KERALA

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.

AsKeralagoes topolls, many of ourmigrant workersare heading Home to exercise their franchise inWest Bengal,AssamandTamil Nadu.

DespiteCovid protocols and skyrocketing travel expenses amid job uncertainties, they know that thiswill have a major bearing on their lives as these are the first polls after the pandemic began last year. They will elect only those candidates whom they believe will take care of their needs in times ofadversityand provide better living andeconomic conditions.

During the pandemic, Andhra Pradesh and Haryana passed laws to reserve jobs for residents and Jharkhand, Rajasthan, MP, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Karnataka are following suit. DMKs election manifesto promises 75% job-reservation for Tamils if they are voted to power.

With an objective to address water scarcity inKochi,Kerala water authority(KWA) is planning to plug the transmission loss, which is one of the major reasons for water shortage in the city and neighbouring local bodies.

Digging up of roads for identifying the location of leakage is one of the major hindrances in the way of addressing the issue and KWA has introduced water stethoscope, a device to identify the leak without digging roads or with little digging. This will expedite the process of identifying leaks and plugging it.

According to the data with KWA, at least 22 to 25% of water supplied in the city is being lost during transmission. Leakage and theft are the main reasons for transmission loss.

KWA is to procure at least 40 water stethoscopes to identify leaks in the city and adjoining areas. KWA also plans to organize a workshop to train officials on how to use the device. KWA authorities have instructed officials to map the distribution Network in their limits.

WhileMullaperiyarcontinues to be a controversial issue, many Indian states are carrying outdam rehabilitation(strengthening) projects with the help of the .Madhya Pradesh,Karnataka,Kerala,Odisha,Tamil NaduandUttarakhandare the states that are currently using theWorld Bankfunds for this purpose.

The World Bank-funded dam rehabilitation and improvement project (DRIP) includes investments in selected 223 Dams in six states (Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Uttarakhand), in addition to dams managed by the Damodar Valley Corporation in Jharkhand.

The interventions are being implemented by 10 implementing agencies: central water commission (Cwc) under the ministry of Resources“>Water Resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation (MoWR, RD&GR); Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC); Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd (UJVNL); Odisha water resources department; Tamil Nadu water resources department; Tamil Nadu generation and distribution corporation (TANGEDCO); Karnataka water resources development organization; Madhya Pradesh water resources department; Kerala water resources department; and Kerala state electricity board.

According to the World Bank report on dam rehabilitation, many dams are ageing (605 dams are over 50 years old and another 3,095 dams are over 25 years old) and exhibit various structural deficiencies and shortcomings in operation and monitoring facilities. In most states, budget allocations for dam operations and maintenance are part of overall Irrigation system maintenance budgets, which are typically decided based on irrigated area rather than on preventative and scheduled, it said.

The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has inked a pact with the Neyveli Lignite Corporation India Ltd (NLCIL) for purchase of 400 MW from the proposed Talabira power plant in Odisha.

In August, the Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission had given the go-ahead for procuring power from the coal-based Talabira plant for a period of 25 years.

NLCIL is developing a 2400-MW power station at Talabira. Since it is to be a ‘pit-head’ station, the cost of power will be relatively low.

More sex reassignmentsurgeries(SRS) in the state are performed for male-to-female transition than for female-to-male transition, according to data from the social department on the number oftransgenderpeople who received financial assistance after the surgeries. The data also show that the number of such surgeries has been rising over the years.
While only 19 transgender people, including 11 trans Women, received the assistance in 2018-19, the number of beneficiaries rose to 83, including 41 trans women, in 2021-22 so far. Of the total of 191 transgender people who received the assistance from 2018, 127 are trans women and 64, trans men.

The department gives a reimbursement of Rs 2.5 lakh for trans women and Rs 5 lakh for trans men after the surgery. Those in the transgender community said the number of people going for female-to-male transition is fewer due to the surgical complexities involved and fear of rejection from family and abuse on the streets.

Startups registered with Kerala Startup Mission or department of Industrial Policy and promotion, and having a registered office in Kerala, will be eligible for this scheme. Viable projects with a scalable business model and high potential for EMPLOYMENT generation or wealth creation will be considered under the scheme.

The assistance will be Rs 25 lakh for productization, Rs 50 lakh for commercialization and Rs 100 lakh for scaling up. This will be subject to 90% of the project cost in each stage. Loans will be provided at a concessional interest rate of 7% without collateral. The repayment period will be 60 months, including the moratorium period of 12 months.

The loans will be sanctioned as a soft loan with option to convert it into capital on condition that KFC share shall not exceed 30%.
Once startups get a firm purchase order, they are eligible to get loans up to Rs 10 crore for executing orders. The entities, after due diligence by a Sebi registered Venture Capital fund, can also get a venture debt of Rs 10 crore.