Thiruvananthapuram: The government has postponed the public holiday announced today in connection with Bakrid to tomorrow. The order applies to educational institutions, including government institutions, public sector institutions, professional colleges, and institutions within the scope of the Negotiable Instruments Act. Central government offices in Kerala will also be closed tomorrow. Today will be a working day and tomorrow a holiday for ration shops in the state.

Meanwhile, the lockdown concessions related to Bakrid will end today. The shops are allowed to operate till 8 pm. All the shops were open yesterday in D category places. More shops have been opened since yesterday with more discounts on lockdowns in the A and B categories. Police are taking strict measures to control congestion in shops and other places.

Thiruvananthapuram: Two more people have been diagnosed with the Zika virus in the state. The 41-year-old from Kattaikonam, and the 31-year-old doctor from Kumarapuram, Thiruvananthapuram was diagnosed with the Zika virus. The Zika virus was confirmed in a test conducted at the virology lab of the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College yesterday.

Zika virus has infected 37 people in the state. Currently, there are seven patients. Health Minister Veena George said everyone’s health was satisfactory.

At the same time, the government is taking precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the Zika virus. The first step in the prevention phase is to find and destroy the source of the Aedes mosquito. It is also recommended to keep the house and surroundings clean.

Thiruvananthapuram: The state government’s Bakrid holiday has been postponed to Wednesday. The holiday was scheduled for Tuesday. It was also included in the government calendar.

The holiday was renewed because Bakrid is on Wednesday. Accordingly, Tuesday will not be a holiday. The order applies to banks and financial institutions.

Thiruvananthapuram: The Pink Protection Project, a new initiative of the police to ensure the safety of women, has been launched. The project was launched in front of the police headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan flagged off vehicles donated to pink patrol teams. State police chief Anil Kant and other senior officials were present on the occasion. 10 cars, 40 two-wheelers including bullets, and 20 bicycles were launched as part of the project.

The Pink Protection Project aims to prevent dowry-related insults, cyberbullying, and public humiliation. This includes activities including activating the existing Pink Police Patrol system.

Domestic violence is often known to the police only when complaints are received. The new project includes a system called the Pink Janamaithri Beat, which provides information needed to anticipate and prevent such harassment. The Pink Janamaithri Beat system is tasked with going door-to-door collecting information on domestic violence. They will collect information from panchayat members, neighbors, and other locals and hand it over to the Station House Officers for further action.

The Pink Beat system, comprising of specially trained women police officers, will now be present at KSRTC and private buses, in front of schools, colleges, and other public places, and at bus stops. To help them, pink control rooms have been set up in all 14 districts.

The Pink Shadow Patrol team will also be deployed to detect the presence of anti-socials in crowded areas and take action. Pink Romeo, a bullet patrol team consisting only of female officers, also came into existence.