Thiruvananthapuram

The Kerala Cabinet has decided to enhance the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of paddy to Rs 14 per kg from the next season.

Briefing reporters about Cabinet decisions here yesterday evening, Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan said the new MSP was almost double the price fixed by the previous Government in the State.

All the ration card holders in the State, irrespective of their above poverty line (APL) or below poverty line (BPL) status would be given rice at Rs two per kg, he said.

The Cabinet has also decided to provide monthly pension to employees of Regional Cancer Centre, Malabar Cancer Centre and the CDS.

The retirement age of employees in the warehousing corporation and the KSINC has been increased to 58, he said.

It has also decided to create 222 additional vacancies in Kerala High Court, 29 new posts in Kottayam Medical College (Gynaecology), five new posts for the starting of B. Pharma. course at Allappuzha Medical College and 12 teaching posts at Kozhikode University, he said.

Asian Games gold medalist Shermi Ulahannan would be appointed as a Secretariat Assistant, he said.

About 6.43 acres of land has been allotted to Pinarayi Farming Corporation for agricultural purposes, he said.

It has also decided to write off Rs 2.21 crore, irrecoverable under village housing project, and Rs 12 crore, under Rural Housing Scheme, he added.

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The Kerala Assembly today witnessed uproarious scenes over the Opposition's allegation that Chief Minister V S Achuthandan's son Arun Kumar had taken Rs 7 lakh from a sandalwood factory owner in 2003 for softening the strong stand taken by Mr Achuthanandan, who was then Leader of Opposition, against the sandalwood mafia.

The entire Opposition walked out of the House after Speaker K Radhakrishnan denied permission for an adjournment motion in this regard sought to be moved by K Babu (Congress).

Replying to the motion, Mr Achuthanandan denied the allegations against his son. He said his stand against the sandalwood mafia was very much clear and it was evident from the speech that he made in 2003 in the Assembly against the mafia.

He also charged that the sandalwood mafia thrived during the former Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government. Even a former UDF minister had resigned following adverse remarks made by Kerala High Court against him in the sandalwood case, he noted.

Mr Achuthanandan also asked why the then government did not register a case against his son if they had any evidence.

Refuting the allegations as baseless, he said the opposition was in a dilemma as the Assembly elections were nearing. He also alleged that the Opposition had dragged his son's name after he raised questions about IUML General Secretary and former minister P K Kunhalikutty's links with the sandalwood mafia.

Such false and politically motivated allegations when the elections were round the corner were not going to have any impact, he added.

Mr Achuthanadan also noted that Mr M K Muneer, chairman of a private Malayalam channel, had handed him all the documents related to the ice-cream parlour case. All the documents have been handed over to ADGP Vincent M Paul who was investigating the ice-cream parlour case following the recent revelations by Mr Rauf, a close aide of Mr Kunhalikutty, he added.

Mr Achuthanandan said Khader, who had made the allegations against his son on a channel, was a local functionary of the Indian Union Muslim League and was allegedly involved in many criminal cases and communal clashes.

He also raised a paper in the assembly saying that it was the open appology that present Congress Spokesperson M M Hassan had made for raising baseless charges against his son.

Mr Babu had alleged that the role of Mr Achuthandan's son was very much clear with the revelation of Khader. He said a case had to be registered on the basis of the revelations as the government was now filing FIRs based on revelations. Leader of Opposition in Kerala Assembly Oommen Chandy asked the government to register a case against Khadar if the allegations were false.

After the Congress members walked out, the House again witnessed uproarious scenes when Kerala Congress (M) leader stood up to speak. As the ruling members raised their voice, Kerala Congress (M) members rushed to the well of House demanding the Speaker to pacify the ruling members. The IUML members later trooped into the house after the members from the ruling front interrupted IUML leader C T Ahmed Ali's speech.

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Veteran actress Aranmula Ponnamma, known for her roles as mother in Malayalam cinema, died at a private hospital here due to prolonged illness this evening. She was 96.

A National Award winning actress, she had acted as mother in more than 500 Malyalam films.

One of the five children of Malethu Kesava Pillai and Parukutty Amma in Aranmula, Pathanamthitta district, Ponnamma started her career at the age of 12 as a Carnatic music vocalist.

She began by singing before meetings organised by the Hindu Mahamandal on the banks of river Pampa. At the age of 15, she was appointed as a music teacher in a primary school in Pala, before starting to teach in the senior classes.

