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Another shame(or heinous crime?) - J J Vellara

Within matter of days the Edappal incident occurred, there is another crime of the highest degree took place in our home state and that too on the premises of a learning institution of reputation.

Now we are really afraid of our places because we feel insecure that anything can happen at any time. Those who have to abide by the law have taken it into their hands resulting in death of a law-n-order personnel and we see that echelons supporting them if not the act. This is only the beginning of Kaliyuga as per puraanic verses; but it seems our natives are advancing much.

Anybody can blame anybody is the latest situation upon various happenings in our country. But when it comes to an institution of education, it knits the frown; moral responsibility for the management from preventing the situation reaching such an extent is the question of the hour. If political aggression among the students is to exceed the limits, it is for the administrators of the establishment to put a rein first and the law enforcement authorities have only the final chance.

It has to be nipped in the bud unless it turns to be a monster. The conclusion is that whether we have to have an election based on political background to be conducted to College and University unions. Just as if political parties are not allowed in schools, it is high time that the same principle is followed in the field of higher education too.

Technological Development should be complementary:

Kozhikode: Kerala governor R.L Bhattia urged the students to unearth knowledge and broaden their vision to capture new heights in the new century. Technological developments without human face is of no value. Both should be complementary. He was inaugurating the new block of Farook Institute of Management Studies.

“It is the time of globalisation and scientific advancement. So students should be capable of facing global challenges. You should have an aim, a dream, and work hard for attaining it.” He said. While speaking at the occasion, Calicut University vice chancellor Sayed Iqbal Husnain said that students should acquire communication skill to face the challenges of globalisation. College authorities and institute director Ravi Kumar also spoke.

Killing the unborn.

Detecting the sex of a baby when it is still in the womb and killing it if it is a girl has become more prevalent in recent years due to technological advancements.

Practice of foetal sex determination was made illegal in India by a 1994 law and a doctor has been now jailed after long court battle by a determined Govt. team.

The difficulty in implementing the law has been that it is hard to get information both from the doctor and from the parents because the matter is often kept secret. This situation also made obtaining evidence to find the culprits tough.

In the first conviction of its kind in India, a court in Haryana has sentenced Dr Anil Sabhani and his assistant for two years in jail and ordered to pay 5,000-rupee fine. In some areas of the country the sex ratio is alarmingly low. This is mainly attributed to female foeticide.

In fact it is the mindset of the people that need to change. Otherwise, covertly these incidents of terminating pregnancy will continue to occur. Girl child is viewed as a burden in Indian society and the boy as a blessing. This is the thinking that requires change.

Jail for revealing foetus's sex Sydney Morning Herald
Doctor jailed for female foeticide NDTV.com
Jailing of doctor in Indian sting operation highlights scandal of ... Guardian Unlimited

Fear grips Calicut.

The calm in the city has been broken with the incidents of bomb blasts. The life of ordinary citizen has been badly affected after the twin blasts that took place at K.S.R.T.C and Moffusil bus stands. For the last four months numerous anonymous threat calls are coming to the police authorities informing bombs had been planted at public places. Even as most of the calls turn out to be hoaxes, police still have no clues on the miscreants.

People now believe that any terrorist organizations can strike at will. In every nook and corner, public discuss about bomb hoaxes and possible attacks. Last week two bombs which were planted at K.SR.T.C and Moffusil bus stands exploded at 12.50 and 1.05 PM respectively. The twin blasts were pointers to the police that miscreants had attained the capacity to carry out well-planned and coordinated operations in the city. The two incidents had occurred at crowded centers of the city.

It is not easy to nab the hoax messengers because most of these calls are made from coinboxes. But after the twin blasts, police have issued request to public to be alert for miscreants and antisocial elements creating panic.

Yesterday night police with the help of bomb squad and dog squad searched major cinema theatres in the city after they received message that blasts will occur within two days.

Since the twin blasts, police have released caricatures of two suspected in the incidents but there is no breakthrough yet in the incident. District crime records bureau assistant commissioner who leads the investigation team say that there is enough evidence of involvement of a fundamentalist organization.

In connection with the inquiry, police team had raided NDF office at Rajaji road. But no arrest has been registered. Police do not rule out the possibility that the miscreants had got training in weaponry from foreign countries.
      

Photo: Bomb squad and Dog squad examining Mananchira exchange complex after a message that a suspected object has been found near the gate. However it turned out to be a pair of chappals.

Bomb blasts in Kozhikode - The Hindu

CPI (M) opens website for LDF march

Kerala’s major party CPI (M) has launched an interactive web site www.cpimkeralamarch.org as part of the ‘Kerala March’ planned by the LDF to highlight the “failures” of the UDF Government. 

The march, which has started at Manjeswaram in Kasargod district on Sunday, would conclude at Thiruvananthapuram on January 25. The website, which was inaugurated by noted academic G. Balamohanan Thampi, comprises the detailed schedule of the march, the route of the march and the details of those who lead the march.

The site, which has contents in English and Malayalam, contains an interactive response section. The website would be updated on a regular basis till the march ended.

