Thiruvananthapuram:  Order of state government to ensure reservation in provision of free connection in K phone scheme. Ten percent reservation for Scheduled Castes and three percent for Scheduled Tribes has been proposed.

In the first phase, 14000 BPL households will be connected at the rate of 100 BPL households per constituency. 30,000 educational institutions will benefit from the scheme.

K Phone is the proud scheme of the state government. Earlier, the government had decided to provide connection to 100 BPL families in a constituency. If SC category is not available then 10 percent more will be given to ST category.

And if there is no ST category then that additional three percent will be given to the SC category of the same constituency. If there are no two categories in the constituency, it will be converted to a general category.

Palakkad: Bail granted to two accused in Walayar case. The first accused V Madhu and the third accused Shibu got bail. Palakkad POCSO Court granted bail. The CBI had found that the Walayar children committed suicide in the charge sheet. Considering this, the court granted bail to the accused.

Earlier, the court rejected the CBI charge sheet in the case and ordered a re-investigation on the plea filed by the children’s mother.

Thiruvananthapuram: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will meet today. The meeting will be held in Thiruvananthapuram today. The meeting will be held in Kovalam in the evening. Officials including the Chief Secretary will also attend.

Interstate issues and water agreements will be discussed in the meeting. Mullaperiyar and Siruvani will also be discussed. MK Stalin arrives in Thiruvananthapuram to attend the Council of Southern States.

Thiruvananthapuram: Central Meteorological Department has warned that heavy rain will continue in the state. Cyclones are prevailing over Tamil Nadu and nearby areas.
A low-pressure system also prevails over Tamil Nadu to Madhya Pradesh. As a result of this, there is a possibility of widespread rain in Kerala for the next 5 days.
An orange alert has been announced in three districts today. An orange alert has been declared in Kottayam, Ernakulam, and Idukki districts.
A yellow alert has also been announced in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, and Kozhikode districts. Kerala has imposed a fishing ban on the Karnataka coast till September 5 due to the possibility of strong winds and bad weather.

Thiruvananthapuram: Protest in Vizhinjam today. The protesters tried to push away the barricade leading to clashes. The protesters entered after crossing the barricade. There was a scuffle with the police who tried to stop him.

Yesterday, the High Court issued an interim order to provide police protection for the construction of Vizhinjam port. The High Court had also made it clear that if the police could not provide protection, they could seek the help of the central forces.

Yesterday, the High Court clarified that the protesters have no right to protest by blocking the port construction work. In the interim order, the court had said that the protest should be peaceful only and should not obstruct the project or encroach on the area. Even today, the protesters came to protest against the court order. The stance of the strike committee is that the strike will continue strongly.

Kochi:  Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated various projects in Kochi. The foundation stone for the second phase of the Kochi Metro was laid. The Prime Minister also inaugurated the Petta-SN junction road. Doubled Kuruppanthara-Chingavanam railway line dedicated to the nation. Renovation of three railway stations has also started. The Prime Minister said that the new projects are Onam gifts for Kerala.

The Prime Minister said that Metro New Path will give a new face to the development of Kochi. He also noted that traffic congestion and pollution will be reduced. The Prime Minister also explained about the Kottayam dual carriageway development. The project will be a milestone in the railway development of Kerala. Modi pointed out that the project will benefit Sabarimala pilgrims and common people the most. The Prime Minister said that international level development is taking place in the country.

Narendra Modi has announced that he will provide a scheme of 1 lakh crores for the basic development of Kerala. There should be development in every field according to the changing times. The Center will help Kerala’s efforts for that. The Prime Minister dedicated the metro development to the nation at a program held at the CIAL Convention Center. Governor Arif Muhammad Khan and others were present on the stage.

Thiruvananthapuram: The Legislative Assembly canceled the decision to leave Waqf’s appointment to PSC. The Assembly unanimously passed the bill repealing the Act.

Minister V Abdur Rahman said in the House that the decision to cancel was made after holding discussions with Muslim leaders.

Muslim organizations had come out with a strong protest against the government’s decision to leave the appointment of officials in the Waqf Board to the PSC. Then the Chief Minister himself informed the Assembly that the decision would be withdrawn. After that, the government took steps to cancel the bill.

The Kerala Public Service Commission’s cabinet meeting yesterday approved a bill to repeal the bill for additional duties related to services under the Waqf Board. PSC will be replaced by a new system for recruitment. It is also under consideration to have an interview board every year to check the application.

Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan responded in the House saying that he welcomed the government’s decision. It is not true to say that only Muslim organizations are excluded from the opposition and it is wrong to say that the opposition did not oppose the move. Satheesan also said that there was strong opposition on that day.

Thiruvananthapuram: The Legislature Assembly has passed the Universities Act Amendment Bill, 2022. The House rejected the opposition’s amendments. The bill was passed with an official amendment introduced by the Minister of Higher Education.

It is unacceptable that the government should not be associated with the university. Minister R Bindu said in the assembly that the bill does not remove any powers of the chancellor and only expands the search committee.