Later, she joined the first batch of students at the Swati Tirunal Music Academy in Thiruvananthapuram. After the course, she was appointed as the music teacher in Cotton Hill Girls' High School in Thiruvananthapuram.

Ponnamma's acting debut happened only when she became 29 in a play titled Bhagyalakshmi opposite Augustine Joseph, father of renowned singer K J Yesudas. She went on to act in some more popular plays, before making her debut in films.

In her career spanning over 60 years, she acted as the mother or grandmother of first generation actors like Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair, second generation actors like Prem Nazir and Sathyan and third generation actors like Mohanlal and Suresh Gopi, who happens to be the husband of her granddaughter.

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Kerala Tourism has launched the "Bring Home a Friend" scheme under which non-resident Keralites (NRKs) can invite friends from their places of stay to Kerala and earn a free holiday back home for themselves.

Infosys Software Development Block in Thiruvananthapuram.

IT services major Infosys Technologies Limited has opened its first Software Development Block at its second campus at Technopark here with a capacity to seat 1600 employees and an investment of Rs 180 crore so far.

The block was inaugurated yesterday by Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan. The Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Legislative Assembly, Mr Oomen Chandy, was the Guest of Honour at the function.

Senior representatives from Infosys were also present at the occasion, including Mr. Kris Gopalakrishnan, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Mr. Srinath Batni, Member of the Board, Mr. Ramadas Kamath, Senior Vice President and Mr. Sunil Jose, Head – Infosys Thiruvananthapuram Development Centre.

Infosys’ second campus at Technopark Campus II (SEZ) is spread over 50 acres and will be developed over a period of five years in a phased manner, a press release from the company said.

The new Software Development Block (I) includes a food court, recreational facilities for employees, chiller building, diesel generation block, water storage and treatment facility, sewage treatment plant and roads.

A 1,800 seater Software Development Block (II) is also currently under construction at this campus, the release said.

"We are pleased to inaugurate the first Software Development Block (I) at our Technopark Campus II (SEZ), Thiruvananthapuram as we expand operations in the city. The state government has invested and worked towards enhancing infrastructure facilities at Thiruvananthapuram to make it a premier IT destination globally. We are very encouraged by this development and the support provided to Infosys. Kerala has a large pool of highly qualified professionals and the availability of quality manpower has been an impetus for us to expand operations in the state," Mr. Gopalakrishnan said,

Infosys started its operations in Thiruvananthapuram in January 2004, housed in the Bhavani and Thejaswini building of Technopark (STP), Thiruvananthapuram. The campus at Technopark (STP) seats over 1,500 employees.

Together both Infosys’ campuses exported business worth Rs. 427.79 crore in the financial year 2009-10.

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The Kerala Legislative Asssembly today unanimously passed the Bill aimed at allowing roadside public meetings and religious gatherings subject to strict controls.

The ruling as well as the opposition parties voted for the Kerala Public Ways (Restriction of Assemblies and Procession) Bill 2011, without any discussion.

The Bill was introduced in the House yesterday and was referred to the subject committee.

The Bill was introduced as it was felt that the recent Kerala High Court order banning public meetings on roadsides would affect the conduct of religious functions like Attukal Ponkala and Thrissur Pooram and may attract protests from the public.

The Bill aimed at imposing reasonable restriction on the right of the public to use public ways in public interest and for the maintenance of public order.

On the regulation of the conduct of festivals, assemblies and meetings, the Bill says that the district police chief may impose reasonable restrictions, on the right of unobstructed movement of the public along public ways for a period not exceeding 24 hours in any particular area, in all or any of the following instances like conduct of religious or national festivals, which are customary and have been established by tradition and for the conduct of festivals of social, cultural or public importance.

The police chief may impose reasonable restrictions for security of the state or individuals, conduct of public assemblies or meetings and conduct of public demonstrations and processions.

Any person, association, organisation, trust or body, which required the use of any portion of any public way for any purpose, should apply to the district police chief at least seven days in advance for a licence for such use, it says.

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Rescue work in progress after a school van fell into the Parvathi Puthenar canal at Karikakom in Thiruvananthapuram on February 17, 2011. Five kindergarten children and a female helper were killed in the mishap. UNI PHOTO

At least five people, including four schoolchildren, were killed and five others injured when a school van plunged into the Parvathi Puthen canal at Karikakom, near here, this morning.

