KERALA

Kerala: Community-level action programmes can prevent suicides, say experts

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Local community level action programmes to reach out to vulnerable persons can go a long way in preventing suicides in pandemic times, say experts.

The point is to identify those who find themselves in dire situations, be it stressful life events or financial distress, and to offer help, besides making them realize that they are not the only ones who are going through a state of uncertainty, say activists involved in suicide preventions.

Teachers are the best bet for monitoring student Health. Most know the situation in their students homes and thus can stay in touch with the children and ensure that help is at hand.

Kerala Budget: Focus on medical tourism hailed

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With India pitching itself as a medical tourism destination at the meeting recently,Keralais aiming to ensure that it is not left behind. The budget presented on Friday focuses on activities that transform the state into a Health hub by providing better healthcare and health tourism Services by expanding and modernizing existing facilities. An amount of Rs 30 crore has been earmarked in the budget towards this.

India is a key medical tourism destination in Asia with over 5 lakh foreign patients arriving annually. Kerala traditionally receives patients from Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Maldives, the Middle East, Afghanistan, Africa, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. Private hospitals are now eying patients from newer countries.

With the State Government also putting its weight behind medical tourism, it will give a fillip to the sector that is currently seeing an annual Growth of almost 25% to 30%, compared to 15% five years ago. Almost 25% to 30% of the revenue of major hospitals in Kochi is from medical tourism.

Kerala on bottom rung in trash pickup

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Keralarecorded the lowest collection efficiency in solid-Waste Management among all states and Union territories for 2018-19 and 2019-20, as per the data presented inLok Sabhaby the minister of state for Environment, forest and https://exam.pscnotes.com/Climate-change”>Climate Change,Ashwini Kumar Choubey.

Keralas recycling capacity of hazardouswastealso dropped from 9.64% to 2.38% between 2016-17 and 2019-20 although the hazardous waste generation in the state increased by over 700% in the same period, the figures show.

The figures for efficiency of the waste collection show that Kerala recorded 19% and 25% for 2018-19 and 2019-20, respectively. Going by the figures, Kerala is the only state which has recorded way below 50% efficiency in waste collection in the country.

The table does not provide information onBiharand Gujarat, however, a majority of states have recorded efficiency of above 80%. Even with regard to the treatment of waste generated in the state, Kerala records 52% for 2019-20.

The data presented in Parliament has been sourced from theCentral Pollution Control Board. The pitiably low Percentage of collection efficiency as shown in figures could also be a result of poor data management in the state.

Western Ghats destruction noted since 1866

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As early as 1866, the famousBritishgeographer and explorerSir Clements Robert Markhamhad noted the environmental impact of the widespread practice of developingplantationson theWestern GhatsofKerala,KarnatakaandTamil Nadu. Perhaps his account could be one of the earliest critical documentation on the effects of the destruction of nature in Kerala.

The destruction of forests has been one of the chief agents in effecting changes in the earth’s surface, and the best methods of counteracting evils which may be caused by these extensive clearances is one of the most important questions that occupy the attention of physical geographers. This agency is now at work in the Western Ghats of India, those rich and beautiful mountain-districts forming the backbone of the Indian peninsula, and containing the sources of a water-supply, on which the prosperity – indeed, the very existence – of millions depends.

Cabinet approves Municipality, Panchayat Raj act amendment bills

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The State Cabinet on Wednesday decided to approve the draft Kerala (Amendment) Bill 2022 and the Kerala Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Bill 2022. The bill will enable the regularisation of unauthorised constructions, which were completed or began construction before November 7, 2019, when the Kerala Municipal as well as Panchayat Raj Building Rules came into effect.

The Section 407 (1) of the Municipality Act 1994 and Section 235 AB(1) of the Panchayat Raj Act 1994 would be amended for this purpose. Based on this, the Kerala Municipality (Regularisation of Unauthorised Constructions) Act and the Kerala Panchayat Raj (Regularisation of Unauthorised Constructions) would be promulgated.

Survey notification issued in 2 districts of Kerala for SilverLine

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Keralarail development corporation limited (KRDCL) has been asked to make a presentation before the minister of state for railways Raosaheb Patil Danve next week as a prelude to the approval of the detailed project report of semi-high speed rail projectSilverLine.

The project is yet to get clearance from the ministry of railways and department of economic affairs (DEA). As per government records, the Indian RAILWAY Financing Corporation (IRFC), one of the agencies expected to fund the project, will begin processing the file for the project only after it receives approval from the railway board.
As part of land acquisition, a notification as per the Surveys and Boundaries Act, 1961 have been issued inKannurandAlappuzha.

The notification is yet to be issued in other districts, including Thiruvananthapuram,Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kozhikode,Malappuram, andKasaragod.

Kerala universities slip in NIRF rankings

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The ministry of Education released National Institutional Ranking Frameworks (NIRF) rankings of educational institutions for 2021 on Thursday. Though four universities in state continued to secure a position in the list of top 100 universities in India, the rankings of three fell compared to the 2020 list.

KeralaUniversity (KU), Thiruvananthapuram, came first in state by securing 27th rank followed by Mahatma Gandhi University (MGU), Kottayam (31), Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat, Kochi (44) and Calicut University (CU), Malappuram (60). While Cusat improved its rank (62 in 2020); the rank of KU (23), MGU (30) and CU (54) dipped.
In overall rankings of educational institutions KU topped with 43rd rank (42 in 2020). While MGU secured 52nd rank (49 in 2020), Cusat secured 65th rank (89 in 2020) and CU secured 95th rank (76 in 2020).

In the list of top 200 engineering institutes, Amrita School of Engineering (Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham) secured 16th rank. While NIT-Calicut secured 25th rank IIST, Thiruvananthapuram secured 40th rank and College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram secured 95th rank. Government Engineering College, Thrissur secured 156th rank.
In management category, IIM-Kozhikode, which improved its rank to 4 from 6, is the only institute from Kerala in the top 75 list. In pharmacy ranking, Amrita School of Pharmacy (AVV), Ernakulam secured 12th rank.

Keralawill have to treat theIPCC reportonclimate changereleased on Monday with due importance as what has been mentioned in the report is a reality here. The report talks of sea level rise as already happening across the world and also warns that climate change has set in. TheNASAreport on sea level rise includes cities likeKochiwhere the projected rise is about 1-3 ft by the end of the century. Experts said that coastal states will feel the impact not only by sea intrusions but also increasingsalinityingroundwatersystems.

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A one-degree rise in temperature could trigger an increase in Average rainfall events by 7%. Kerala is more urbanized than many cities in the country and hence development should now be keeping in mind that https://exam.pscnotes.com/Climate-change”>Climate Change has already set in.

Govt to conduct census of elderly citizens in state

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The government will conduct a census of the elderly citizens in the state, chief ministerPinarayi Vijayansaid.
While reviewing various projects being implemented for elderly citizens by various departments here, the chief minister said that the census will be held on the lines of the census of the physically challenged conducted in 2015. He said that data on the functioning of old age homes and destitute homes also will be collected. The chief minister instructed the Women and child development department to utilize the Services ofanganwadiworkers for the census.

The chief minister also asked the departments to conduct awareness among the elderly Population about various programmes being implemented for them. Several of them are losing the eligible services because they are unaware of such programmes. The services of local body ward members, Health inspectors, socialjusticeofficials,Ashaworkers, anganwadi workers and Kudumbashree workers should be utilized for conducting awareness campaigns, the chief minister said.