Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 16 (PTI) With counting of votes for local body polls in Kerala underway on Wednesday, early trends showed that the ruling CPI(M) led Left Democratic Front was leading in 520 of the total of 941 panchayats.

The LDF was also leading in 10 out of the 14 district panchayats and 108 block panchayats of the total of 152, according to the State Election Commission figures.

The Congress led UDF was ahead in four district panchayats.

New Delhi, Dec 13 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested a member of the PFI's student wing, Rauf Sharif, after he was apprehended by authorities at the Thiruvananthapuram airport in Kerala, official sources said on Sunday.

They said Sharif has been placed under arrest under sections of the Prevention of the Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Saturday and a Kerala court has sent him to judicial custody. The ED is expected to move for his custodial remand on Monday.

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 4 (PTI) The second campus of Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB), which will be a major knowledge centre and hub for mid and high level innovation, is ready for dedication to the nation, Union Minister for Science and Technology Dr Harsh Vardhan said on Friday.

The campus will be named after M S Golwalkar (late RSS ideologue), the minister said.

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 1 (PTI) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday urged the central governmentto "listen" to the farmers, who are on an agitation at Delhi border points against the new agriculture laws and resolve the issue in an amicable manner.

In a tweet, Vijayan described the farmers as the "lifeblood" of the country and said it it time to stand with them.

"It is time to stand with our farmers. We urge the Government of India to listen to the protesting farmers and resolve the issue in an amicable manner.

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 26 (PTI) The nationwide strike, called by various trade unions in protest against the BJP-led NDA government's economic policies, was near total in the Left-ruled Kerala on Thursday with shops downing the shutters and state-owned KSRTC buses keeping away from roads.

Normal life in the southern state was affected as the 24 -hour-long agitation, called by a central committee of joint trade unions, hit all major sectors, including government offices, banking and insurance.

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 24 (PTI) Kerala Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday strongly defended the KIIFB projects, which have recently came under the scanner of the Enforcement Directorate, and said the Board was necessary for the development of the state and none of the projects will be stopped.

"The Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) is an institution for the development of the state and any attempts to destroy it will be strongly opposed.

People did not elect this government to stand idle in the face of challenges," Vijayan said.

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 15 (PTI) 'Jail-made' hawai chappal will soon be available in your next-door shop or marketin Kerala as a central prison here has started manufacturingthe rubber slippers now.

After dishing out a variety of products, including delicious but cost-effective food items, and successfully venturing into organic farming and beauty parlour business to running a petrol pump, the inmates of the Poojappura Central Prison here are now making footwear.

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 7 (PTI): Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Saturday tested positive for COVID-19.

"I have tested positive for COVID-19.

But there is no cause for concern.

However, I request all those who had contact with me in New Delhi last week to test for Covid or be under observation to be on the safe side"Khan tweeted.

The Governor, who was in New Delhi, had returned to the city on Friday morning and had got himself tested on Saturday, Raj Bhavan sources said.

Wayanad(Ker), Nov 3 (PTI) A suspected maoist was killed in an alleged encounter between the Kerala police and a gang of Left extremists in the district early on Tuesday, police said.

The firing between the Thunderbolt, an elite commando force of state police specialised in combating extremists, and the suspected ultras took place in the nearby Banasura forest area under Padinjarethara police station limits.

There are news reports saying thegun fight between the Thunderbolt and Maoists isstill continuing.

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 29 (PTI) The Congress and BJP on Thursday staged widespread protests across Kerala seeking the resignation of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan after his former Principal Secretary M Sivasankar was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate probing the money trail in the gold smuggling case.

The Congress and Yuva Morcha, the youth organisation of the BJP, staged protests in front of the state secretariat and a few activistsof the BJP's Mahila Morcha managed to enter the complex.