to declare that this as a calamity of a severe nature and to give a special package." Simi

Top 5 perfect destinations to celebrate Christmas 2024 in India; check list

From Goa's beaches to Shimla's snowy streets, there are several places in India offering their unique aura of celebrating Christmas 2024. Here are the top 5 destinations to celebrate the festival

CM Vijayan urges expansion of Kerala-TN model cooperative on states' rights

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday said that the cooperation between Kerala and Tamil Nadu is based on the principles of cooperative federalism and called for its expansion to other states to curb frequent interventions in their rights. He was delivering the keynote address at the public meeting held at Vaikom Beach in this district after his Tamil Nadu counterpart M K Stalin inaugurated the renovated Thanthai Periyar Memorial and Periyar Library, established in honour of Dravidar Kazhagam founder E V Ramasamy. Vijayan, who shares a special friendship with Stalin, said the collaboration between Kerala and Tamil Nadu is a testament to cooperative federalism, highlighting the enduring bond between the two states. "This cooperation cannot be described in mere words and is demonstrated through actions," he added. In the current scenario, where there are frequent interventions on the rights of the states, especially economic autonomy, this cooperation should be extended

Men too have 'pride and dignity', not just women: Kerala High Court

The Kerala High Court on Wednesday granted anticipatory bail to veteran actor-cum-director Balachandra Menon in a case accusing him of outraging the modesty of a female actor in 2007 during a film shoot, saying that men too have "pride and dignity" and not just women. The order and observation by Justice P V Kunhikrishnan came while allowing the anticipatory bail plea moved by the actor against whom the case was lodged in September this year after the release of the Justice Hema Committee report. In his plea, Menon had contended that the complaint was made after a gap of 17 years from the date of the alleged incident in 2007 and the intention was to malign his image. The court said there was "force" in his arguments as it was an admitted fact that the alleged incident happened in 2007. "It is an admitted fact that the victim filed the complaint after 17 years of the alleged incident. It is an admitted fact that the petitioner (Menon) is a known cine artist. He directed about 40 fil

Congress accuses Kerala CM Vijayan of acting with 'dictatorial mindset'

The opposition Congress in Kerala on Wednesday accused the ruling CPI (M) of being "intolerant" towards other political parties and denying them the freedom to freely function even in the home village of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The Marxist party and CM Vijayan were acting with a "dictatorial mindset", which is unacceptable, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan told reporters here. He was speaking after visiting the recently vandalised new Congress booth committee office at Venduttayi near Vijayan's hometown of Pinarayi. The Congress has charged the CPI(M) with "orchestrating the vandalism" on Saturday last. Terming the incident as "highly unfortunate" and "condemnable", he said, "It was in the home village of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan that the office of a political party was vandalised and set on fire." The LoP sought to know what kind of democracy prevailed in the state as other political parties were not allowed to function even in the home village of the CM. Sathe

Kerala seeks 50% share of divisible tax pool: Central Finance Committee

The request comes as the state seeks a larger share of the Rs 616.41 crore divisible pool

People are being sidelined in Congress party: Chandy Oommen

Congress MLA Chandy Oommen, the son of late party stalwart Oommen Chandy, on Tuesday said he was not given any responsibilities during the by-poll in Palakkad and claimed that there were instances of people at the lower levels of the party being "sidelined". Oommen said that it was neither correct nor acceptable for party members or supporters to be sidelined. The Puthuppally MLA, however, threw his weight behind KPCC chief K Sudhakaran amidst reports of a complete organisational revamp in Congress state unit in Kerala, saying his removal from the post was not the remedy. He said that Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief Sudhakaran has worked hard for the party and the people of the state and the UDF has scored several electoral victories under his leadership. Therefore, there was no need to remove him and there was no need for any such discussion, he added. Oommen further said it was necessary to keep everyone together while moving forward and it was the duty of the par

Kuwait's Gulf Bank files cases against Kerala nurses for loan defaults

Ten cases registered so far as Gulf Bank alleges large-scale loan default by Kerala expats

