Kerala News Highlights: Famous Chettikulangara Kumbha Bharani festival to be held today

4:47 pm: PM Modi to reach Thiruvananthapuram on February 27; third visit in two months

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Kerala for the third time on February 27. He will reach the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram and inaugurate the ongoing Bharatiya Janata Party's Padayatra's concluding session, said BJP state president K Surendran. He said that the recognition of Narendra Modi in Kerala is increasing and this is the reason for the huge success of the Kerala Padayatra.

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4:22 pm: Kozhikode District Road Safety Authority Council to take strict action against overloaded vehicles

Kozhikode District Road Safety Authority Council meeting has decided to take strict action against overloaded goods vehicles. The decision was taken in a meeting held in the district collector's chamber. The meeting also decided to form a district-level task force to prevent road accidents and reduce accidental deaths.

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4:01 pm: State police to provide security to Kerala University Senate members nominated by Governor

The state police force will provide security to the Kerala University Senate members nominated by the Governor. The government has announced that police security will be provided to the members in the Senate Chamber and the Kerala University campus. The High Court accepted the government's proposal. Seven members nominated by the Governor have approached the High Court seeking police protection, showing that the SFI workers are barring them from participating in the Senate meetings. 

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3:44 pm: BJP State President K Surendran accused LDF govt over Supplyco price hike

The BJP state president, K. Surendran, has accused the government of attempting to hinder the supply of Bharat rice, despite its lower price compared to rice sold by Supplyco. This allegation suggests potential interference in the distribution process, which could impact common people. Rising prices of essential items like rice disproportionately affect the general population. To address hunger, the Modi government provides five kilos of subsidized ration rice. However, hindrances in distributing Bharat rice at the subsidized rate of 29 rupees further compound the issue.

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3:06 pm: Woman dies after scooter lost control in Malappuram

A woman died after her scooter went out of control in Malappuram. AM Ramani, a native of Kottiyoor, died. The accident took place this morning.  Ramani's helmet was destroyed by the impact.

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2:34 pm:  Forest department clarifies on tiger's death; says cable trap killed the wild cat

A male tiger died after getting trapped allegedly in a fence in Kottiyoor after giving tranquilizer shots on Tuesday (Feb 13). The tiger was trapped on the fencing wire in the farm. The workers who saw the tigers informed the forest authorities and reached the spot. The tiger died while being taken to the zoo after the sedation. The post-mortem also found that the tiger suffered muscle injuries during the incident and the cause of death was due to infection in the internal organs.

However, the forest department now claims that the tiger was not trapped in the wire fence but a cable trap. The Kottiyoor Range Forest Officer has started an investigation into the incident. The forest department reported that it was a trap set by someone to target the pigs. Meanwhile, since the owner is not present in the incident, a notice will be issued to take the statement. 

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2:00 pm: Keralite medical student found dead in hostel in Chennai

A Keralite medical student was found dead in a hostel in Chennai. Ranjit Paul, a native of Ernakulam, a third-year student of Stanley Government Medical College, was found dead. The body will be handed over to the parents today after the post-mortem. The incident happened yesterday.

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1:10 pm: CAG slams Kerala govt, says borrowing through KIIFB has increased state's liability

A report tabled by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in the Assembly has criticised the state-owned Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Fund Board (KIIFB). The report stated that the state's borrowing through KIIFB has increased the liability of the government. It rejected the state's claim that the KIIFB loan is not a liability to the government

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12:48 pm: 15 SFI workers arrested for showing black flag to governor in Thrissur

The police arrested fifteen SFI leaders who showed a black flag to the governor in Thrissur.  While the police were removing the protestors, some of the locals also assaulted the SFI workers. The SFI alleged that the attack was carried out by BJP workers. 

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12:30 pm: Opposition leaders protested for rejecting emergency motion notice regarding CM Pinarayi Vijayan's gunman case

The opposition walked out of the assembly in protest after an emergency motion notice regarding the Chief Minister's gunmen beating Youth Congress workers at the Nava Kerala Sadas in Alappuzha was rejected. Despite police intervention prompted by the court, the opposition alleges the investigation is being sabotaged, prompting their protest.

