Karipur: Kerala’s first private airline Air Kerala will start service in April. The NOC for starting the domestic service has been received from the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Once the air operation certificate is obtained, the service will start. Company officials said that it will be available soon. Initially the target is domestic service. The first service is from Nedumbassery to Hyderabad. There will be service from Karipur, Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur.

Three ATR 72-600 aircraft will be used. There is also a plan to increase the number of flights and start service to foreign countries. Company officials said that if permission is granted, priority will be given to service from Kerala airports to sectors such as Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Cheap tickets will be available. Setfly Aviation has decided to start Air Kerala service in 2023. The company is headed by Afi Ahmed and is headquartered in Kochi.

K-Smart is the proud initiative of the state government to bring all services online through the local self-government bodies. So far 20.37 lakh files have been processed through K Smart. Minister M B Rajesh announced that K Smart, which provides services to the public without going into offices, will be extended to three-tier panchayats from April.

The service of K-Smart was available in the municipalities of the state from January 1. Already 27.31 lakh files have been received through K-Smart. Of this, 74.6 percent have been settled. It is also convenient for the public to know the status of each section of files in each office and district.

Before the service of K-Smart reaches the tri-level panchayats, a pilot run will be done in Thiruvananthapuram District Panchayat, Nedumangad Block Panchayat and Karakulam Gram Panchayat from January 1.

A more advanced version of K-Smart is being deployed to replace the existing ILGMS system in Gram Panchayats. Both softwares are developed by Information Kerala Mission. The training for the employees of 941 gram panchayats, 152 block panchayats and 14 district panchayats of the state will begin in January.

K-Smart will be extended to Gram Panchayats on April 1. With this, services from all the local self-government bodies in the state will be available to the public without going to the offices on time.

K-Smart was developed by the Information Kerala Mission for the Department of Local Self-Government. Through the K-Smart application, it is possible to submit service requests and complaints online and to know their status online. For that integrated messaging system is provided where receipt of applications and complaints are available on the complainant/applicant’s login, WhatsApp and e-mail.

Kochi: Supplyco’s Christmas-New Year fairs have started. Special fairs are organized in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Ernakulam and Thrissur districts from December 21 to 30.

In other districts, major super markets of Supplyco at the district headquarters will operate as Supplyco Fair.

Apart from 13 subsidized items, Sabari products and FMCG products will be sold at 10 to 40 per cent discount. Branded consumer goods will be offered at a discount of 5 to 30 percent. Apart from this, flash sales will also be conducted at district fairs and supermarkets from 2.30 pm to 4 pm. Non-subsidized products will get an additional discount of up to 10 percent over the current offer.

The Crime Branch has issued a notice to MS Solutions owner Muhammad Shuhaib to appear for questioning tomorrow in connection with the Class 10 Plus One Christmas exam question paper leak controversy. MS Solutions employees may also be questioned.

The crime branch’s move comes in the background of the company’s owner, Muhammad Shuhaib, going on the run. Kozhikode District Court will also consider Shuhaib’s anticipatory bail application tomorrow.

The crime branch had collected information from the officials of the education department on the question paper leak. A four-member team headed by Kozhikode SP KK Moiteen Kutty is conducting the investigation. During the preliminary investigation, it was found that the accused MS Solutions in Koduvally had leaked the question paper. Based on this, a case was registered against MS Solutions. The FIR has been registered under seven charges including fraud.

Kochi: Police notice to remove Papanji built in Fort Kochi Veli grounds. Papanji, who founded the Gala de Fort Kochi club, has been instructed to move. The suggestion is to provide security as part of the Kochi Carnival.

Papanji burning is an important part of Kochi’s Christmas and New Year celebrations. The world famous Tantang is held in conjunction with the carnival at the Fort Kochi parade ground. The Gala D Club has set up its Papanji at Veli Ground, just two kilometers away from the Parade Ground.

According to the police, around 1,000 policemen have been deployed in and around the parade ground and therefore, adequate security arrangements cannot be made for the Papanji burning ceremony conducted by a private club. The proposal is to move the under-construction Papanji within twenty-four hours of receiving the notice.

Pathanamthitta: Postmortem report says that the cause of death of nursing student Ammu Sajeev was due to head and hip injuries. According to the report, Ammu has around 20 injuries on her body and her knee and wrist were injured in the fall. Cracked fingers have also occurred.

The report also says that Ammu did not eat on the day she died. Samples of blood and internal organs have been collected and sent for chemical analysis. On November 15, Ammu Sajevan committed suicide by jumping from the top of the hostel building. He died while being taken to Thiruvananthapuram Medical College. The family alleged that Ammu’s death was mysterious, but the police found it to be a suicide.

Notice to six employees of the Public Administration Department in welfare pension fraud. The notice is to repay the welfare pension amount received with interest. Further action will be taken after the money is recovered. Earlier, it was recommended to dismiss six people who embezzled welfare pensions in the Public Administration Department. Now the notice has been sent to the part time sweepers. Unauthorized money must be paid back at the rate of 18% interest. Among them are those who have to pay back Rs 22,600 to Rs 86,000. The government has decided that further action is sufficient after recovering the money.

At the same time, the Chief Minister is considering the recommendation to dismiss the embezzled employees. It was found that the six had deliberately stolen the welfare pension. Even after getting a job, they were receiving welfare pension, but kept the welfare pension hidden. If the government approves the termination recommendation, the same procedure will have to be followed in other departments.

Thiruvananthapuram:  Six government employees suspended in connection with social security pension fraud.
 The action is against the part-time employees of the Soil Conservation Department. The government directed the employees to pay back the illegally taken amount with 18% interest.It was found earlier in the inspection that 1458 government employees including gazetted officers of the state are receiving social security pension.
 The serious fraud was discovered during the inspection conducted by the Information Kerala Mission as per the instructions of the Finance Department.