Police sources said four kindergarten children and a woman, who was a helper at the nursery school, were killed in the mishap.

The injured were admitted to hospital where the condition of three of the injured was said be serious.

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The Kerala Cabinet today decided to introduce a Bill for constituting a tribunal for securing compensation for victims of environmental degradation at Plachimada and neighbouring areas of Palakkad district on account of the operation of Coca-Cola Beverages Private Limited.

Briefing newspersons after the Cabinet meeting this evening, Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan said the Bill would be introduced in the current session of the Assembly.

Earlier, a High Power Committee on Plachimada had assessed the losses suffered by the people in the area at Rs 216.26 crore and recommended to the state government to legislate a tribunal to secure compensation for the victims.

The Cabinet has decided to speed up formalities for getting environmental clearance from the Centre for the Vizhinjam seaport.

Clearance was given for private companies, shorlisted through bids, he said.

It also decided to appoint Dinesh Arora as the new district collector of Thiruvananthapuram district.

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As many as 150 Kathakali dancers staged a rare performance here yesterday night, combining the well-defined "mudras" of the classical dance-drama with the time-tested "asanas" of meditation for the first time first time in the history of the art form.

'Kathakali' by 150 artistes have created a world record in a performance, invoking the classical dance-drama to interpret the powers of meditation to heal the mind, in Thiruvananthapuram on February 12, 2011. UNI PHOTO

The dancers who staged the event at the Putharikandam Maidan are also seeking an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records for their performance.

The captivating display was held in the presence of Art of Living (AOL) founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. The event, called ‘Natyavismayam’, was organised by the AOL Foundation as part of its attempt to promote Indian classical arts.

Choreographed and led by eminent Kathakali exponent Ettumanur Kannan, the dancers gave life to the subtle "asanas" and the devotional mood of AOL's meditation through classical "mudras" (gestures) and well-defined rhythmic movements.

The 150 artistes attired in colourful costumes of all the five classic "veshas" (make-up), namely "pachcha", "kaththi", "thaadi", "kari" and "minukku", moved in unison to create a rare experience for the art lovers present.

As many as 16 well-known Kathakali musicians, accompanied by percussion players on traditional instruments, added to the electrifying atmosphere.

The event’s organisers said observers from the Guinness Book of World Records were present on the occasion. The observers videographed the entire dance, they said hoping the event would soon get a place in the record books.

"It was an attempt to express the subtle nuances of ‘dhyana’ (meditation) through existing ‘mudras’ of Kathakali. It was an effort to interpret ‘dhyana’ as Art of Living is also basically a form of ‘dhyana’," according to team leader Ettumanur Kannan.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar with the Kathakali artistes.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar honoured eminent Kathakali artistes Madavoor Vasudevan Nair, Nelliyodu Vasudevan Nampoothiri and Kalamandalam Gangadharan and chenda exponent Kalamandalam Raman Nampoothiri on the occasion.

He urged the people to dream of a slum-free and scam-free India and work towards this goal by taking a pledge against bribery. "Spirituality gives you a sense of belongingness, honesty, love,friendship. Thus the spiritual power eliminates corruption," he said.

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To clear the extra rush of passengers and for the benefit of devotees of Attukal Pongala, the Southern Railway has decided to run special trains between Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala on Febraury 18 and 19.

The Kollam-Thiruvananthapuram special train will leave Kollam at 1215 hrs on February 18 and arrive Thiruvananthapuram Central at 1435 hrs, a railway press release said yesterday.

It will leave Kollam at 0400 hrs on February 19 and arrive Thiruvananthapuram Central at 1600 hrs, it said.

The Mangalore-Thiruvananthapuram Amrita Express, the Mangalore-Thiruvananthapuram Maveli Express and the Chennai-Thiruvananthapuram-Chennai Superfast Express will stop on February 19 at all stations except Pettah, Veli, Kaniyapuram, Perumkuzhi, Akathumuri, Edva and Iravipuram.

The Thiruvananthapuram-Chennai Egmore Ananthapuri Express will stop on February 19 at all stations between Thiruvananthapuram and Nagercoil Jn. The Madurai-Kollam Fast Passenger will stop on February 19 at Dhanavachapuram, Amaravila, Balaramapuram and Nemom.

