KERALA

In 2021 during the peak of the second Covid wave in India,Ernakulamdistrict reported the highest numbers of Covid cases in India, according to a research paper published by a team of doctors who were part of the Covid-19 surveillance unit of Ernakulam district, and hence, had access to the data collected. Even when the number of Covid cases reported in the other states started coming down, Ernakulam district continued to record a large number of cases, as per the paper that aimed to analyse the pandemic situation in the district.

Ernakulam district had the highest number of Covid cases in January 2021 and May 2021.

However, the silver lining, as per the paper is that this is mainly because of the high number of tests (five to six times the national Average) and targeted testing strategy, resulting in low case fatality rate (0.35%) and low bed occupancy rate. This work is relevant even now as Ernakulam records the maximum number ofCovid cases in Kerala, which contributes to more than 30% to 35% of Covid cases and 50% Covid deaths in the country. However, Covid deaths in the district remain low with case fatality rate (CFR) being 0.91%, while the state CFR is 1.05%. The recovery rate here is more than 96%.

Quoting the observations of the director general of civil aviation (DGCA), the ministry of civil aviation had sought certain clarifications from the government while considering the application for project clearance. A decision was taken during the CMs review to furnish a reply in this regard. The clearance from the ministry of DEFENCE is expected soon asIndian Air Force(IAF) has conveyed that it has no objection in granting site clearance.

The observed site is challenging in terms of requirement of grading as there is a vast difference between maximum and minimum elevation. The central part of the project site is at higher elevation whilst the boundaries are at a lower elevation. Existing topography consists of moderately-high to steep slopes in a considerable area of the project site, the report said.

Indias first Drone Forensic Lab and Research Center has come up in Kerala. The Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan used to inaugurate the State Police departments Drone Forensic Laboratory at the Kerala State Police CyberDome. Cyberdome is a technological lookup and improvement centre of the Kerala Police Department.

Highlights:

The centre will assist in maintaining a watch over unauthorized drones and also for the manufacturing of drones for the use of the police force. This lab-cum-research centre will appear into both utility and threat components of a drone.

The police have forayed strongly into the especially new discipline of drone forensics. It had these days analysed a drone brought down by way of the Border Security Force (BSF) near the global border in Kathua district in Jammu and Kashmir and helped the neighborhood enforcement zero in on its illegal operator.

As many as seven foodtech startups will showcase their products and solutions at a virtual exhibition to be conducted byKerala Startup Mission(KSUM) as part of the 10th edition of the Big Demo Day series.
The July 27 expo will set a platform for and investors to leverage products and Services from the startup ecosystem.

The participating startups includeFoo Foods India,Zcorp Organic, Bagmo, FEBC, Wayanad Organic Research, Papuan Global and Chakkakkoottam International.

These startups will display self-developed products and solutions for industry-specific problems. The companies will also get an opportunity to pitch business proposals before corporates, investors, partners, government departments and key stakeholders.

Telecom operatorVi(Vodafone Idea) has announced that it has become the first telecom company to provide service in Parapatta Village,Kozhikode,Kerala.

The company, in a press statement, said that around 150 students staying in Parapatta, Kodenchery Gram Panchayat didnt have access to mobile data connectivity causing a hindrance to online classes.

As Keralas largest and fastest 4G telecom service provider serving over 1.6 crore customers across the length and breadth of the state, Vi is committed to provide the finest voice and data Services to enable our customers to get more, do more and stay ahead in life. It is a matter of pride for Vi to be an enabler in the academic pursuit of these young students from Parapetta.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took Keralas commercial capital Kochi by storm on Monday, quite literally, leading a mega roadshow and addressing a mammoth youth meet “Yuvam” modifying Kerala.

The most significant part of his Kochi visit was the meeting with the heads of eight prominent Christian denominations. The meeting was held at Hotel Taj Malabar.

Modi attacked the bipolar politics in Kerala which he said was damaging the state. Without mentioning the LDF and the Congress-led UDF, he said while one ideology considers the party above everything in Kerala, the other party believes that a family is above everything. They are responsible for the growing Unemployment and Corruption, he said, adding: “I am sure people of Kerala will work hard to defeat these two forces.”

Setting a platform for and investors to leverage products and Services from the startup ecosystem, a virtual exhibition of startups that have developed social impact products and services will be held on Monday in the fifth edition of Big Demo Day series ofKerala Startup Mission(KSUM).

Around 13 startups from healthcare, Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture, energy, e-mobility, water conservation, Internet of things (IoT) and Robotics domains will exhibit their cutting-edge products and services before the industry.

The event is organized in association with industry bodies, corporate institutions, funding agencies and angel networks.

KSUM is the nodal agency of theKeralagovernment for Entrepreneurship development and incubation activities in the state.

TheKerala State Industrial Development Corporation(KSIDC) which carried out the construction has completed 80,000 sq feet for the new building. The building will house 16 labs for biosafety, of which eight have been completed. The remaining eight labs are expected to complete in 2023-24 financial year. With the completion of this project, the Life Science Park will house 22 labs for various disciplines. It will also have facilities to detect over 80 viral diseases.

The park is being set up in two phases. For the first phase development 75 acres have been found for the project of which 70 acres have been acquired by KSIDC. For the second phase 1,123 acres of land will be acquired. Land will be given to entrepreneurs who are interested in setting up their units for medical research.

Keralahas seen considerable fluctuation in its organic Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture (OA) policy and this has resulted in concurrent high levels of entry into and exit from the agriculture sector, says a study by a group of international researchers with support from Kerala agriculture scientists.

The case study was done with farmer interviews, focus groups and experts, focusing on Thrissur andWayanaddistricts. The researchers developed a typology of organic farmers and formed them into three core groups wealthy hobby farmers, poorer non-certified farmers, and middle class export farmers.

The study points out that in one village, out of the 48 farmers who adopted OA, only 16 were practicing it four years later, and in another, this number dropped from 98 to five.

A time-series analysis study on the eroding shorelines from 1973-2021 shows that erosion is dominant in nearly 39.12% of the entire coastal length inKerala. The eroding length is highest in theNorthernregion at 44.04 percent followed by 38.67 per cent in the central and 33.8 percent in the south.

The study by researchers at the department of Resources“>Water Resources engineering,NIT Karnatakaled by MMParvathyand officials of the state Irrigation department, points out that unlike pre-2000, the results indicate that the past two decades have undergone a drastic transformation, which can be attributed to anthropogenic interventions and global climatic changes.

The coastal protection strategies adopted by the state can be observed to be the main conducive reason for the reduction in the eroding length and the subsequent increase in the stable coast. Seawalls have succeeded to an extent in limiting erosion by forming the boundary line.