Defence Minister A.K. Antony said here Thursday that the Congress-led United Democratic Front in Kerala will make a clean sweep in the Lok Sabha elections.
"What happened to us in 2004 will happen to the Left this time. The people of Kerala will extract a sweet revenge by voting for us. It will be a clean sweep for the UDF," Antony told reporters after casting his vote.
"Kerala will vote and give a clean chit to the Manmohan Singh government. Gone are the days of a single party ruling the country. Hence, even though there are secular parties that are contesting against us in the states, when it comes to forming a government in Delhi we will seek the support of all secular parties," he added.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Mammootty casts vote despite hectic filming schedule
Malayalam superstar Mammootty took time out from shooting for his latest movie 'Daddy Cool' to cast his vote here Thursday for the parliamentary polls since he believes that it is only by voting that one 'becomes a part of the democracy'.
There have been speculations in the past about the actor entering politics as he is the chairman of Kairali TV, a channel promoted by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M).
There have been speculations in the past about the actor entering politics as he is the chairman of Kairali TV, a channel promoted by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M).
Tenion in polling booth where Tharoor cast vote
A polling booth in the city witnessed a few unruly scenes when the CPI(M) workers protested against Mr Sashi Tharoor, former UN under secretary Congress candidate for the Thiruvanantapuram Lok Sabha seat that he was obstructing the way of voters this morning.
The trouble started when Mr Sashi Tharoor was sharing his experience with the media after casting his ''maiden vote'' with his family members at L P School at Jawahar Nagar. However, the angry CPI(M) workers alleged that the media was obstructing the way of voters who were entering the polling booth.
Heated arguments ensued between the party workers and the police officials.
Later, the police and polling officials forced to take stern action against media personnel, particularly visual media, following the incident and asked them to leave the polling station.
After casting his first vote, the former UN Under Secretary expressed the hope that he would win the contest and added he was proud to exercise his first vote in his home constituency.
The trouble started when Mr Sashi Tharoor was sharing his experience with the media after casting his ''maiden vote'' with his family members at L P School at Jawahar Nagar. However, the angry CPI(M) workers alleged that the media was obstructing the way of voters who were entering the polling booth.
Heated arguments ensued between the party workers and the police officials.
Later, the police and polling officials forced to take stern action against media personnel, particularly visual media, following the incident and asked them to leave the polling station.
After casting his first vote, the former UN Under Secretary expressed the hope that he would win the contest and added he was proud to exercise his first vote in his home constituency.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Karunakaran-Murali supporters clash in Kochi
A major scuffle broke out between the supporters of Karunakaran and Muraleedharan in the district today. It has been reported that almost fifty persons owing allegiance to Murali, barged into the meet convened by N Venugopal with sharp weapons. They damaged the chairs of the auditorium and destroyed he camera of the media persons present there. In the scuffle, many persons have been reported injured.
The police had to lathicharge them to disperse the agitated mob. A tense situation is prevailing in the district.
The police had to lathicharge them to disperse the agitated mob. A tense situation is prevailing in the district.
Mass prayer at Guruvayur temple
A section of devotees offered a mass prayer at the Guruvayur Sreekrishna Temple here on Monday.The mass prayer was a prelude to the penitential rites recommended by a ‘devaprasnam’ (astrological examination of temple affairs), which begin at the temple on December 6.
The devotees took out a procession, bearing pictures of the deities Guruvayurappan and Alila Kannan from Manjulal to the temple around 7 a.m.
The devotees offered silk clothes, kadalippazham (bananas) and thulasi flowers to the deity of the temple. They chanted the Narayana Mantra.
The devotees took out a procession, bearing pictures of the deities Guruvayurappan and Alila Kannan from Manjulal to the temple around 7 a.m.
The devotees offered silk clothes, kadalippazham (bananas) and thulasi flowers to the deity of the temple. They chanted the Narayana Mantra.
