KERALA

The state cabinet, gave its nod to the draft bill that will remove the governor from the chancellor post of all the universities in state. It is learned that this bill will be brought on the very first day when the assembly session begins on December 5. Though the state cabinet has given its nod to the draft bill, once the assembly passes an Act, it has to be approved by the governor later.

Since an amendment in the Universities Act will have to be made for each university, a decision was taken to have a single chancellor for like-minded universities. Hence, the cabinet decided to bring in five separate amendments for creating the chancellor’s post. The allowances and other benefits for the chancellor will be met from the university’s fund. It is learnt that there will be separate chancellors for Health, Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture, digital, veterinary and universities and Cusat. There will be a single chancellor forKerala, Calicut, Kannur, MG, Sanskrit, Malayalam and Sree Narayana universities.

The service period of a chancellor will be five years and the office will be set up at the university’s headquarters. A person will be eligible for re-appointment as chancellor for only one additional term. The higher Education minister will be the pro-chancellor of all universities in Kerala. The government has decided to rope in experts from respective fields as chancellors.

The amendment is being brought in the Universities Act to remove the clause that the person holding the position of the governor will also be the chancellors of all universities in the state.

Bihar, with its dismal scores across key development indicators such asnutrition, child andadolescent mortality,maternal Health, years of schooling,sanitationandelectricity, has topped the list of states with the largest share of Population who arepoor, according to think tankNiti Aayogs report, which has identified 25.01% of the countrys population as multi-dimensionally poor.

More than 50% of Bihars population has been classified as poor under the national Multi-dimensional POVERTY Index (MPI), followed by Jharkhand (42.2%), Uttar Pradesh (37.8%), Madhya Pradesh (36.7%) and Meghalaya (32.7%).Keralahas the least number of poor with only 0.7% of its population classified as such. Among the Union territories, 27.4% of Dadra and Nagar Havelis population is poor, according to the MPI parameters.

837 licensees have evinced interest in partnering with the government to establish Kerala Stores (or K-Stores). The government intended to launch at least five such multi-service centres in each district in the initial phase of the project, he added.

The proposed outlets will have an area of not less than 300 sq ft. Ration dealers who express willingness to establish the outlets will be provided priority. Preference will also be given for those outlets situated in locations where there are no Supplyco outlets, banks and Akshaya centres within a radius of 2 km.

TheKochiMetro Rail Ltd (KMRL) has approached the Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture department with a proposal to start vegetable cultivation on 17 acres of land at Kakkanad, where the proposed Bliss city project is coming up.
The agriculture department has accepted the proposal and asked KMRL to do preparatory works like pruning of trees, cleaning wells, fencing and removing .
The land at Kakkanad has been remaining unutilized for quite some time.

KMRL has already invited tender to clear weeds in the land. As part of Women Empowerment, Kudumbashree will be entrusted with the task of cultivating vegetables in the area.

Earlier, the flowering of neelakurinji (strobilanthes Kunthiana) was also spotted at theAlumkappara hillsnear Moolamattam in Thodupuzha. The area lies along the border between Kottayam-Idukki districts and close to Elaveezhapoonchira.

Alunkapara is at an altitude of 900 metres high and it can be accessed through difficult terrain from Choondikulam Nirappu on Mechal route from Chakkikavu.

In the past year Pushpakandam Anakkara Mettu hills in the Western Ghats borderingTamil Naduand Puttady near Munnar have witnessed isolated flowering of neelakurinji.

The collaboration ofASAP Keralawith Autodesk will offer an authorized curriculum in product design and manufacturing that will enable students to stay up-to-date with the rapidly evolving requirements. ASAP always focused on providing skill programmes required by the industry to the youth of Kerala, to enhance their employability. The hands-on experience will help students understand the technologys theoretical and practical applications.

Kerala government has proposed to have its very own over-the-top (OTT) platform. The kingdom authorities have decided to launch it by November 1. The State governments proposed foray into the online content material streaming area with the launch of an over-the-top (OTT) platform is a cultural intervention, as an alternative than some thing caused via the market or revenues.

Highlights:

OTT gamers like Netflix and Amazon have been displaying more interest in Malayalam cinema. But they are generally limited to films from which they can get revenue.

In the remaining one year, much less than 15 Malayalam films, providing large stars, have taken up these platforms.

Furthermore, smaller & Home-grown OTT systems such as New Stream and Mainstream TV no longer have plenty of finance to shape better players.

Thus, the proposed this OTT platform which will ensure space and make some kind of revenue share for lower finances & independent movies that are struggling to discover areas among the public.

Inaugurating theK-FONproject, Vijayan said that K-FON is also an alternative to provide relief to people from exploitation of private players. “Compared to other service providers, K-FON Services will be cheaper. Irrespective of villages or towns, K-FON services will be provided with high speed and quality,” he said. Vijayan said that as the world is changing, Internet should be available to all to move ahead with it. “Through K-FON, we are setting the basic for converting the state as a knowledge Society. Through K-FON we are linking the state with the global information highway, he said.

Presently, 17,412 government organizations have been provided with K-FON connection. “Optical fibre cables have been laid to provide connections to more than 9,000 households, and 2,105 households have been provided connections. In houses and offices where K-FON connection has been provided, internet service is available,” he said.

A State Government is providing internet connections to all in a country where more than 700 internet shutdowns were reported in the last 10 years, Vijayan said. “In the post Covid-19 era, a new Work culture of work from Home and work near home has developed in the state. To effectively harness such a culture among our youngsters, internet service should be available everywhere. K-FON is a tool for that,” he said.

Thegovernmentwould ensure thatKeralas shoreline will be protected fromsea erosionwithin the next five years, said CM PinarayiVijayanin the assembly. The project to protect the shoreline to be implemented viaKIIFBhas begun.

While finding a permanent solution to sea erosion, the government will implement programmes that will ensure the participation of the fishermen community.

Power minister K Krishnankutty, who spoke on behalf of Resources“>Water Resources minister Roshy Augustine, said the government is preparing projects worth Rs 5,000 crore for coast protection.