India tops in remittance inflow

A World Bank report says that Indians working overseas sent a huge $21.7 billion to their relatives in the year 2004, making the nation the highest recipient of remittances globally.

Payments to India were higher than that of China, which received $21.3 billion in 2004. Mexico got a remittance of $18.1 billion and France and Philippines follows with $12 billion and $12 billion respectively, says the report on global economic prospects.

With regard to South Asian countries, non-resident Indians remitted an amount more than five times than their counterparts in Pakistan ($3.9 billion) and Bangladesh ($3.4 billion). Payments from non-residents worldwide is likely to reach $232.8 billion in the current year from $225.8 billion during 2004 due to the tremendous rise in the migration of workers during the recent times.

Payments made through informal channels will come to around 50 percent of the officially estimated amount. The rise in the remittances will help the growth of the home country.

Kerala school youth festival in Kochi between January 19 and 23.

The 36th state school youth festival of Kerala will be organised in Kochi from January 19 to 23 with the revised festival manual, which has cancelled the kalaprathibha and kalathilakam titles. The festival will be known as the Kerala School Arts Festival.

Various competitions of the festival will be held at as many as 16 venues to be set up at various parts of the city. The Marine Drive Ground will be the main venue.

The details about the fest were announced at a meeting held in connection with the formation of an organising committee for the fest in Kochi, which was attended by Kerala Education Minister E. T. Mohammad Basheer.

The other venues of the fest are Pappali Hall, Town Hall, St. Antony’s HSS, Maharaja’s College auditorium, Maharaja’s College ground, Rajendra Maidan, three halls at the Women’s Association Hall, SRV HS and LPS, Adhyapaka Bhavan, Shikshak Sadan, Hindi Prachar Sabha Hall and Government Girls Higher Secondary School.

Orchestra has been excluded from the items of the fest. The government had revised the festival manual as per a High Court verdict to get rid of the unhealthy trends that creeps into youth festivals.

A Sad Death

Ramankutty Maniyappan has been killed by Taliban after his company, Indian border roads organization failed to heed a 48-hour deadline to quit Afghanistan.

A Keralite who was working to build the war ravaged Afghanistan did not deserve such brutal death. Family who was hopeful of his release have become heartbroken after the news of his death. He was the sole breadwinner of his family. Compensations and help offered by the Govt. will hopefully bring some relief to his aggrieved family.

Such killings of innocents would serve no cause and obviously would not do any good for this country which is trying hard to get some resemblance of development. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who was recently in Afghanistan expressed his outrage at the killing.
   

Village blames centre for Maniyappan's killing - Hindustan Times, India
Abducted Indian driver found dead - BBCNews

Sabarimala prasadam for the devotees

The Kerala Circle of the Postal Department has made preparations to send the prasadam of Sabarimala to the devotees of Lord Ayyappa who do not undertake pilgrimage to Sabarimala during the current season, which concludes on January 20.

The items to be sent by the department include aravana (1 can) appam (1 packet), vibhoothi (1 packet), ghee (10 ml), Malikappurathamma’s manjal and kumkumam (1 packet), Vavar Swami’s pepper and vibhoothi (1 packet) and a picture of Lord Ayyappa, the authorities informed in Sabarimala.

The devotees who want the prasadam by post to any destination in India should remit Rs 180 (by MO or by speed post MO), to the Executive Officer, Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), Sabarimala, Pathanamthitta, Kerala, PIN – 689713.

The prasadam packet would be dispatched by registered post. A sum of Rs 10 out of the amount of Rs 180 would be spent for the free distribution of food in Sabarimala. The last date to receive the booking for prasadam is January 10 and the dispatch of prasadam would begin by the beginning of December.

20 mega food parks to come up in India

The Union Minister of State for food processing industry Subodh Kant Sahai said in Chennai the other day that the Central Government has decided to launch 20 mega food parks across the country in order to tap the enormous potential of the food processing industry in India.

According to the minister, the government has plans to provide around Rs 60 crore subsidy and tax holidays and other benefits to the proposed mega parks. Sahai said this while inaugurating the Foodpro 2005 conference on ‘From the farm to the dinner plate – the way forward for India’s food business,’ organised in Chennai by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

The minister said that although there are 50 food parks in the country, which were set up in 25-50 acre of land, mega food parks were required for building a strong food processing industry in the country to meet the demands of the time. “Mega food parks have been planned in 100-200 acre land. The government would take necessary measures to provide the infrastructure facilities required in those parks,” said the minister.

Reminding that the country has been the world’s third largest food producer, the minister opined that the chances of growth for India’s food industry is enormous now as the food habits undergo rapid changes and the industry moves towards value added food products. “The government’s assessment is that the Indian food production is likely to double in the next 10 years and there is huge opportunity for large investments in technologies, skills and equipment in the industry,” he said.

He informed that the ministry for food processing industry had recently prepared a vision document for guiding the food processing industry in the country. “We plan to bring out a comprehensive policy to accelerate the growth of the industry,” the minister added.

Centre to help set up mega food parks - Chennai Online, India