KERALA

KDPP, a thermal power plant with an installed capacity of 128MW, operates in 26.8acre at Nallalam inKozhikodedistrict. The 106.6MWBrahmapuramdiesel power plant is situated in Kunnathunadu taluk in Kochi in an area of 96.33acre and it consists of five generating units of 21.32MW each.

KDPP project started its commercial operation in 1999. It has generated 4,629MU of power so far. A fuel supply agreement was executed with Bpcl on January 30, 1999 that expired in 2016. Also two diesel Generator sets were decommissioned in 2014. The last commercial operation at the plant was done during December 2020 to February 2021. Presently, a bare minimum stock of fuel is only available at KDPP as the production of LSHS has been completely stopped by the oil refineries in Kerala.

The Cochin Shipyard Limited has signed a contract for building six Next Generation Missile Vessels (NGMV) for the INDIAN NAVY at a cost of Rs 9,805 crore with the delivery of ships set to begin from 2027.

The state-run shipyard said the contract marks its entry into advanced weapon intense platforms.

“The primary role of the ships would be to provide offensive capability against enemy warship, merchantmen and land targets,” Cochin Shipyard said in a release.

It said the delivery of ships is scheduled to commence from March 2027.

The shipyard said these ships would be employed for local naval DEFENCE operations and seaward defence of offshore development area.

Cochin Shipyard Limited CMD Madhu S Nair said the shipyard was keen to take up the construction of NGMVs after successfully delivering the country’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant.

Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal has said that the State will oppose the Centres move to bring natural gas and molasses used for captive consumption under the Goods and Service Tax (GST) regime.

The Finance Minister denied any move to raise the retirement age of employees and teachers. It is one way to stabilise the financial position of the State that is facing acute crisis. We have no plan to increase the retirement age. The government is looking into the report of the committee on statutory pension.

The government is for collecting the tax arrears and taking stern steps against those evading tax. Many are willingly giving Money for charity, but are reluctant to pay taxes to the government, he said. The government would seek the cooperation of traders and the business community in improving tax collection, he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on a two-day visit to Kerala, flagged off the state’s first Vande Bharat Express train from here on Tuesday.

Modi flagged off the train from the Thiruvananthapuram Central RAILWAY station here at 11.10 AM.

Prior to flagging off the Vande Bharat Express from platform 1 of the railway station, he interacted with a group of school children inside one of the coaches of the train.

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor were also present with the PM as he interacted with the students inside the train.

The children showed Modi paintings and sketches of him and the Vande Bharat train made by them.

Hundreds of people also gathered on the opposite side platform to see the PM flag off the train.

The Vande Bharat Express, which will connect the state capital with the northern-most Kasaragod district of Kerala, has been projected by many as an alternative to the LDF government’s ambitious semi-high speed rail corridor, SilverLine.

Kerala Education Minister V.Sivankutty said that with the Covid pandemic continuing its surge, the new academic school year will start in the online mode from June 1, this time as well.

Sivankutty said that at the moment there is no way one can think of returning to classrooms and hence like the previous academic year, this time also it would be in the digital mode.

The classes will be aired through KITE-Victers (an edutainment channel). Certain changes have been made to make the classes more interesting and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate it on June 1. The state level inauguration would be held at the Hill Girls School here.

Sivankutty also added that the annual welcome function for the kids who enter the field of education for the first time will also be able to be held virtually.

Industries ministerP Rajeevehas said the would acquire 15 acres owned byFertilizers and Chemicals Travancore(FACT) at Eloor and hand it over to Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) for setting up a Science Park. The minister along with Cusat vice-chancellor visited the site on Tuesday and held discussions withFACTofficials on acquiring thelandidentified for the purpose.

The state government has already sent a request to FACT expressing willingness to acquire the land. The FACT will convene a board meeting to discuss it. Once the approval is given at the board meeting, it will be sent for the Union governments nod.

A report of the tribal rehabilitation development mission (TRDM), after a field verification into the rehabilitation of the extremely vulnerablePaniyaandKattunaykkasections of tribespeople inWayanaddistrict, said that the rehabilitation mission was a total failure and it blatantly violated all the rights of the tribespeople that the law assures them, including forcing them to move out of their traditional dwellings.

The report also points out that several families filed complaints with the Wayanad district collector that they were forcibly made to sign the Consent form for rehabilitation. Since no arrangements were made for their livelihood, including farming, cattle rearing or collecting forest produce, many of the rehabilitated ones have gone back to Kurichyad, the field inspection found.

A bamboo weaver fromThodupuzhahas found an artistic way to recycle used beer and liquor bottles.Bhagavath Raj, ofPoomalanear Pannimattom in Thodupuzha, makes art pieces by weaving different designs using bamboo stripes on discarded bottles. His creations are in high demand among the public. These artistic bottles are now part of the interior dcor of many homes, hotels, and offices.

“As the demand for woven bamboo baskets, which we usually sell on the streets, is pretty low during the rainy season, I thought of doing something different and ended up weaving bamboo on bottles, which I collect for free,” said Raj, who is originally from Theni in Nadu.

TheKerala State Industrial Development Corporation(KSIDC) has joined hands withIndian Institute of Science Educationand Research (IISER), to set up a state-of-the-art laboratory animal centre that will provide preclinical grade animals and research support for companies setting up research and development facilities at theLife Sciences Parkand also for the academia of the state.

The KSIDC has entered into a MoU with IISER, which is an autonomous institution under theunion ministry of Human resource development, to set up the facility by improving its existing facility, which is a very capital intensive initiative and which also needs to follow various guidelines and protocols for its operation and management. The KSIDC will grant Rs 6.32 crore to IISER.

The MoU with KSIDC would facilitate the supply of specific pathogen-free small animals to companies and firms being set up in Life Sciences Park for undertaking research, both academic and clinical, and pre-clinical trials as part of research in the bio-pharma domain.