Country's youngest Mayor gets engaged to Kerala's Youngest MLA
The country’s youngest Mayor, Arya Rajendran got engaged to Kerala’s youngest legislator, Sachin Dev on Sunday at the state headquarters of the ruling CPM, AKG Centre…reports Asian Lite News
The ring exchange of the couple was attended by senior leaders of the CPI-M and close friends and relatives.
While Arya is the state committee member of the Students Federation of India (SFI), Sachin Dev is its state secretary. Both Arya and Sachin had worked together in Balasangam and SFI and were friends. The couple had decided to get hitched in January 2022 which was big news in the state.
Presently Sachin is the Kozhikode district committee member of the CPI-M and state secretary of the SFI while Arya is the Chala area committee member of the CPI-M and state committee member of SFI. They will tie the knot next month.
Arya and Sachin are both from CPI-M families. While Arya belongs to Thiruvananthapuram, Sachin Dev hails from Balussery in Kozhikode district of Kerala and had won the Balussery assembly seat as a CPM candidate trouncing Kerala’s star comedian, Dharmajan Bologatti of the Congress.
CPI-M politburo member, M.A. Baby presented a book to the couple as a wedding gift.
Anju Das says she is determined to take her pet, which stood with her in the worst of times, to her home in Kerala…reports Asian Lite News
‘Locky’, the cat, has had a bumpy ride from Ukraine along with its owner Anju Das, a student who owns the pet. But after reaching Delhi, the local flight refused to fly the cat under the pretext that pets are not allowed.
Das, a student, said she just could not think of leaving her best mate in Ukraine, and she decided to bring it along with her. Now she is determined that if she could bring it all the way from war-torn Ukraine, then she can take it to her home in Kerala’s Chengannur.
The two had to take a long walk to reach the Romanian border where Anju Das met with the Indian Embassy staff, who were kind enough to allow Locky to board the special Indian Air Force flight. The flight reached Delhi on Wednesday night and then her problems began.
“I got the boarding pass and the airline, after initially agreeing, later said I cannot take Locky. They did not even give me a hearing and the only thing they said is that pets are not allowed. So I decided to opt out of the flight. If I could bring my cat with a lot of hardships from Ukraine, I can take her to my home also,” said Das.
She said there are two flights on Friday from here to Kerala and will make the effort again. Anju Das says she is determined to take her pet, which stood with her in the worst of times, to her home in Kerala
With regard to women members, Balakrishnan said that in 2018, women constituted 17 per cent of the total members, which has gone up to 19.74 per cent today with a total of 1,04,093 female members….reports Asian lite News
While the CPI-M may appear to be stagnant in states like West Bengal and Tripura, according to Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, the party’s secretary in Kerala, things are different in the southern state where it has witnessed a rise in membership with the motto to make the Red outfit the party of majority.
Balakrishnan was speaking to the media on the sidelines of the 23rd State Party Congress here on Tuesday.
“There has been an increase in party membership, which grew from 4,63,472 in 2018 to 5,27,378 today. Likewise, there has been an increase of 3,682 branch committees, which grew from 32,967 to 36,549 during this period,” said Balakrishnan.
He said that it has been found that of the total membership, only 9.42 per cent fall in the below 25 age category.
“A total of 55.84 per cent of the present members came into the party after 2012. It has been decided to ensure that the party enrols more members from the below 25 category,” added Balakrishnan.
With regard to women members, Balakrishnan said that in 2018, women constituted 17 per cent of the total members, which has gone up to 19.74 per cent today with a total of 1,04,093 female members.
“After the newly-constituted lower level committees, there are 1,991 women branch committee secretaries. For the first time, in each of the state’s 14 districts we now have one woman in the district secretariat. Likewise, in Kannur and Kasargod districts, women members’ strength has now crossed 25 per cent of the total membership,” said Balakrishnan.
He said the general opinion of the party is that it’s time to attract more people into the CPI-M fold, and for that feeder organisations will have to be strengthened.
“Our aim is to see that the CPI-M becomes the party of majority in Kerala,” he said.
A 21-year-old popular Kerala Vlogger and album star, Rifa Mehnu was found dead at their home in Dubai…reports Asian Lite News
Mehnu was living with her husband and a baby. Friends of Mehnu mentioned that she was active on social media and her last post was with her husband from Burj Khalifa, which was hours before her death.