Kerala CM accuses Centre of vindictive attitude on Vizhinjam sea port VGF

Coming out strongly against the Union Government's stance that the Viability Gap Fund (VGF) for the Vizhinjam Seaport project should be repaid in installments, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday accused the Centre of maintaining a vindictive attitude towards the state. Addressing the media here, the Chief Minister said that, in a letter responding to the state's request to reconsider the decision on the VGF, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had reiterated the Central Government's stance that the allocation for Vizhinjam should be treated as a loan, not a grant. The Chief Minister criticised the decision, calling it a deviation from the Central Government's long standing policy on VGF grants. Even when VGF was allocated for the Kochi Metro, there was no stipulation for repayment, and the new criteria set exclusively for Kerala contradict the standard guidelines of the VGF, he alleged. The central government has never imposed a repayment condition on any project that

Wayanad disaster: Vijayan refutes HM's claim of delay in submitting report

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday strongly criticised the reported claim by Union Home Minister Amit Shah that the state delayed submitting a detailed report on the Wayanad landslide disaster, which allegedly caused the central government to withhold announcing a special financial aid package. Vijayan called the claim baseless and unfair to the affected people. The CM said this is not the first time the union home minister has attempted to mislead Parliament and the public regarding the landslide that had struck in areas like Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, Punchirimattam of Wayanad on July 30. "Previously, the union home minister falsely cited non-existent weather reports to mislead Parliament, alleging that Kerala had been given specific warnings about landslides but failed to act. This claim was promptly disproven with evidence, and the recent statement in Parliament appears to be a repetition of that earlier attempt," he told a press conference here. Vijayan sa

Finance Commission team arrives in Kerala for 3-day visit

Members of the 16th Finance Commission, led by former NITI Aayog vice chairman Arvind Panagariya, have reached Kerala for a three-day visit, as part of holding consultations for preparing its report. The team was accorded a reception at the international airport here on Sunday under the aegis of state Finance Minister K N Balagopal. According to Balagopal, a detailed memorandum has been prepared to be submitted to the commission. Kerala would make the presentation with proposals to resolve the "imbalance" in the distribution of tax share to the state, he had said, adding that the state would also convince the Finance Commission regarding the steps to be taken to provide the deserving grants on time. On Monday, the Commission would visit Thiruvarpu and Aymanam panchayat areas in Kottayam, and by evening, they will arrive at Kovalam, an official statement said. On Tuesday at 9.30 am, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will officially receive the Commission's chairman and members at the

CPI(M) offices can be demolished overnight, warns Cong's Kerala chief

A day after a Congress office was allegedly vandalised in this Kerala district, the party's state chief K Sudhakaran on Sunday warned that CPI(M) offices could be demolished overnight. Addressing party workers at the inauguration of a new Congress office in Venduttayi, which had allegedly been vandalised by unidentified people on Saturday, Sudhakaran claimed it would only take 10 Congress workers to "bring down" CPI(M) offices in a single night. "We do not promote violence but, if you say it is required, we will retaliate in the same way," he said. "Ten Congress workers will be sent at night and they are enough to demolish CPI(M) offices," Sudhakaran told the party workers. Late on Saturday, a new Congress booth committee office at Venduttayi, near Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's hometown of Pinarayi, was allegedly vandalised. The Congress has accused the CPI(M) of orchestrating the vandalism. Sudhakaran also took a dig at Vijayan and urged him to uphold the dignity expected of

Kerala open to discuss new projects with Adani group: State min P Rajeev

Kerala is not averse to discussing any new project with the Adani group and will do so only if there is a "win-win" situation which benefits the people of the state as well, a senior state minister has said. However, the southern state is not keen to have any big industries which will cause pollution and ecological damage, P Rajeev, the Minister of Law, Industries and Coir, told PTI. The comments from the minister come even as there seems to be some unease among southern states when it comes to dealing with the Adani group, especially after the second richest Indian Gautam Adani and others faced charges of bribing officials to secure contracts. Rajeev said Kerala has a big investment from the Adani group in the Vizhinjam Seaport near its capital Thiruvananthapuram and added that the current government decided to go ahead with the project signed by the predecessors only because the benefits accrued to the state and its people through the ambitious transshipment port. He also clarifi

We will not disturb Adani port at Vizhinjam: Kerala industries minister

Says Kerala does not see labour unrest unlike many other states