Kerala News HIGHLIGHTS: MLA Thomas K Thomas expelled from NCP working committee

Kerala News HIGHLIGHTS:  In order to win the Kuttanad seat in the assembly elections, MLA Thomas K Thomas claimed that Reji Cheriyan, another NCP member, planned to kill him.

4.45 PM: EC announces by-election in Puthuppally on September 5; Counting on September 8

The Election Commission on Tuesday (Aug 8) announced the by-election in Puthuppally to be held on September 5. The seat fell vacant following the demise of former chief minister Oommen Chandy on July 18. The Election Commission said in a statement that it has decided to hold a bye-election to fill vacancies in 7 Assembly Constituencies of 6 States i.e. Jharkhand, Kerala, Tripura, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. 

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3.30 PM: MLA Thomas K Thomas expelled from NCP working committee

A day after raising serious allegations against the Nationalist Congress Party, Kuttanad MLA Thomas K Thomas was expelled from the party working committee on Tuesday. The action was taken by NCP chief Sharad Pawar against Thomas citing "serious indiscipline".

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2.30 PM: Man suffers burn injuries after his car catches fire while driving home in Kottayam

In yet another incident, a car went up in flames causing injury to a man when he was about to reach his home in Pandanchira on Tuesday. The incident happened while Sabu, a Vakathanam native was returning home in his car.

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1.35 PM: Kerala Assembly passes resolution against UCC unanimously

The Kerala Legislative Assembly unanimously passed the resolution opposing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) on Tuesday, expressing concern and dismay at the Center's decision to enforce it.

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12.15 PM: VD Satheesan slams state over price hike; Minister G R Anil hails Kerala PDS

Opposition leader V D Satheesan slammed the state government over the price hike in Kerala during the ongoing Assembly session. "The flood and pandemic destroyed many people's financial foundations." The leader of the opposition said that last year was the time when the maximum number of foreclosure notices were sent from the financial institution as people were recovering from this crisis. Meanwhile, Kerala, according to GR Anil, Minister of food and civil supplies, is a model for India's public distribution system. The Kerala government, according to Anil, is successfully addressing the statewide price increase.

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12.00 PM: CM Pinarayi Vijayan hits out at Centre for ignoring Kerala over financial crisis

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday lashed out at the BJP-led Central government for criticised the BJP-led Central government for neglecting the state without any financial assistance.  In his address to the assembly on Tuesday, the chief minister said that the Central government was unilaterally reducing the state's borrowing capacity by adding loans taken by the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) to those of the state.

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11.15 AM: Vigilance sleuths recover Rs 16,450 bribe money from check post in Palakkad

At the Govindapuram Check Post in Palakkad, the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) found Rs 16,450 in bribe money. The sleeping mats and secret compartment in the chairs were used to conceal the illegal cash. The state treasury received only Rs 12,900 in fines over the course of the last 24 hours, though. VACB inspectors spent almost two hours observing the operations at the checkpoint before seizing the bribe money from the workers. It was discovered that agents were used to deliver bribe money to authorities.

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9.45 AM: Plus One admission: After third supplementary allotment, over 19,000 merit seats still vacant

The third supplementary allotment for plus one admission was completed and about 19,003 merit seats continue to remain vacant in the category. During the third round, 25,735 seats were available for allocation. Out of the 11,849 applicants, only 6,736 students received a place. Nevertheless, not all applicants could be accepted due to the lack of openings in their preferred fields, primarily science.

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9.15 AM: RSS workers attacked in Pathanamthitta

Two RSS workers were attacked at midnight on Monday in Adoor, Pathanamthitta. RSS members Anandu and Ayyappan suffered injuries and were shifted to Adoor Taluk Hospital. RSS has accused DYFI of being behind the attack. The police have registered a case in the incident. 

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8.45 AM: Former HC Chief Justice S Manikumar appointed as new Chairman of State Human Rights Commission

The State government appointed former High Court Chief Justice S Manikumar as the new Chairman of the State Human Rights Commission. The Chairman of the Commission is selected by a team comprising the Chief Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and the Speaker. However, Opposition leader V D Satheesan expressed his disappointment with Manikumar's appointment.

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8.30 AM: Myth row: CM Vijayan warns cadres to be careful on 'faith' references

CM Pinarayi Vijayan has urged caution when discussing religious issues. Pinarayi warned his colleagues to use caution when bringing up the delicate subject of faith during a Left Democratic Front (LDF) parliamentary committee meeting. He told them that people might misinterpret what they said.

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8.25 AM: CM Pinarayi Vijayan to move resolution in Assembly against Centre's UCC proposal today

The Left government led by CM Pinarayi Vijayan will move a resolution in the State Assembly on Tuesday demanding the Centre to withdraw from its proposal to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the country. All parties including CPM, Congress, Muslim League and CPI had already opposed the UCC. The National Law Commission had sought comments from the public and religious organizations on the Uniform Civil Code issue.