Rifa Mehnu had 300,000 followers on Instagram and also run a YouTube channel with 100,000 subscribers. Efforts have been initiated to repatriate the body to Kerala
The parents of several students were seen hugging their children at Kochi International airport….reports Asian Lite News
The first batch of 11 students from war-torn Ukraine reached the safety of their homes at Kochi airport where they were received by parents, friends, and Kerala government officials. Four students from Ukraine have reached Kozhikode airport also. According to Kerala government sources, 83 Keralite students have reached New Delhi and Mumbai.
Athira, a student who arrived from Kiev while speaking to IANS said, “We thank the Indian embassy for the evacuation and bringing us safely home. We expect all the stranded students in Ukraine to be brought back home at the earliest and hope that the Government of India will do that with immediate effect. We faced several ordeals within the bunkers without food and water and thank god for the safe return home.”
A second-year student, Athira told IANS that her academics will not be affected as classes will continue online and practicals will be conducted once the students are back in Ukraine.
The parents of several students were seen hugging their children at Kochi International airport.
Naveen, a student from Ukraine who is in the third year of MBBS, told IANS, “I thank the Prime Minister and Government of India and the Union Minister, V. Muraleedharan for bringing us back to our home state safely. I will return back to Ukraine once the situation becomes normal.”
Officer on Special Duty to the Kerala government in New Delhi and retired IFS officer, Venu Rajamony appealed to students from Kerala in Ukraine not to travel towards border cities of Ukraine unless they receive a message from the Indian Embassy there.
All the students have been advised to get an additional mask, one for the forenoon session and the other one for the afternoon session….reports Asian Lite News
Around 4.7 million children returned to their classrooms in Kerala on Monday as the schools reopened at full strength after almost two years in the wake of Covid-19.
Incidentally, schools in the state last worked in full strength in the third week of March in 2020.
On Monday morning, State Education Minister V.Sivankutty visited a state-run school and said the students were so excited to return to schools.
“Their happiness was palpable and said they do not wish to sit at home again. We have made all the required arrangements for smooth functioning of the schools which includes providing noon meals also,” said Sivankutty.
He said around 1.91 lakh teachers and close to 30,000 non-teaching staff would have returned to the school campuses.
“The only difference between schools functioning at full strength almost two years back and today is we can’t see our friends’ faces fully as all are masked. We now are sad that schools again will close after a few weeks as this academic year is about end,” said a group of girls at a school in Kochi.
At a lower primary school in Tirur in Malappuram district, the students, however, were in for a rude shock when they were turned back as the roof tiles of their school had collapsed.
“We are sad as we came with a lot of expectations to continue our studies sitting in the classrooms. Now we are told, it will take a while and we are definitely sad,” said the students.
Meanwhile, for the time being students are allowed to take the call to wear uniforms or not and attendance also is not compulsory.
All the students have been advised to get an additional mask, one for the forenoon session and the other one for the afternoon session.
‘Huddle Global 2022’ offers startups a platform to showcase products and interact with technology/industry leaders, besides providing them the scope to explore ways on moving ahead in the world emerging from Covid-19….reports Asian Lite News
Kerala has set an ambitious target of having over 15,000 startups and 200,000 jobs in emerging technologies in five years, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.
He said this while inaugurating the third edition of the ‘Huddle Global 2022’, organised by the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM).
‘Huddle Global 2022’ offers startups a platform to showcase products and interact with technology/industry leaders, besides providing them the scope to explore ways on moving ahead in the world emerging from Covid-19.
KSUM is the nodal agency of the Kerala government for entrepreneurship development and incubation activities in the state.
“Startups being the future of the country, Kerala is committed to providing the right ecosystem. Our startups have raised Rs 3,200 crore as equity investments since 2015. Along with startup infrastructure in the Technology Innovation Zone Kochi, the government is considering a similar campus at Thiruvananthapuram, focusing on emerging technologies,” said Vijayan.
Telugu NRIs to Invest In Indian Startups
“Given that India is the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem with more than 55,000 startups, the government is aware of the significance of each state’s contribution to the overall development of this national startup ecosystem. Startup India ranking places Kerala as one of the top Indian states for startup environment,” said Vijayan.
Minister for Industries, Law and Coir, P. Rajeev said Kerala has built a unique model to nurture startups from ideation to the scale up stage.
“KSUM is dedicated to fostering global entrepreneurship to strengthen the startup community in the state as well as across the nation. The goal of Huddle Global is to create an environment where the passion meets the purpose to learn, network, bridge the gap between business, expose potential and see actual result,” said Rajeev.
Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) also announced a collaboration with global tech firm Google for startups to connect with the global startup community. This wider network enables local startups to leverage Google’s programme comprising mentorship and training of startup teams to help scale up their solutions.
The partnership was announced by Paul Ravindranath, Head of Google for Startups Accelerator, India, at the ‘Huddle Global’ conclave of KSUM.
The collaboration will enable Kerala’s startups to join a wider network to leverage Google’s programme comprising mentorship and training of startup teams for scaled-up solutions.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan made a dash to the Raj Bhavan but Khan continued to be in a defiant mood and the two reportedly had an exchange of words….reports Asian Lite News
Trouble seemed to loom again as Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Thursday first refused to sign on to his address to the Assembly after the cabinet meeting had approved it, but finally came on board after the government decided to move out a senior bureaucrat whose letter had displeased him.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan made a dash to the Raj Bhavan but Khan continued to be in a defiant mood and the two reportedly had an exchange of words.
One reason for his stand was that senior journalist Hari S. Kartha, who was recently appointed Additional Private Secretary to Khan, is also a member of the BJP’s state committee and this irked Vijayan and became a point of public discussion.
It is understood in the file that was sent to the Raj Bhavan, there was a mention that such a thing has not happened in the state before, and this had displeased Khan.
The official who wrote the sentence in the file was General Administration Secretary K.R. Jyothilal, and as a trade off between the governor and government, the senior bureaucrat was moved out of the post.
It was after that Khan signed the file of his address to be made at 9 a.m. on Friday to the Kerala Assembly.
Emirati leadership has a vision for progress and development and a commitment to realise that vision. Any country that wants to progress can take a leaf out of its book: Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister of Kerala
Veteran Congress legislator Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan said this is nothing but a created situation.
“The government could have easily deffused the situation, but it appears it has failed to do it. The need of the hour is both parties amicably settle it. This is a situation that could have been easily avoided,” he said.
Political watcher Joseph C. Mathew said this is yet another instance where the Governor is trying to play games.
“This is some sort of a blackmail and it should not have happened,” he said, adding that it is high time that the Centre examines the conduct of Khan.
Constitutional expert Kaleeshweran Raj said under democracy and the rules, this is not something which the Governor can do as he is duty bound to to sign on to Cabinet decisions.
Former Lok Sabha Secretary General P.D.T. Acharaya said the Governor has to sign as it is constitutionally duty bound to do it.
The CPI, the second biggest constituent of the ruling Left Democratic Front, early this month had slammed the actions of Khan with its Assistant Secretary Prakash Babu said the situation is such that none can predict how Khan will behave.
The state of the art food park will be setup in Kalamassery in the south India state of Kerala, reports Asian Lite News
UAE-based leading retail conglomerate Lulu Group on Tuesday announced that it will invest Rs 400 crore to setup food park in south Indian state of Kerala. The announcement on the major investments plans in food sector comes at Gulfood 2022, which is being held in Dubai World Trade Centre.
The food park in Kerala is one of the three food parks being setup by the UAE in India.
The chairman of the retail giant, Yusuffali MA, revealed that Lulu will invest Rs 4 billion for setting up a state of the art food park in Kalamassery in Kerala.
“As part of strengthening its own food processing centres in India, Lulu will invest Rs 400 crore for setting up a state-of-the-art food park in Kalalmassery in Kerala,” Lulu said in a statement.
The project is expected to be operational by fourth quarter of 2023, the Khaleej Times reported.
The latest investment is over and above the recent Rs 11 billion investment announced for Noida, Srinagar and Kochi, bringing total value to Rs15 billion investment in food processing by the group.
Meanwhile, Lulu has imported the first consignment of Indian eggs, which was banned for the last 15 years in UAE. The group has imported four containers of Indian eggs, after the ban was lifted recently, the Khaleej Times reported.
Lulu also unveiled and launched its new private label brand ‘Goodness Forever’ during the Gulfood 2022. Under this brand Lulu will manufacture and sell a large range of premium speciality products such as organic, free from range, sugar free and similar healthy food products. These products are being manufactured exclusively for Lulu by leading food companies in Italy, Spain and UK, it was reported.
In January, Jammu and Kashmir government had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with LuLu Group to set up a food processing and logistics hub in Srinagar. The deal was signed during the inauguration of Jammu and Kashmir promotion week at the LuLu Hypermarket in Dubai.
In December, UAE Minister for Foreign Trade, Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi visited Kerala and met with Chief Minister of the State Pinarayi Vijayan.
