Former information and broadcasting minister Manish Tewari today called on the government to issue an advisory to media companies not to take advantage of the ongoing COVID-19 lock-down to lay off journalists and other employees. The request comes in the wake of widespread reports on social media about lay-offs in various media houses. “I am […]
Even as other states continued to report high levels of new COVID-19 cases, Kerala reported a net decline of 20 in its tally of Coronavirus patients. While 7 new cases were reported, 27 existing patients tested negative and were discharged from the hospital. The number of new cases reported today is the lowest in nearly […]
Construction firm Larsen & Toubro said it has won a large deal — worth Rs 2,500-5,000 cr — to create a monitoring and management solution for Indian Army’s pan-India fiber-optic communications network. The network, part of India’s network for spectrum project, was envisioned almost ten years ago as a way for the armed forces to […]
Kerala State Co-operative Consumers’ Federation Ltd, popularly known as ConsumerFed, has started online ordering of grocery kits, starting with the Ernakulam district. The government-controlled body, however, is yet to scale up deliveries, and is accepting only 100 orders per day. Moreover, orders are currently being delivered only out of the Kakkanad depot, in an around […]
Supreme Court of India today refused to stay an order by Kerala High Court directing Karnataka to open all its roads to Kerala for essential traffic. Karnataka had, a week ago, closed all the major roads from Kasargode district in Kerala — a major Coronavirus hotspot with around 150 COVID-19 cases. Karnataka government dumped truckloads […]
Kerala High Court has stayed a government of Kerala order allowing the sales of alcohol to anyone who produces a doctor’s prescription for the same. A civil supplies department official had issued directions to liquor dispensing agencies instructing them to provide liquor in case a person came with a doctor’s prescription for the same. At […]
Low-cost carrier SpiceJet said it has implemented a 10-30% pay cut for all its top- and mid-level employees with effect from March to cope with the situation arising from the spread of Coronavirus. “In its bid to tide over the unprecedented crisis thrust by the COVID-19 pandemic, SpiceJet today announced a company-wide pay cut for […]
Prasar Bharati has set up a committee to explore an alternative way of allowing private TV channels to use its DD Free Dish DTH service without going through an auction process. Traditionally, private channels have to pay crores of rupees per year if they want to get a slot on the free satellite broadcasting (DTH) […]
Four pay channels — Star Utsav, Zee Anmol, Colors Rishtey and Sony Pal — are likely to go ‘free to air’ for two months from today. These channels had earlier been put in a ‘promotional scheme’ while remaining pay channels, with their prices slashed from Rs 1-2/month to Rs 0. This was intended to increase […]
A day after Uttar Pradesh government sent dozens of buses to transport migrant workers from Delhi to their hometowns, migrant workers in Kerala defied the Coronavirus lockdown to hold a massive protest in Payippad in Changanassery in Kerala. Hundreds of outstation workers belonging to states like Assam, West Bengal, Orissa and nearby regions came out […]
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan today said the state government will not condone any behavior by police officers that crosses the line of acceptable and civil behavior, after a video of an IPS officer administering a ‘traditional punishment’ came up. The traditional punishment, known as ‘ethamidal’ in Malayalam, used to be quite popular during feudal era […]
Kerala reported the highest number of Coronavirus COVID-19 cases in a single day today. A total of 39 new cases were confirmed today, out of which 34 were reported from the Kasargode district adjoining Karnataka. Within this 34, 21 people came from Dubai, while the remaining caught the infection from these people. The number of […]
A 38-year-old man from Kunnamkulam in Kerala reportedly committed suicide on the third day of the pan-India Coronavirus shutdown in Kerala because he could not get his daily dose of alcohol. Sanoj, a resident of Thuvanoor near Kunnamkulam was found dead today morning. According to the statements of his relatives, he was showing signs of […]
Bharti Airtel said it has made its e-book application — available to anyone — free on a temporary basis to help those who are spending time at home as part of the Coronavirus lockdown. “Readers can now access thousands of top books and novels on Juggernaut Books (formerly known as Airtel Books) for FREE by […]
With a 21-day lockdown on people movement coming into place overnight, the Kerala government has taken an in-principle decision to allow the sale of liquor via the Internet. A decision in this respect was taken at today’s meeting of the council of ministers headed by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, according to local media reports. Liquor […]
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India, has requested all state governments to include IT and BPO employees, as well as e-commerce, in their list of essential services. Several state governments, including Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, have announced strict curbs on the movement of people and the functioning of shops […]
Kerala Government may radically expand the number of liquor outlets in the state by tomorrow to prevent crowding at the existing outlets. Kerala State Beverages Corporation, along with Kerala State Co-operatives Consumers’ Federation, has a legal monopoly over the retailing of liquor in Kerala. However, with only around 300 outlets to serve a population of […]
A large number of manufacturing companies in India have informed that they are shutting down their plants in accordance to the government’s action plan to combat Coronavirus COVID 19, with some warning that this will impact earnings. “The domestic industry is being impacted in unprecedented ways with increasing levels of uncertainty,” said Polycab Industries, one […]
The fight against Coronavirus has passed into the next stage in Kerala, with the increasing number of positive cases forcing the authorities to stop preparing route maps. Health authorities said the state can no longer afford to dedicate dozens of department officials to track down and trace the paths of each coronavirus victim. The decision […]
Malayalam Superstar Mohanlal expressed frustration at the high number of people who are refusing to heed government’s instructions on combating Coronavirus, and compared community clapping to magic that can destroy bacteria and viruses. “It won’t do to just say that we are not used to [such restrictions],” Mohanlal said in an interview with Malayalam channel […]
