Kolkata: Trinamool leader Jawahar Sirkar has said that he is resigning from the Rajya Sabha in protest at the way the state government handled the rape and murder of a young doctor at the RG Kar Hospital in Kolkata.
Sirkar announced his resignation in a letter sent to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. He said that he will stay away from politics. Sirkar, a former IAS, joined the Trinamool Congress in 2021. Sirkar informed that he will come to Delhi and submit his resignation to the Rajya Sabha Chairperson.
Thiruvananthapura: Houses with an area of less than 60 square meters in the state will not be subject to property tax even if they have a UA number. Ordered in this regard. UA number is issued temporarily for non-statutory buildings. At present, triple tax is levied on buildings with UA number. Many complaints were received in this regard in the local Adalat.
Meanwhile, last year the government exempted houses below 60 square meters from the tax. In case of receiving complaints, the order directed to apply this exemption to the houses which have got UA number also. The final installment will be sanctioned even if the houses obtained under LIFE housing scheme are issued with UA number. A general direction in this regard has also been given in the order.
Kozhikode: It has been decided to bring liquor in large quantities from Kerala to Lakshadweep where there is a ban on alcohol. In the name of tourism, the administrator’s move to lift the ban on alcohol in Lakshadweep in a phased manner. For this, the Lakshadweep Promotion Council has decided to purchase a large quantity of liquor from the Kerala State Beverages Corporation.
The uninhabited island of Bankaram in Lakshadweep, which has a strict liquor ban, currently serves restricted alcohol only to tourists. An attempt was made in 2021 to extend it to Kavaratti, Minikoi and Kadamam resorts but it did not happen due to public resistance. But now there is a move to make alcohol available everywhere in the island.
Lakshadweep MP and various organizations of the island are strongly opposing the lifting of the liquor ban. But if tourism is to grow in Lakshadweep, the administrator’s position is that the availability of alcohol should be ensured. A draft bill for this was prepared last year. With the coming into force of the bill, the Lakshadweep Liquor Prohibition Act of 1979 will be repealed.
Lakshadweep Tourism Promotion Council buys liquor from warehouses in Kochi. Kerala’s permission has also been received for this. Earlier, the Lakshadweep Tourism Promotion Council had written to the state government requesting large quantities of liquor for tourism promotion.
Kerala agreed to provide liquor based on the report of the Excise Commissioner who studied the same. As per the current Excise Act, liquor cannot be shipped. The tax department issued a separate order for this.
Holidays for educational institutes in Manipur for the next two days. The decision was made in the context of the possibility of conflict. Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh along with Speaker, Cabinet Ministers and BJP MLAs met Governor Laxman Prasad Acharya yesterday and apprised him of the current situation. Meanwhile, prohibition will continue in conflict prone areas including Jiribham. At the same time, people’s anger against Chief Minister Biren Singh for not being able to restore law and order in the state is getting stronger. The areas where the attack continues are on high alert.
During the search conducted by the army yesterday, a cache of weapons such as sniper rifles, grenades and long-range rocket bombs were recovered. Security has been deployed including anti-drone systems. Military helicopters were deployed for patrolling and conducting aerial surveys. Yesterday, Kuki-So groups held a protest rally demanding the resignation of Biren Singh. Despite the continued violence in the state, the central government has also remained silent.
The Asianet Television Awards 2024, celebrating the best of popular serials and television talent, was held at the Al-Saj Convention Centre in Thiruvananthapuram. This grand event showcased the rich history and evolution of television, offering a unique experience where artists and viewers came together on the same stage.
A highlight of the evening was the felicitation of film star and Union Minister Suresh Gopi. Additionally, the event featured a special segment with stars from the upcoming Onam release film “ARM – Ajayante Randam Moshanam,” including Tovino Thomas, Kriti Shetty, Harish Uthaman, Jagadish, director Jitin Lal, and scriptwriter Sujith, which captivated the audience.