Kerala CM and the UAE minister also discussed the construction of a housing complex with the help of Red Crescent, Dubai. He said action would be taken to complete the project with the Red Cross.
The UAE Minister also agreed to see that steps are taken to see that the ongoing project of the Kerala Government, Life Mission (building homes for the weaker sections) is completed, said Pinarayi Vijayan.
In December, the Lulu group announced an investment of Rs 2,000 crore near Ahmedabad to set up a modern shopping mall.
It has also announced an investment of Rs 500 crore to set up a food processing plant in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
Lulu Group is a major player in the economic scenario of the Middle East with an annual turnover of USD 8 billion and staff force of more than 57,000. Worldwide operations cover business divisions in retail segment for the popular hypermarket brand, shopping mall destinations, food processing plants, wholesale distribution, hospitality properties, and real estate development.
Retail stores present in the UAE, India, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Egypt, Malaysia, and Indonesia; with distribution companies located in India, US, Europe, Middle East countries, and the Philippines and more trading offices expected to rise in Turkey, and Vietnam.
Dr. Venu V, Additional Chief Secretary (Tourism) and VR Krishna Teja, Director, Tourism (WAM)
Kerala’s Tourism Minister Mohamed Riyas said the State is keen to partner with UAE-based investors and Non-Resident Keralites (NRKs) in scripting a new story of growth and development in key sectors, especially tourism, reports Asian Lite News
As tourism in Kerala is set to bounce back from the COVID-19-induced crisis, the State offers high investment opportunities in travel and hospitality sector with the government unveiling several ambitious projects to tap its potential as an extended tourist haven, P. A. Mohamed Riyas, Tourism Minister of Kerala, said.
Addressing a press conference in Dubai, Riyas said the State is keen to partner with UAE-based investors and Non-Resident Keralites (NRKs) in scripting a new story of growth and development in key sectors, especially tourism.
‘Kerala offers huge investment avenues in tourism’
Major initiatives promising attractive investment opportunities include ‘Exploring the Unexplored’ destinations, opening up the untapped Malabar region, Caravan Tourism, safe and regulated adventure tourism, experiential tourism, workcations and active holidays, the Minister said.
While the recently launched Caravan Tourism is sure to provide a riveting experience to visitors, houseboats will continue to be one of the top holiday experiences in Kerala. Caravanning will help Kerala tourism to expand beyond established destinations, he said.
Riyas, who is leading a delegation from Kerala to Expo 2020 Dubai to showcase the state’s strengths, said the new projects have opened up investment possibilities in MICE facilities, resorts and hotels, caravans and caravan parks, farmstays, adventure holidays and travel and tour operations.
‘Kerala offers huge investment avenues in tourism’
The delegation included Dr. Venu V, Additional Chief Secretary (Tourism) and VR Krishna Teja, Director, Tourism.
Kerala has an investor-friendly institutional mechanism to provide quick approvals and mandatory clearances for investment proposals, the Minister said.
Emphasising on the strong government-to-government relations with UAE and people-to-people social and cultural ties, Riyas said he is confident that tourism will be a key driver in this relationship with more and more Keralites travelling to UAE, and vice-versa, in the future.
Kerala Week
The India Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai has achieved yet another milestone by registering nine lakh visitors since its inauguration on October 1, 2021. The Pavilion was inaugurated by Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs & Food & Public Distribution and Textiles, and Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha and has so far clocked 9,05,021visitors as on 4th February 2022.
Indian Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai
In his tweet message, Shri Goyal said, “New India’s new milestone @Expo2020Dubai. Over 9 Lakh people have already visited the spellbinding India Pavilion. #IndiaAtDubaiExpo continues to capture the world’s imagination with its insight, innovation & opportunities.”
At present, the India Pavilion is hosting the Kerala Week, which was inaugurated by Shri Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister of Kerala and H.E. Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, and Commissioner General of Expo 2020 Dubai.
The state is showcasing its business potentials for investment in various key sectors along with its culture and tradition through a series of events. Kerala week is witnessing important government engagements with industry leaders, business organizations and one-to-one meetings with an intent to bring more investment to the state in key growth sectors.
In the coming weeks, the India Pavilion will witness participation from states such as Tamil Nadu, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal. Sectors such as Information and Broadcasting, Energy Conservation, Environment & Sustainability, Tribal Affairs will also display their potential and collaboration opportunities to the world at India Pavilion.
At this stupendous speed, India Pavilion will soon be celebrating the milestone of 1000K footfall.