Passenger vanishes after obtaining boarding pass
The ‘disappearance’ of a Mumbai-bound passenger, Solanki, after obtaining boarding pass from Cochin International Airport spread panic among the security personnel and airport authorities on Sunday evening.Solanki had obtained boarding pass to fly by Go Air flight on Sunday evening. He was waiting in the security area after completing all formalities when he reportedly got some telephonic message.
He asked the security personnel to allow him to leave the airport for some urgent personal need. But they turned down his plea as he had completed all formalities to board the flight.According to aviation security norms, allowing a passenger to leave the airport after completing the formalities of the journey including checking and clearing of luggage, is a serious security violation.
In such cases the traveller will be allowed to leave the airport only if the security personnel were clearly convinced of the reason for leaving. The boarding pass and luggage clearance should be cancelled before allowing the passenger to leave the airport.But in this case, Solanki managed to escape from the security zone reportedly without undergoing security formalities. Solanki left the airport by arranging a pre-paid taxi from the airport counter inside the domestic terminal.
The flight had to be detained as the ground handling staff and security personnel could not locate Solanki who had obtained the boarding pass. However, the flight was allowed to take off from Kochi airport after 30 minutes after a thorough check of the luggage.
He asked the security personnel to allow him to leave the airport for some urgent personal need. But they turned down his plea as he had completed all formalities to board the flight.According to aviation security norms, allowing a passenger to leave the airport after completing the formalities of the journey including checking and clearing of luggage, is a serious security violation.
In such cases the traveller will be allowed to leave the airport only if the security personnel were clearly convinced of the reason for leaving. The boarding pass and luggage clearance should be cancelled before allowing the passenger to leave the airport.But in this case, Solanki managed to escape from the security zone reportedly without undergoing security formalities. Solanki left the airport by arranging a pre-paid taxi from the airport counter inside the domestic terminal.
The flight had to be detained as the ground handling staff and security personnel could not locate Solanki who had obtained the boarding pass. However, the flight was allowed to take off from Kochi airport after 30 minutes after a thorough check of the luggage.
UAE most favoured destination of Keralites
A study on non-resident Keralites shows that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) continues to be the most favoured destination of people from Kerala seeking employment abroad. These results have come out in the third round of the Migration Monitoring Studies (MMS) being conducted by the Research Unit on International Migration of the Centre for Development Studies (CDSMRU). The Department of Non-Resident Keralite Affairs of the Kerala government is financing the studies.
MMS 2007, conducted during April-September 2007, was the third in this series. The first one, called the Kerala Migration Study (KMS), was conducted in 1998. The second one was conducted five years later in 2003. The studies have shown that the non-resident Keralite population rose from 1.36 million in 1998 to 1.84 million in 2003 and grew a shade to touch 1.85 million in the latest study.
According to S. Irudayarajan of the CDSMRU, international migrants constituted 37 percent of the population in UAE in 2003 but now make up 42 percent of the inhabitants.The study shows that Kerala received about Rs.240 billion as remittances in 2006-07, which is about 20 percent of the state's net state domestic product and 30 percent more than the state's annual receipts.
MMS 2007, conducted during April-September 2007, was the third in this series. The first one, called the Kerala Migration Study (KMS), was conducted in 1998. The second one was conducted five years later in 2003. The studies have shown that the non-resident Keralite population rose from 1.36 million in 1998 to 1.84 million in 2003 and grew a shade to touch 1.85 million in the latest study.
According to S. Irudayarajan of the CDSMRU, international migrants constituted 37 percent of the population in UAE in 2003 but now make up 42 percent of the inhabitants.The study shows that Kerala received about Rs.240 billion as remittances in 2006-07, which is about 20 percent of the state's net state domestic product and 30 percent more than the state's annual receipts.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Kerala buying Andhra rice to control prices
With the price of rice shooting up to Rs.20 a kg in the open market, the Kerala government has taken steps to buy 20,000 tonnes of rice from Andhra Pradesh and sell it at Rs.10 a kilo. 'Our officials are in Andhra Pradesh. The state government has sanctioned close to Rs.50 million to be given to state-owned Supplyco as subsidy to import rice,' said state Food and Civil Supplies Minister C. Divakaran to reporters here Monday.