For the benefit of pilgrims attending the Attukal Pongala festival, additional coaches will be augmented between Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram, and Nagercoil and Thiruvananthapuram on February 18 and 19.

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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh speaking at the inauguration of the New International Terminal Building, at Trivandrum Airport, in Kerala on February 12, 2011. The Governor of Kerala, R S Gavai, the Defence Minister, A. K. Antony, the Union Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs and Civil Aviation, Vayalar Ravi and the Chief Minister of Kerala, V.S. Achuthanandan are also seen.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said the aviation sector was vital for the development of India's trade, industry and tourism at a time when the country's economy was getting more and more integated into the global economy.

"Our policy on airport infrastructure aims to increase airport capacity to stay ahead of demand and to garner the maximum share of traffic in the region," he said after inaugurating the new International Terminal building at the Thiruvananthapuram airport in Kerala.

"We wish to make our airport facilities user friendly and achieve high levels of customer satisfaction. We also seek to ensure the safety and security of airport operations and develop multi-modal transport linkages," he said.

He said that, at one time, the aviation sector was looked upon as being relevant only for the affluent sections of the population.

But, he said, with the growth of low cost air travel, the airlines were now giving strong competition to the railways and many passengers who earlier used to travel only by trains today frequently used air flights.

"The government fully understands the importance of the civil aviation sector to the Indian economy particularly as it gets more and more integrated into the global economy. We have formulated various policies to give a boost to this important sector of our economy," he said.

Dr Singh said the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Airports Authority of India had commenced the development and modernization of existing airports on a mission mode to create world class air infrastructure in the country.

"The roadmap already laid down in this regard is being implemented at a fast pace. Airports at Delhi and Mumbai have been restructured and are being modernized through joint ventures under the new concept of private-public partnership model. Two new green field airports at Hyderabad and Bangalore have been developed and have become operational through the joint venture route," he said.

The Prime Minister said air transport in India had witnessed unprecedented growth in the recent past. During the last seven years, domestic air traffic had tripled and international traffic more than doubled, he said, and an exponential growth in passenger traffic was expected in this decade as well.

He stressed that the creation of modern and efficient infrastructure at the airports to handle passenger volumes of this magnitude required huge investment.

According to him, this creates significant opportunities and challenges. He noted that the projected growth of India’s aviation sector had a potential to absorb investment of over $120 billion with attendant job creation for lakhs of workers directly and indirectly. He said it was noteworthy that the entire investment of the new International Terminal building at a cost of Rs. 289 crores was being met through internal resources of the Airports Authority of India.

Referring to India's first International Container Transshipment Terminal that he inaugurated at Vallarpadam in Kochi yesterday, he said that with these new facilities the Government hoped to give transport infrastructure and connectivity a big thrust in the state of Kerala.

"These projects show the commitment of the Government of India to develop Kerala as a major transport hub in the region. We wish to make full use of Kerala’s locational advantages, excellent tourism potential and the talent and enterprise of its people," he said.

Dr Singh said these improved facilities would benefit lakhs of workers from Kerala who are serving overseas, notably in West Asia.

"This is the least we can do and it is just a small token of our appreciation for the hard work being put in by our dedicated workers who are supporting their families back home and sending significant remittances which contribute handsomely to the economy of Kerala and also help India’s balance of payment," he added.

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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh confers the Jnanpith Award on renowned Malayalam poet O.N.V. Kurup, at Thiruvananthapuram, in Kerala on February 11, 2011. Kerala Chief Minister of Kerala V.S. Achuthanandan is also seen.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today conferred the 43rd Jnanpith Award, the most prestigious prize in Indian literature, on celebrated Malayalam poet O N V Kurup at a function in Thiruvananthapuram and called for more efforts to promote literature in Indian languages.

"Educated Indians are quite familiar with the works of famous writers of the West. But they are much less familiar with the works of outstanding litterateurs in Indian languages," he said.

He said that, in fact, in recent years, Indian writers in English had become well known and had earned a name for themselves both in India and abroad.

"The flowering of literary talent in other Indian languages needs a larger platform and greater recognition and both the State and the enterprise sector should contribute to the building of this tradition," he said.

Dr Singh said there was need to promote "cross-translation" of works in different Indian languages, pointing out that the "beautiful poems" of Kurup should be available in Bengali or Marathi or, for that matter, Punjabi.

