Heena Sharma Blog

  Suspended IAS officer M Sivasankar, facing probe in the Kerala gold smuggling case , was taken into custody by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) from a city hospital on Wednesday, soon after a court rejected his anticipatory bail petition in the matter. A team of ED officials reached the Ayurveda hospital here, where the former Principal Secretary to the Kerala Chief Minister was undergoing treatment and detained him. Sivasankar was later taken to Ernakulam by car. Earlier in the day, the Kerala High Court passed order on two separate anticipatory bail pleas filed by Sivasankar apprehending arrest by Customs investigating the smuggling angle and ED probing the money trail in the case, dismissing them. Read More

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday announced that all elected representatives in the state will take a 30 per cent cut in their monthly salary and honorarium for one year to help it tide over the Covid-19 -induced financial crisis. During a customary news briefing, Vijayan said that the government will deduct the salary of state employees -- ministers, Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), members of different boards under the government and members of local self-government bodies for six days every month for the next five months. Those earning Rs 20,000 per month would be exempted from the scheme. Read More

The Kerala government on Monday revoked some relaxations it had provided under its revised guidelines for the lockdown. The move comes after the Centre chided it for diluting guidelines provided by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). In a letter to the state government on April 19, the Centre took objection to the move to allow the opening of certain activities prohibited by the MHA in its revised guidelines. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in a press conference on Monday, said there was no tussle between the Centre and the State. Read More

The Kerala government has in principle decided to give Rs 1.3 crore as compensation to former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan, who was falsely implicated in the 1994 espionage case. The amount is for settling the case filed by 77-year-old Naryananan against the government in a sub-court here, seeking enhanced damages for his illegal arrest and harassment. The compensation is in addition to the Rs 50 lakh provided by the government to the former scientist on a Supreme court order and the Rs 10 lakh recommended by the National Human Rights Commission. The cabinet meeting, which took the decision here on Thursday, also decided that the settlement agreement would be submitted before the court after consulting legal experts and further action would be taken as per the court's directions, a government press release said. Read More

The flooding of the Kochi airport is another example of poor planning leading to disastrous outcomes. Current Affairs News : Media call it the worst flood of the century in the region. After more than two weeks of relentless rain, Kerala, a state at the southern tip of India, known internationally for its scenic green landscapes, touristic spots and backwaters, is left with over 1 million people in relief camps, and close to 400 reported dead – the number is expected to be much higher, as many areas remain inaccessible. In the mountainous Coorg or Kodagu district in the neighbouring state of Karnataka, thousands of people have been marooned because of torrential rains. Exacerbated by landslides in hilly terrain, flooding has led to the destruction of homes, bridges, road networks and industries. Far from being a surprise, the possibility of such devastation was highlighted several years ago. Read More