'From Wednesday onwards, Supplyco is opening up exclusive shops selling rice across the state. Our aim is to sell rice at Rs.10 a kg,' said Divakaran. 'This is being done as part of our efforts in market intervention to bring down the prices.' He said 80 percent of this was due to reasons associated with the centre and only 20 percent associated with the state. 'To have a permanent solution, the state government is now getting ready an essential commodities bill. Only through this can we bring to book hoarders and black-marketers. You just wait and see. Once this is ready, then the problem of artificial hike will be over once and for all,' said Divakaran.
The state government was talking to the Centre to see if rice could be imported from Thailand, he said.
'From Wednesday onwards, Supplyco is opening up exclusive shops selling rice across the state. Our aim is to sell rice at Rs.10 a kg,' said Divakaran. 'This is being done as part of our efforts in market intervention to bring down the prices.' He said 80 percent of this was due to reasons associated with the centre and only 20 percent associated with the state. 'To have a permanent solution, the state government is now getting ready an essential commodities bill. Only through this can we bring to book hoarders and black-marketers. You just wait and see. Once this is ready, then the problem of artificial hike will be over once and for all,' said Divakaran.
The state government was talking to the Centre to see if rice could be imported from Thailand, he said.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Heavy rush continues at Sabarimala
The Lord Ayyappa Temple at Sabarimala witnessed heavy rush for the third consecutive day on Sunday. The pilgrims had to wait for long hours to climb the holy steps (‘Pathinettampady’). The queue of pilgrims extended even beyond Sabaripetom, 3 km from the Sannidhanam, on the Pampa-Saramkuthi-Sannidhanam traditional trekking path on Sunday.
The toilet blocks at the Pampa in the foothills of Sabarimala remained closed on Sunday.
District Collector Raju Narayanaswamy had directed the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) officials on Saturday to ensure that the toilets at Pampa remained open.It is alleged that certain contractors who had secured the licence to run the toilets constructed by the TDB have been stage-managing a rush before the toilets with the intention of fleecing pilgrims. The Collector has warned the contractors of stern action.
The toilet blocks at the Pampa in the foothills of Sabarimala remained closed on Sunday.
District Collector Raju Narayanaswamy had directed the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) officials on Saturday to ensure that the toilets at Pampa remained open.It is alleged that certain contractors who had secured the licence to run the toilets constructed by the TDB have been stage-managing a rush before the toilets with the intention of fleecing pilgrims. The Collector has warned the contractors of stern action.
'Karunakaran's return to Congress would strengthen party'
Return of veteran leader K Karunakaran to Congress would only strengthen the party, senior party leader from Kerala V M Sudheeran said here. "Congress is a big organisation. Many had left the party and the organisation had always welcomed those who had returned to Congress", Sudheeran told reporters here.
The organisation had not shut doors on anybody, he said adding "I do not think anybody in Congress will object to the return of Karunakaran to the party". His return would only give impetus to the party on its forward journey, he said. The octogenarian leader who left Congress three years back and floated his own outfit DIC-K, which later merged with NCP, had expressed his wish to return to Congress. The Congress high command has not taken a decision on the matter.
A district-level meeting of political activists who support K. Karunakaran will be held at 11 a.m. on December 4 at G Auditorium on Hospital road. Kodoth Govindan Nair, N. Venugopal, M.V. Mani, N.K.A. Latheef, Ibrahim Kutty Kallar and others will speak, according to a press release.
The organisation had not shut doors on anybody, he said adding "I do not think anybody in Congress will object to the return of Karunakaran to the party". His return would only give impetus to the party on its forward journey, he said. The octogenarian leader who left Congress three years back and floated his own outfit DIC-K, which later merged with NCP, had expressed his wish to return to Congress. The Congress high command has not taken a decision on the matter.
A district-level meeting of political activists who support K. Karunakaran will be held at 11 a.m. on December 4 at G Auditorium on Hospital road. Kodoth Govindan Nair, N. Venugopal, M.V. Mani, N.K.A. Latheef, Ibrahim Kutty Kallar and others will speak, according to a press release.
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