The Hindu : Briefly

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Feb 12, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Briefly

Honour for VSSC scientist

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM FEB. 11. V.R.Sanal Kumar, Scientist in the Propulsion Group of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram has been selected for the Korea Science and Engineering Foundation (KOSEF) fellowship. The fellowship consists of round trip air ticket, family visa, insurance and a monthly allowance of 13 lakh Korean Won for one year. In all 12 young scientists from all over the world of whom three are from India have been selected for the fellowship this time. The fellowship programme was started in 1994 for promoting cooperation in the field of science and technology between India and Korea. The Indian National Science Academy, the apex scientific body which comes under the Union Government is the nominating authority for the fellowship in India. Forty-one Indian scientists had figured in the preliminary selection made by it. The final selection was made by the high power committee of the KOSEF. Mr. Sanal Kumar hails from Ayroor in Pathanamthitta.

BSNL's gesture

The Kerala Circle of the BSNL has decided to waive installation charges for land telephone connections till March 31.The CGM of the BSNL who announced this here today said that the offer had come into effect on February 1.

Nod for hydel projects

The Government has given the go-ahead for setting up four small hydel projects in the private sector. The clearance is being given on BOT basis for 30 years. Three of these projects will be set up by the Binani Industries Ltd. The projects, their capacity and the estimated cost are as follows— Adakkathodu, 2.5 MW, Rs. 25.625 lakhs, Palchuram, 3.5 MW, Rs. 35.70 lakhs and Thoovalloor, 4 MW, Rs. 40.60 lakhs. The fourth will be executed by the Sri Lekshmi Electrosmelters Private Ltd. It is the Kurisadi project the capacity of which is 0.75 MW and the estimated cost Rs. 9.45 lakhs.

Grace marks for NCC cadets

The NCC cadets of the State are to be given ten per cent grace marks for the SSLC examination. The applications of eligible cadets will be accepted in the NCC unit offices concerned till March 8. The applications will not be considered if they are submitted directly in the NCC Directorate.

Certificates through kiosks

The Government is taking steps to distribute birth, marriage and death certificates through the Akshaya computer kiosks. The Local Administration Minister, Cherkalam Abdulla, today asked the Information Kerala Mission to implement it as a pilot project in Kasaragod, Malappuram and Thiruvananthapuram districts.

Survey of child workers

The Department of Economics and Statistics is launching a survey this month to find out the extent of child labour in Kerala even though it is believed to be much less than that in the other States. It is supposed to be the beginning of an exercise to root it out completely from the State. Fifty-one areas which involve strenuous work have been identified in the State. If the under 14-year-olds working in these areas can be identified, the Labour Department proposes to implement a scheme for their rehabilitation and continued education.

Thampan elected HMS president

KOCHI FEB. 11. Thampan Thomas has been elected president of the Hind Mazdoor Sabha. Mr. Thomas, a lawyer and former MP, was elected president of the 55 lakh member all-India trade union at its national meeting held at Nagpur recently. Mr. Thomas, who was elected to the Lok Sabha from Mavelikkara in 1985, hails from Pullad in Pathanamthitta district.

HSTA State meet

The 6th State conference of the High School Teachers Association (HSTA) will be held at Yatra Auditorium, Ernakulam from February 12 - 14. The Tourism and Fisheries Minister, K.V. Thomas, will inaugurate the conference on Thursday, said V.T.V. Mohanan, State general secretary, HSTA, at a press conference here on Wednesday. The State Planning Board member C.P. John, the Ernakulam District Panchayath president, K. B. Muhammedkutty, the former MP Sebastian Paul, V.K.Ibrahim Kunju MLA, and others will address the different sessions of the meeting.

Bill discounting to be stopped

The All Kerala Rubber Dealers Association has decided to stop the selling of rubber to industrialists on the bill discounting system following the legal action initiated by banks against many of the dealers. At a press conference here on Wednesday, Thomas J. Maippan, president, All Kerala Rubber Dealers Association, said that the legal action against the rubber dealers were caused by a tyre company failing to make payments to the banks through the bill discounting system on time.

IMFL seized from train

KOLLAM Feb.11. The Railway Protection Force personnel today seized 487 bottles of expensive IMFL from the Kollam railway station. The consignment packed in four cases had arrived in the parcel coach of the Vanchinad Express. While being unloaded on the platform, one of the cases slipped and fell. It resulted in a couple of bottles getting broken. The Railway police seized the consignment and examined the contents. The consignment is suspected to have been sent from Gujarat and meant for a bar attached hotel in the city.

Tamil Nadu stops PAP water

PALAKKAD FEB. 11. The farmers of Chittur are spending anxious moments as Tamil Nadu has stopped the release of water from the inter-State Parambikulam Aliyar Project (PAP) from Tuesday affecting the paddy crops that were getting ready for harvest. The Water Resources Department officials said that at least 500 million cubic feet (mcft) water is required to save the standing crops. They said that their request to release 2.2 TMC water from PAP for saving the standing crops is being conveyed by the Kerala Government to the Tamil Nadu Government. Meanwhile, today also the farmers blocked goods transport vehicles at Nalleppully and Velanthavalam in Chittur taluk demanding the release of PAP water.

Quiz contest winners

Kozhikode FEB. 11. The Malabar Christian College (MCC) won the first prize in the inter-collegiate Chemistry quiz 2004, conducted by the post-graduate Department of Chemistry and the Chemistry Alumni Association, MCC, here recently. The Calicut Medical College won the second prize.

As many as 11 teams under the Calicut University participated in the quiz, the Head of Department, Chemistry, K.K. Devadasan said. Cash prizes of Rs.1,000 and Rs.500 respectively were presented. The P.P. Krishnan Memorial Endowment lecture in chemistry was delivered by A. Jayakrishnan (scientist and Head of Polymer Chemistry Division, Sree Chithira Tirunal Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram.

Seminar on development

The Bodhananda Research Foundation for Management and Leadership will organise a conference on `development process in Kerala-problems and prospects' at Hotel Fortune here on February 12. The seminar will discuss some of the major issues relating to social, economical, cultural and spiritual aspects of development process in the State. The issues to be discussed include industrial backwardness despite educational growth, reluctance of entrepreneurs to set up businesses, avenues for economic growth, need for a value-based political system, work culture, hartals and agitations, direction of educational system, etc., P.R. Bhatt, Associate Professor, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode, said here today.

BSNL `adalat'

MALAPPURAM FEB. 11. In an effort to settle long-pending complaints and grievances of telephone subscribers in the Malappuram Revenue District, officials of the Malappuram Secondary Switching Area (SSA), would hold the next telephone `adalat' here during the last week of February. A release from the public relations officer says that new complaints pending settlement in courts, and complaints from associations would not be entertained. Complaints that had been addressed in telephone `adalats', which were held earlier, would not be considered. Complaints, preferably type-written or in legible handwriting, with full details should be addressed to M. Sahadevan, Divisional Engineer (Legal), Office of the General Manager, BSNL, DPO Road, Malappuram-676 505. The complaints should reach the Divisional Engineer or before February 17.

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