KERALA

Kerala govt initiates steps to biomine waste

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With the (NGT) cracking whips on the government andKochicorporation, the State Government is learnt to have issued an order for expediting the measures for biomining oflegacy wasteaccumulated on the solid waste treatment plant premises atBrahmapuramon a war footing. The state government has asked the corporation to award the work and facilitate biomining immediately.

Biomining is the technique of extraction and segregation of Minerals and useful materials from mounds of waste.
The local body has also started measures to construct a new solid waste treatment plant to replace the existing dilapidated plant at Brahmapuram. The local body has earmarked Rs 9 crore as the first phase of allocation for the works.

Meanwhile, the waste-to-energy plant proposed by the state government for treating the solid waste and generating electricity from it is pending for more than four years. It was the corporation which mooted the project.

New coastal regulations may fuel urban boom, greens wary

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Taking into consideration the potential for urban Growth based on the new Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP), the civic body and the District Administration are planning to make appropriate corrections in the old Coastal Regulation Zone maps that will eventually free up lands close to water bodies in and around Kochi.

The corporation authorities, with the support of local residents, councillors, and the district administration have started measures to get exemptions for the areas which were included under the CRZ limits.
As per the new draft of the CZMP, there are provisions for certain relaxations, and if the local body or residents succeed in proving that some areas are eligible for relaxations they will be exempted from the CRZ limits.

As of now, CRZ regulations are being decided in each area based on the CZM. “Now, theKeralaCoastal Zone Management Authority has published the draft of the CZMP. Once the draft is finalized, it will be the base for deciding CRZ limits. In the new draft plan, there are some changes,” said P Z Thomas, an expert member of the panel which prepared the CZMP.

70% of assembly poll winners in Kerala facing criminal cases: ADR

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Among the winning candidates to the 15th legislative assembly, 71% havecriminal casesregistered against them while 27% have serious criminal charges. According to an analysis byAssociation for Democratic Reforms(ADR), an NGO, on the basis of affidavits submitted to Election Commision of India, 55% of winning candidates are crorepatis and their Average asset is Rs 3.12 crore.

Among the major parties, 44 (75%) of 59 winning candidates from CPM, 20 (95%) of 21 winning candidates fromINC, seven (41%) of 17 winners from CPI, 12 (86%) of 14 winners from IUML, three (60%) of five winning candidates fromKeralaCongress (M) and four (67%) of six independent winners have declared criminal cases against themselves in their affidavit.

Kerala: Revenue from liquor set to hit all-time high this financial year

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In a relief to the ailingrevenue collectionof the state, the excise department is set to meet its revised revenue collection target set for the financial year 2022-23, which would come to a close in two more days.

As per the data till February 28, the revenue collection fromliquorsales (excluding sales tax) to the state exchequer is Rs 2,480.15 crore, the highest till February end for any financial year.
The previous highest collection was in 2018-19, when it was Rs 1,948.69 crore. In 2018-19, the total revenue collection till March 31 closed at Rs 2,480.63 crore, which means that Rs 531.94 crore was collected in the last month of the financial year.

The main components of this revenue figure are excise duty, license fee and other regulatory fees. The excise duty is calculated in slabs ranging from 21.5% to 23.5% of the purchase cost per proof litre, and the highest rate of excise duty is Rs 237 per proof litre. With the sales taxes also being revised recently, the revenue from liquor is all set to scale further heights.

State must reassess governance system

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Economist and former director ofCentre for Development Studies(CDS)Prof KP KannansaidKeralashould re-examine its Governance system and rise to the challenges posed by a Society with high . Kannan, an honorary fellow ofCDS, has just completed a working paper titled Kerala Model of Development Revisited, A Sixty-Year Assessment of Successes and Failures.

Kannan cited three examples to illustrate Keralas spectacular failure: a declining efficiency in revenue collection, persisting loss in public sector enterprises and waste of public Resources due to time and cost overruns in public investments (basic infra).

These are thwarting Keralas ability to enhance Capital Expenditure, tackle Unemployment. Detailed studies will be required to pinpoint the nexus between the political-bureaucratic class and the business-contractor class which is aggravating the lapses in revenue collection. The outbreak of Covid in 2020 after the massive floods in Aug 2018 was the beginning of a new challenge for Keralas development trajectory, he said.

Kerala govt to propose Rs 2,000 crore plan for returnees’ rehab

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The government will soon submit a Rs 2,000 crore proposal to the Centre for therehabilitationof the non-resident Keralites (NRKs) who have returned Home permanently from abroad amid the Covid pandemic, chief ministerPinarayi Vijayantold the assembly.

At the same time, as per the details provided by the Airport Authority of India (AAI), as many as 39,55,230 persons returned through the in the state from May 2020 till October 21, this year. It can be inferred from these figures that the majority of those who wished to return, had returned, the chief minister said.

The government had provided an immediate relief of Rs 5,000 per person to 1,33,800 people who had arrived with a valid passport and valid job visa but could not return.

Kerala assembly likely to pass joint resolution supporting Lakshadweep people

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TheKerala assemblyis likely to pass ajoint resolutionexpressing solidarity with the people of Lakshadweep where the recent actions of the islands’ administrator have drawn flak.

MB Rajesh, the newly elected speaker of the state assembly, Chief MinisterPinarayi Vijayanhimself has proposed the resolution in the wake of recent developments in the archipelago.

The first session of the 15th state assembly began with the swearing-in of newly elected MLAs on May 24.

E-passports to benefit Keralas expat community

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The announcement in the Union budget about the rolling out of next-generation e-passports will enhance the international travel experience of lakhs of expats and others by facilitating smooth and faster passage through immigration posts and would also make the passports more secure and tamper proof.

The new e-passports, which will have embedded chip, will be rolled out in 2022-23. The microchip will contain information about the passport holder like name, address, date of birth and other details and it is expected to facilitate quick verificationat the immigration posts across the globe. Also, the e-passports are expected to enhance security of passports, eliminate data tampering and passport forgery.

Many expatriates welcomed the decision and said that it will take India to the growing league of over 100 countries which have already upgraded from traditional passports to e-passports.

Kerala startup ecosystem most vibrant: CM Pinarayi Vijayan

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Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the two-day Huddle Global, Asias largest tech conclave, organized by Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) at The Leela Raviz, Kovalam.

During his inaugural address he defined Kerala as the state that has built the most vibrant startup ecosystem in the country. He further said that an emerging technology startup hub will be set up in the capital to further strengthen the incubation and support innovation programmes.

Noting that the state offered the best opportunities for a wide array of enterprises for startups in various domains like IT, VT (virtualization technology), and Food Processing, the chief minister said a major initiative to connect tourism Industry with startup ecosystem is in the offing.

Kerala Police to visit labour camps, build rapport

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A high-level meeting of district Police chiefs and supervising DIGs and IGs was held here in the wake of the riot-like situation involving migrant labourers atKizhakkambalam.

Police helpline numbers, contact numbers of SHOs and deputy SPs should be shared with labourers to redress their grievances quickly. All SHOs were also asked to nominate a Hindi-speaking policeman for attending to their grievances. The officers were also asked to prepare an action-taken report based on their visits to labour camps and places of work.