"Promotion of such cross translations is an important task that has been taken up by the Sahitya Akademi. We have asked them to step up their efforts to propagate the richness of Indian literature, both contemporary and classical. Appreciating Indian culture should involve the understanding, acknowledgement and recognition of all the different strands and hues of our composite cultural fabric," he said.

Dr Singh noted that the first Jnanpith Award was also awarded to another worthy son of Kerala, the late G S Kurup in 1965, for his outstanding work "Otakkuzhal".

He said that, over nearly half a century, the Jnanpith Award had established itself as a very prestigious award recognizing the best of literary talent in the different languages of our country.

"Towering giants like Tara Shankar Bandopadhyaya, Uma Shankar Joshi, K.V. Puttappa, Sumitranandan Pant and Firaq Gorakhpuri are among the earlier distinguished recipients," he noted.

The Prime Minister said the State had the obligation to play a facilitating role in the development and promotion of creative arts and diverse cultural expressions of the country. But these efforts need also to be supported by private philanthropist and patronage of arts, he said, commending initiatives such as the establishment of the Jnanpith Award that recognize, nurture and promote excellence in writing in Indian languages.

He said Kurup's works reflected deep social commitment and romantic realism. "His poetry has humanistic appeal and reflects his strong belief in human dignity and freedom. The richness of his works derives from the beauty and charm of his works and lyrics and his close observation of the nature and human relationships," he said.

He said Kurup’s versatile talents had also made a mark in Kerala’s entertainment industry, where he is well known as a song writer of great repute.

Dr Singh said Kerala had all the potential to emerge as a major industrial state and destination for investment.

"Its highly educated work force makes it ideal for high technology industries. The success of the space industry in the state should be replicated in other sectors. The Government of India is making all efforts to improve the connectivity and transport infrastructure of the state so that it can become a great regional economic hub," he said.

"Kerala is gifted with some of the finest natural beauty one can see anywhere. We will support all efforts, therefore, to further expand the immense tourist potential in the state.

"It is the natural beauty and allure of Kerala’s forests, its beaches, its rivers that have inspired generations of writers, travelers and poets. I hope that Kerala’s economic progress and growth will be accompanied by a cultural awakening that promotes pride in its people, celebrates their creativity and ushers in all round and enlightened development of the state," he added.

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With Assembly elections round the corner, Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Issac today unveiled a populist Budget for 2011-12 with a slew of welfare and social security measures like a hike in pensions and price control programmes while sparing the people of any fresh taxes.

Though the new schemes announced will result in a 23.6 per cent hike in revenue expenditure, there was no proposal for additional resource mobilisation in the Rs 730.67 crore deficit budget.

With Kerala going to the polls in another two months, in all likelihood only the Vote on Account for the first four months will be passed. It will be left to the new government to come out with revised budget proposals.

The Finance Minister began his 135-minute speech, his sixth consecutive one, with lines specially composed by Jnanpith award winner O N V Kurup which says that "much has been done but a lot more remained."

Projecting a 9 per cent growth rate for the state, Dr Issac gave further emphasis to infrastructure development by announcing a Rs 40,000 crore comprehensive package for the development and maintenance of all roads.

A Rs 10,000 educational endowment scheme for every newborn child with a budgetary allocation of Rs 100 crore, Rs two a kg rice for four million families, Rs 770 crore worth schemes for women, free insurance for poor, assistance for tradtional industries, allocation of Rs 100 crore for green fund and a master plan for Sabarimala were some of the highlights of the budget.

Dr Issac, an economist-turned politician, said the revenue receipt for the year 2011-12 was estimated at Rs 38,546.89 crore and expenditure at Rs 44,556.33 crore, leaving a revenue deficit of Rs 6,019.44 crore.

The minister said the government would have to set apart Rs 753.41 crore for the new schemes announced in the Budget.

As the Marxist-led Left Democratic Front's poor performance in the recent elections to the local bodies in the state was widely attributed to its failure to repair roads, the Minister said Rs 5252 crore worth road development activities would be taken up this year.

He said Rs 1920 crore would be utilised for the renovation of ten state highways and another Rs 765 crore for 36 district roads. A sum of Rs 1000 crore would be spent for developing 15 bypass roads.

In order to contain price hike, the Minister announced Rs 100 crore to supply essential commodities at a subsidised rate through ration shops. A sum of Rs 20 crore would be set apart for containing the price rise of vegetables.