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12:06 pm: 'For survival of Supplyco outlets...' Kerala Food Minister justifies price hike on essential items

Minister for Food and Civil Supplies G R Anil on Thursday (Feb 15) backed the government's decision to increase the prices of 13 essential food items distributed through Supplyco outlets. He said that the government had to make this decision for the survival of the Supplyco outlets. For a considerable amount of time, the government won't bother the people by using Supplyco to sell goods without subsidies. Every three months, it has decided to regularise the pricing of necessities, he said. 

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11:35 am: Famous Chettikulangara Kumbha Bharani festival to be held today

The famous Chettikulangara Kumbha Bharani festival will be held today at Chettikulangara Temple near Mavelikkara. All arrangements have been completed and are ready for biggest festival in the Alappuzha district. The sanctum sanctorum of the temple is set to be opened at 4:30 a.m., marking the culmination of a week-long series of rituals and pujas leading up to the festival day. The main highlights of the festivities include the traditional 'kuthiyottam' performances and the vibrant 'kettukazcha' pageant.

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11:09 am: Opposition leader protests against Supplyco price hike in Assembly

The Kerala government decided to increase the prices of 13 essential food items through Supplyco. The government has decided to change the prices depending on fluctuations in the market. Opposition leader V D Satheeshan said that the price increase was done without discussing it in the assembly. The opposition leaders protested with play cards.

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10:30 am: Two months since inauguration, 'She Lodge' yet to be operational in Kannur

 The She Lodge, an all-female lodging facility to be operated by Kannur Corporation has not started functioning even after the inauguration in December 2023. The building is still under construction. The opposition is raising allegations that the inauguration was just a farce.

The inauguration was celebrated tremendously. The furniture costs Rs. 80 lakhs, while the elevator costs Rs. 29 lakhs. The entire expense exceeds one crore. In December, the inauguration was conducted. However, till today it is not open. The aim was to provide safe accommodation for women arriving in the city, especially during the night. The building has four floors. Additionally, three of them feature dormitories. On the upper floor is a fitness centre. A rent of Rs 3,000 for working women and Rs 1,500 for students will be charged at the facility, which is a dormitory system.

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9:50 am: Setback for common man as Supplyco hikes prices of products

 In a big blow to the common people, the state government has decided to provide a 35 percent subsidy for products available through Supplyco stores. In a high-level meeting the other day, it was decided to reduce the 55 percent subsidy on 13 subsidized goods to 35 percent. The key promise in the LDF manifesto was that there would be no price hike for the next five years. 

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9:22 am: Police register case against Maruvakku magazine editor for defaming CM Pinarayi Vijayan in social media

The Kozhikode Kasaba Police registered a case against Ambika, editor of Maruvakku magazine for insulting Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on social media. The case is under IPC Section 150 for attempting to disturb public peace and defame it.

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9:05 am: Youth arrested for sexually assaulting minor boy in Kollam

A youth has been arrested for attempting to sexually assault a minor boy in Kollam. 26-year-old Vineeth, a native of Pozhikara, was arrested. The accused was arrested, produced in Paravur court, and remanded.

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8:41 am: 38 fake Aadhaar cards created by hacking Aadhaar machine at Akshaya Centre in Malappuram

Around 38 fake Aadhaar cards were created by hacking the Aadhaar machine at Akshaya Centre in Malappuram. The police and cyber crime department have started an investigation based on the complaint filed by Akshaya Centre authorities. The incident related to this happened on January 12. The Akshaya Center in Alingal received a phone call from a person who introduced himself as the UID administrator in Delhi. The caller spoke in Hindi and informed the staff that Aadhaar machine verification is required as the machine has enrolled over 1000 Aadhaar accounts so far.

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8:24 am: Temple employee beat up for allegedly lowering volume of musical instruments in Kollam

A temple employee was beaten up for allegedly lowering the volume of temple instruments in Kollam. Venugopal, an employee of Thevalakkara Devi Temple, was injured in the attack.  It is alleged that the accused is the former secretary of the temple advisory committee. 

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8:07 am: Mission Belur Makhna: Forest team resumes search to capture wild elephant in Wayanad

The tracking team entered the forest in search of the elephant for the fifth day. The forest department officials informed that the elephant crossed the Tholpetty road and reached the forest area of ​​Alathur-Manivyal-Kalikolli area around 9.30 pm last night. The forest guards have informed the people in this area to be careful at night and have also taken precautions to prevent elephants from reaching the populated areas.