New Delhi: Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar has said that Chinese phones below Rs 12,000 will not be banned in the country. The minister clarified that Indian companies need to contribute to the electronic ecosystem from their side and that does not mean excluding foreign companies.

“Instead of launching only components for handsets below Rs 12,000, it should be extended to the entire range. Currently, there are no plans to ban Chinese phones priced below Rs 12,000,” said Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

The Union Minister said that the country is targeting electronic manufacturing of 300 billion dollars. The central government has also targeted US$ 120 billion in exports by 2025-26.

Mavelikkara: Big ganja hunt in Mavelikkara. Two persons were arrested with 21 kg of ganja. The Swift car used to smuggle ganja is also in custody. Cannabis with a retail value of more than five lakh rupees was seized. Based on the information given by Anil Kumar, Head of State Excise Enforcement Squad and Head of Excise Intelligence and Investigation Bureau South Region, the Alappuzha Excise Intelligence Bureau and the Mavelikkara Excise Range team seized the ganja kept for sale on the occasion of Onam.
They were caught from the car while preparing to go to the retail sale to give to the youths arriving on luxury bikes. Taju was arrested in the Mavelikkara Praikkara Muri and Vineeth in the Manakkad Muri. The arrested persons are the main links of drug sales centered in Mavelikara and Chengannur.
They are the links of the drug mafia with inter-state connections and use women in luxury vehicles to smuggle drugs. These engineering graduates smuggle and sell drugs to live luxurious life.

Vizhinjam: The hunger strike led by priests at Vizhinjam port has ended. The hunger strike was held on the allegation that the police prevented the delivery of food to the workers who came to the strike and beat up the priests.

Meanwhile, the district administration has informed that the policemen mentioned in the complaint will not be assigned to duty. With this, it was decided to end the hunger strike.

Under the leadership of Samara Samiti Convenor Fr. Theodosius D’Cruz, six people, including priests, took an indefinite hunger strike in front of the port gate.

The strike committee stated that they will continue the strike until the seven demands they put forward are accepted.

Thiruvananthapuram: Heavy rain continues in Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam, Kottayam, and Alappuzha districts. The water level has risen in Meenachilar in Kottayam.

Because of the continuing heavy rains, the Collector has declared a holiday for the educational institutions of the three districts.

Collector declared a holiday for educational institutions in three taluks of Kottayam. Due to heavy rains, educational institutes in Kottayam, Changanassery, and Vaikom taluks have declared a holiday today. The holiday is not applicable for pre-scheduled university examinations.’- the collector informed.

The District Collector has declared a holiday for all educational institutions in Kuttanad taluk of Alappuzha. All educational institutions in the Pathanamthitta district are on holiday. The District Collector informed us that the holiday will not apply to the previously scheduled university examinations.

Meanwhile, 43 families in Kottayam were shifted to the relief camp.

Thiruvananthapuram: Heavy rains are expected in all districts except Thiruvananthapuram in the state.
An orange alert was announced in three districts in a warning issued by the meteorological department at 1 pm. A yellow alert has also been announced in ten districts.

Orange alert in Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, and Idukki districts. A yellow alert has also been declared in all other districts except Thiruvananthapuram.

Heavy rain is expected to continue in the state till September 2. A yellow alert has been announced in all districts except Kasaragod tomorrow. The next day, there is a warning that there will be heavy rain everywhere, including Kasargod and Lakshadweep.

On Thursday, the Meteorological Department said that there is a possibility of heavy rain in the districts except for Malappuram and Wayanad.

Thiruvananthapuram: The state government has come up with a new scheme to provide safe housing for the people belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The scheme titled SAFE – “Secure Accommodation and Facility Enhancement” aims to enable Scheduled Caste families to get safe housing with all basic amenities.

Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Minister K Radhakrishnan announced in the Assembly. Currently, the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Development Department is implementing projects for housing completion. But technically, the quality of the houses is not guaranteed even if the house is completed.

Many homes lack basic amenities such as clean kitchens, clean toilets, tiled floors, quality plumbing, and wiring. The new plan is to address this. The project will help in providing housing with all basic facilities. By shifting from a mere structure to comprehensive housing with all facilities, the Scheduled Tribes can achieve self-esteem along with security.

The project will be implemented under the supervision of accredited engineers appointed in the department. Homes completed after April 1, 2007, will be considered in SAFE.

Idukki: The bodies of the five people who went missing in the landslide near Kudayathur Sangamam in Idukki have been found. The bodies of Saman, his wife Jaya, daughter Shima, mother Thankamma, and grandson Devanand were found.

The rescue operation is going on intensively with the help of JCB. The authorities have warned that there is a possibility of another landslide. The landslide occurred at three o’clock in the morning today. The house is completely under the ground. Therefore, the rescue operation is very difficult.

There was heavy rain in the area last night. The landslide occurred at the end of this rain. By the time the locals came running after hearing a loud noise, the house was completely washed away. The revenue department, police, and fire force team are on the spot. People recover by removing soil using JCB. The NDRF team will also come for a search. The team from Thrissur has already left for Thodupuzha. As the rains have stopped in the area at present, the rescue operations are going smoothly.

A landslide near Nadukani on Pulianmala State Road blocked traffic. The district collector has informed that night travel on Thodupuzha Pulianmala road will be prohibited due to the landslide situation. He also informed that a decision will be taken in the evening on whether to ban travel in the hilly areas.

Thiruvananthapuram: On the occasion of Onam, government employees will be given a bonus of Rs. 4000, and those who are not eligible for the bonus will get a special festival allowance of Rs 2750, Finance Minister KN Balagopal announced. 1000 will be given to service pensioners and retired employees under the participation pension scheme as a special festival allowance.

20,000 will be given as Onam advance to all government employees in the state. Advance is Rs. 6000 for other employees including part-time – contingent.

All categories of employees, including the contract-scheme workers who received Utsava Batta last year, will get Utsava Batta at the same rate this year. Special assistance will reach more than 13 lakh employees and workers on the occasion of Onam.