The minister said four million families in the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category would be provided free insurance coverage by setting apart Rs 167 crore for the insurance premium.

He said the minimum welfare pension would be increased to Rs 400 per month. A new pension for domestic aides was also introduced.

Announcing Rs 770 crore schemes for women, the minister said Rs 17.5 crore would be utilised for setting up toilet facilities in 200 higher secondary schools, bus stands, markets and other common places.

A sum of Rs four crore would be utilised for making police stations women-friendly.

Stating that it was proposed to simplify proceedures to file tax returns, the minister said luxury tax on cable television operators had been withdrawn in the budget. Besides, all types of bricks, organic fertilizers and nylon plastic ropes had been exculded completely from tax net.

He said the salary bill for government employees in the state would increase from Rs 11,130 crore to Rs 16,326 crore. Pension expenditure would increase from Rs 5788 crore to Rs 7311 crore.

While Dr Issac claimed that the LDF government's policies, that gave equal thrust for welfare and development, had put the state on a growth trajectory in the last five years, the Opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) termed the budget as a mere eye wash with the elections in mind.

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The Kerala Assembly today witnessed unruly scenes with the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) engaged in verbal exchanges over the sensational Kozhikode ice-cream parlour sex scandal case.

Speaker K Radhakrishnan suspended the proceedings as the two sides engaged in a bitter verbal exchange after CPI (M) member K K Shailaja made some remarks against Indian Union Muslim League state General Secretary and former Minister P K Kunhalikutty in relation to the case while presenting a calling attention on sexual harassment cases.

The IUML members created uproar soon after Ms Shailaja said that Mr Kunhalikutty was an accused in the case. When the IUML leaders strongly protested, she said Mr Kunhalikutty was an accused in the eyes of the people.

IUML members Abdurahiman Randathani and Mohammed Unni Haji raised their voice against the remarks. Meanwhile, CPI (M) member V Shivankutty and Babu M Palissery came in support of Ms Shailaja. The commotion continued with the members coming face to face.

Meanwhile, Port Minister V Surendran Pillai intervened. As the situation got out of control, the Speaker adjourned the assembly.

When the assembly resumed again, the Opposition said Mr Kunhalikutty was never charge-sheeted in any case.

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Missile developer BrahMos Aerospace will venture into manufacturing of cryogenic engines, used for Geostationary Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) launches to put heavier satellites into orbit, after the critical and complex technology was mastered by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function here, distinguished scientist and BrahMos Managing Director Dr A Sivathanu Pillai said ISRO had asked BrahMos to manufacture cryogenic engine for its GSLV missions.

"At present, ISRO is developing the indigenous cryogenic engine and the stage for future GSLV mission. Once ISRO perfects the technology, BrahMos Aerospace will start manufacturing cryogenic engines for ISRO," he he added.

The company’s wholly-owned subsidiary BrahMos Aerospace Thiruvanthapuram Limited (BATL), which was manufacturing liquid fuel powered engines and fuel tanks for rockets, would make the cryogenic engine, he added.

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National carrier Air India today said it would reintroduce an evening flight between Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram from February 1, 2011.

The flight IC 912 will leave Chennai at 1820 hours and reach Thiruvananthapuram at 1930 hours. The flight from Thiruvananthapuram to Chennai IC 911 will take off at 16.20 hours and reach Chennai at 17.35 hours.

Kerala Governor R S Gavai has mourned the loss of lives in the accident involving Sabarimala pilgrims at Vandiperiyar yesterday.

In a condolence message the Governor said, "I am deeply shocked and saddened at the tragic accident at Vandiperiyar in which several Ayyappa devotees returning from Sabarimala lost their precious lives."

"I share my profound grief of the bereaved families and pray for the speedy recovery of those injured. I urge that no effort should be spared to rescue the wounded and rehabilitate the victims of the mishap," Mr Gavai added.

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Ernst & Young Global Shared Services Technopark here today said it planned to increase its current staff capacity of 700 employees to reach 1000 by this year and double the figure in 2012.

A press release from the company said this expansion followed its increased operations since becoming part of Ernst & Young's Global Shared Services operations in July 2010.

Technopark has signed its largest land deal with IT services major Tata Consultancy Services Limited (TCS)to set up their Rs 1,500 crore Global Learning Centre at Technocity here.

