KERALA

Education sector: Most proposals implemented

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Though the Union budget 2022-23 gives impetus to digital Education, most of the new announcements made with regard to this, including the digital university, have already been implemented in Kerala by the .

Imparting supplementary TEACHING and providing high quality digital content through TV in the times of online Learning during the pandemic was carried out by the Kerala Infrastructure and Technology of Education (KITE).

However, experts said that budget proposal aimed at universalizing quality education through digital medium will further help the state to take forward the ongoing projects. Welcoming the decision to increase the number of TV channels under the PMs E-Vidya programmes from 12 to 200, KITE chief executive officerK Anvar Sadathsaid that it could promote one class-one TV channel policy of the central government.

Kerala: Panel to verify eco sensitive zones near sanctuaries

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The government has set up an expert panel, headed by former chief of Calcutta high courtThottathil B Radhakrishnan, for the physical verification of eco-sensitive zones (ESZ) and other constructions that are present in ESZs around 23 national parks and wildlife sanctuaries in state. The committee also includes additional chief secretaries of Environment and LSG departments, principal secretary of forests and wildlife department and former head of forests force James Varghese.

Kerala has already filed a Review Petition before the court on buffer zones. On July 27, the cabinet had decided to rectify its 2019 order and recommend the exclusion of human habitats around national parks and wildlife sanctuaries from the ambit of ESZ. It had given clearance to forest department to exclude such habitats, government and semi-government institutions that are lying close to 23 sanctuaries and national parks in state from the ambit of ESZ.

Kerala has demanded increase in GST share: Minister K N Balagopal

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The state has demanded the Centre that the states share of the revenue from the GST, which is 50% at present, should be increased to 60% since the share of expenditure of the states is very high when compared to the Centre, financeminister K N Balagopal.

As per the 15th report, 62.7% of the total revenue of the country goes to the Centre, at a time when the 62.4% of the total expenses are borne by the states. Because of this, we have said that the GST sharing should be on a 60:40 ratio and not 50:50 ratio, between the states and the Centre.

The Centre used the provision in the Constitution to impose additional cess on the petroleum tax. In 2011-12, only 10% of the total revenue of the Centre was through cess, which has now increased to more than 20%. As much as Rs 5.3 lakh crore was raised by the Centre through the cess in 2021-22 alone. This Money also should be shared with the states.

Kerala has no dearth of funds for effective waste management projects

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Even whenwaste managementin various places across the state is turning out to be a serious Health and environmental hazard, records show that there is no dearth of funds available for setting up effective Waste Management projects. Crores of rupees are left unused due to the government’s inability in implementing projects.

Documents of a meeting chaired by chief secretary V P Joy last month, accessed by TOI, show that there is a huge gap in fund availability and utilization. There is at least Rs 600 to Rs 700 crore lying unutilized under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation andUrban Transformation(AMRUT) scheme alone.

The AMRUT fund to the tune of Rs 600 crore to Rs 700 crore said to be unutilized for the current year stands as testimony to the low profile of functioning of the LSGIs as far as waste management is concerned,” said the minutes of the review meeting. As per records, there are 19 projects proposed under theAMRUT schemealone, of which 12 have not even started.

Synthite launches Keralas first agro-processing cluster

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The first agro-processing cluster (APC) inKerala– CVJ Agro Processing Cluster ofSynthiteGroup, a producer of spice extracts and value-added spices – has started functioning in Pancode near Kolanchery in Ernakulam. TheAPC, set up in 19.8 acres with an of Rs 175 crore, was developed under the Pradhanmantri Kisan Sampada Yojana, promoted by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI).

The APC – which is functioning as a part of Synthite Taste Park – provided all common amenities, including facilities for raw material storage, boiler, common laboratory, raw material cleaning, grading, sorting, grinding,weigh bridge, electrical distribution,rainwater harvesting, fire fighting, common truck bay and the like. It is expected to provide direct EMPLOYMENT to around 500 people while it will be beneficial to thousands of farming families across the country.

Kerala’s Kottayam only district in India with no poor residents: Niti Ayog index

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Kottayamhas become the only district in the country without anypoor residentsas per the latestMultidimensional POVERTY Index(MPI) released by theNiti Ayog. The headquarters of the district Kottayam was the first town in the country to be declared as 100% literate town way back in 1989.

The MPI has three equally weighted dimensions-Health, Education and standard of living. The three indicators under health are Nutrition, child and adolescent mortality, and antenatal care. The indicators under education are schooling years and school attendance. Under the standard of living comes indicators – cooking fuel, sanitation, drinking water, electricity, housing, assets and bank account.

The MPI measure is based on the reference period of 2015-16 of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS).

The government medical college hospital in the district had recently received the national award for the hospital that provided the highest number of free treatments and is one of the best hospitals in the government sector. During the pandemic, the hospital also started an Oxygen parlour. The district has 912 schools in the government, aided and unaided sectors. Around 1,58,712 students are there from Class 1-10. There are also 135 higher secondary schools in the district.

Sudden changes in rain hit dam management in Kerala: Experts

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Erraticrainfalland changingclimatehas furthered the challenges ofdam water managementin the state, even more so in the case of shared operations betweenKeralaand Nadu.

This year, erratic rainfall events have been more frequent, causing disruptions in reservoir management. The short-duration intense rains have been recorded more this year. For eg, on Oct 11, there was 10cm rainfall reported in just four hours which impacted Chalakudy river, Kerala Sholayar, Peringalkuthu and Parambikulam Dams. Following this sudden rainfall event, there was much hue and cry saying dam waters were released.

While rule curve is an indicator, authorities should take a call to release water before the levels increase downstream. Hence, when Mullaperiyar water levels are being fixed, the Idukki dam situation should also be kept in mind.

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan to declare Pullampara as digitally literate panchayat

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With the objective of making citizens digitally literate,Pullampara panchayats DigiPullampara project has successfully accomplished its well-charted goal.
The panchayat is all set for the official declaration which will be done by chief ministerPinarayi Vijayanon September 21. The success of the project owes to its detailed planning under the Leadership of a core team comprising five members.

The trainers who taught different modules were students from five different engineering colleges in the city.

The highlight of the project is that officials did not stop with the TEACHING phase. Each participant had to then go through an evaluation process led by the students of Balaramapuram Trinity College.

Tourism department is mooting a plan to startcaravanparking hubs at prominent tourism destinations in and around Kochi. This will help launch caravan tourism, a new initiative of the state government, in the district.

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The department has already identified locations for setting up caravan parking hubs in the district. Caravan tourism is a new concept being introduced by the state tourism department with the support of motor vehicles department (MVD). Caravans will be provided by private tour and travel agencies.

The concept is that the vehicle can be used bytouristsfor reaching various destinations and at the same time accommodation can be provided when they want to stay at a particular destination or overnight stay.

There is also a plan to convert the boat yard at Thevara into a tourism centre. Unused KSRTC buses will be used for foodie wheels project. The buses will act as restaurants.

The Cauvery River Water Management Authority on Tuesday directed Karnataka to release 28tmcft of Cauvery water toTamil Nadu which is the shortfall against the allotment of 86tmcft of water for the period ending August 30 besides the September quota.Karnataka has released 57tmcft of water as on August 30. The Cauvery authority meeting was held in Delhi.

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Karnataka has to release a prescribed amount of water to Nadu every month in accordance with the monthly quota fixed by theSupreme Court. But this year, the state has not been able to meet the quota due to a shortfall in rain and depleting inflow into its reservoirs in the Cauvery basin.