News and Views

Thiruvananthapuram: Moisture in the circuit boards of electronic voting machines caused malfunctioning of the machines during polling in the civic elections in Malappuram and Thrissur districts, reports the high level committee constituted look into the matter.

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Cabinet on Tuesday recommended to the Governor the promulgation of an Ordinance to provide for formation of vigilance committees at the panchayat and constituency levels to prevent atrocities against women and children.

The Kerala Panchayat Raj (third amendment) Ordinance proposes that the committees should meet at least once every month.

The Supreme Court has upheld the liquor policy of Kerala Government that restricted bars to Five Star hotels.

Dismissing an appeal filed by Kerala Bar Hotels Association, Justice Vikramajit Sen and Shiva Kirti Singh said that the Court found no illegality or irrationality with the intention of the State to clamp down on public consumption of alcohol.

“Judicial review is justified only if the policy is arbitrary, unfair or violative of fundamental rights.”

Opposition Leader V. S. Achuthanandan will be joining the agitation by the Joint Action Council of Victims of Endosulfan before the Chief Minister Oommen Chandy’s official residence on January 26 next year.

The endosulfan victims are planning another round of agitation as the promises given by the government nearly two years ago have not been fully met.

Union Health Ministry has announced an audio-based mobile service that delivers weekly audio messages to families about pregnancy, child birth and child care.

Each pregnant woman and infant’s mother, registered in Mother and Child Tracking System (MCTS), a web- enabled system to monitor and ensure delivery of full spectrum of services to all pregnant women and children, will receive weekly voice messages relevant to the stage of pregnancy or age of the infant.