The award ceremony saw the presence of several prominent actors, such as Anushree, Sudheer Karamana, Tiny Tom, Asha Sarath, Harish Kanaran, Sasthika, Azeez Nedumangad, Manikuttan, Prem Kumar, and Asianet Channel Head Kishan Kumar, among many other celebrated personalities. In addition to announcing and distributing awards to recognize excellence in television, the event honored cricketer Sreesanth, film star Mukesh, and renowned singer KS Chitra. Veteran actor Jagadish was presented with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding contributions to the industry.
The evening was filled with mesmerizing dance performances, thrilling dance stunts, and hilarious comedy skits performed by popular television and film stars, keeping the audience thoroughly entertained.
The Asianet Television Awards 2024 will be telecast on Asianet on September 7th and 8th (Saturday and Sunday) from 7 PM onwards.
In the harassment complaint, Nivin Pauly handed over the copy of passport and related documents to the investigation team, including the passport copy of actor Nivin Pauly to the DGP and the special investigation team.
Meanwhile, actor Nivin Pauly had said that the allegations of molestation raised against him the other day were false. The actor filed a preliminary complaint with the DGP stating that the case against him was false. On the other hand, Vineeth Srinivasan said that on the day when the complainant said that the molestation had taken place, Nivin was on the location of his film ‘Varshangalkku Shesham’.
Thiruvananthapuram: It has been decided to give permission to serve liquor on Dry Day in the tourism sector. The CPM state secretariat approved the amended liquor policy. The exemption was introduced to encourage meetings and exhibitions in tourism areas. For this, permission should be obtained 15 days in advance.
Dry days on the 1st date will continue except in the tourism sector. Relaxation on dry days was a high-priority demand in a meeting called earlier by the tourism department. Seeing this as a hardship for tourists, the stakeholders raised a demand with the government. At the same time, the government had started plans to completely avoid Dry Day, but in the context of the second bar bribery allegation, the current decision is to give relaxation only to the tourism sector. The issue will be discussed in the LDF meeting to be held this month.
Thiruvananthapuram: Finance Minister KN Balagopal said that government employees and teachers will be given a bonus of Rs. 4000 on the occasion of Onam. For those who are not eligible for the bonus, a holiday allowance of Rs.2750 will be given. A special festival allowance of Rs.1000 has been announced for service pensioners. Employees who retire under the Participatory Pension Scheme will also get a special festival allowance.
Rs 20,000 advance will be given to government employees on the occasion of Onam. 6000 will be paid as advance to part-time and contingent employees.
All categories of employees, including contract-skiram workers who received festival Allowance last year, will receive this allowance at the same rate.
Nemom and Kochuveli railway stations have been renamed. The government notification is out. Nemom will be known as Thiruvananthapuram South and Kochuveli Thiruvananthapuram North Railway Station henceforth. The name change will be officially implemented with the order of the Railway Board.
Majority of the services operated from Kochuveli are long distance trains. The name Kochuveli is not at all familiar to those outside Kerala. Therefore, there was a situation where those who did not get reservation to Thiruvananthapuram Central canceled their journey. It is estimated that the name change will be of great help for the development of Nemom Terminal.
Thiruvananthapuram: The police have registered a case in the clash between the Secretariat march of State Committee of the Youth Congress demanding the resignation of the Chief Minister who is protecting ADGP MR Ajith Kumar and Political Secretary P Shashi. Cantonment police have registered a case against 11 people. There is a case against 250 known people. The first accused is Youth Congress state president Rahul Mangootam. Abin Varki is the seventh accused. Rahul was produced in court and remanded.
The case was filed on the charges of assaulting police officers, destroying public property, unlawful assembly and obstructing the official performance of the police. Water cannons were used seven times to disperse the activists during the clash that lasted for over one and a half hours. District President Nemam Shajeer’s eye was injured. Policemen including Cantonment CI were also injured in the clash. The leaders also said that the police acted according to the instructions of the DYFI and CPM leaders.