The deal was signed yesterday between Technopark CEO Mervin Alexander and TCS Director and CFO S Mahalingam.

The lease deed signed was for 82 acres of land and the initial down payment of Rs 75.25 crore was made by TCS.

"Our Global Learning Centre here will train and accommodate 15,000 employees at any point of time. We are planning an iconic and landmark campus in India with an estimated investment of Rs 1500 crore," Mr Mahalingam said.

"This is the first ever biggest land deed signed in the history of Technopark and we are all thrilled about this development. The construction will start within 12 months and is expected to be completed in 48 months. At the same time TCS will simultaneously commence construction of their development centre in Technopark Phase-I SEZ. Kerala IT and Technopark will provide all support to TCS in their venture," Mr Alexander said.

It was in September that Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan had handed over the Government order sanctioning allotment of 82 acres of land in Kerala IT’s most ambitious project "Technocity" to TCS CEO N Chandrashekharan to set up a state-of-the-art training and development campus.

The 10,000-seat campus will set the global benchmark for corporate learning institutions in terms of the physical infrastructure available as well as the holistic professional and personal development programs that will be available, Mr Alexander said.

The campus infrastructure will include classrooms, auditoria, computer laboratories, a library, cafeterias, accommodation facilities as well as recreational and shopping areas. This new campus will be the learning hub of the organisation and will be connected with all other satellite training facilities across the globe, he said.

"This project will definitely put Trivandrum on the global IT map and have a positive impact on the economy of the State. Kerala IT has a long association with TCS. In 1994, TCS bought two acres of land to set up their corporate training facility and expanded this by acquiring 12 more acres. Later in 2005 the company took another 26 acres of land for the construction of their development centre, which is expected to begin construction in a year’s time. Once developed, the centre would employ about 5000 technical professionals," Mr Alexander added.

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Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan inaugurated a new block for the Ayurveda "Pachakarma" hospital at Poojapuura here yesterday.

Speaking on the occasion, he said a concerted effort from the Centre was necessary to propagate Ayurveda as a model health system by all the states in the country.

Union Health and Family Welafe Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who presided over the function, said Central funds of Rs 3 crore had been sanctioned to develop Government Ayurveda College, Thiruvananthapuram, as a Medical College in the state.

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The headquarters of Air India Charters Ltd (AICL), which operates flights under the brand name of Air India Express, will be shifted to Kerala, the airline announced today.

Air India Express is the low-cost arm of national carrier Air India and primary serves the market in the Gulf and South-East Asia.

A press release from the airline said that, in pursuance of a decision taken on October 8 in the meeting of the Board of AICL, all of Air India Express's operational and administrative functions would shift to Kochi. The engineering functions of AICL would be at Thiruvananthapuram.

Air India Express’ presently connects 16 Indian cities to 14 international destinations with a fleet of 21 Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

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File photo of K.Karunakaran.

Veteran Congress leader and former Kerala Chief Minister K Karunakaran passed away at a private hospital here today, United News of India (UNI) reported.

Mr Karunakaran, 92, who served as Chief Minister of the State four times, was in hospital for the past two weeks for treatment of severe breathing problems and fever.

His condition worsened after a suffered a stroke yesterday, the report said.

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Former United Nations Under-Secretary General Shashi Tharoor will be the Congress candidate from Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala for the April-May Lok Sabha elections, the party announced today.

The list of 16 candidates released by the party late tonight include three members of the state legislative assembly---K V Thomas (Ernakulam), K C Venugopal (Alapuzha) and K Sudhakaran (Kannur).

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Ramesh Chennithala will not contest the elections.

Besides K V Thomas, there are two other former members of Parliament in the list---P C Chacko (Thrissur) and Kodikunnil Suresh (Mavelikkara-SC).

The other nominees are Mrs Shanimol Usman (Kasargod), M I Shanavas (Wayanad), M K Raghavan (Kozhikode), Satheesan Pacheni (Palakkad), N K Sudhir (Alathur-SC), K P Dhanapan (Chalakudy), P T Thomas (Idukki), Anto Antony (Pathanamthitta), Pitambara Kurup (Kollam) and G Balachandran (Attingal).

A decision on the Vadakara seat will be taken by the party after more consultations with the other constituents of the Congress-led United Democratic Front in the state, party sources added.

INT