News and Views

Kerala government will be seeking additional quota of rice from Centre for public distribution during Onam.

This was decided at a meeting of the consultative committee of FCI that met here on Sunday.

Currently, the State is getting 83477 metric tonnes of rice a month. An additional quantity of 22540 metric tonnes, which it was receiving, was discontinued from April this year.

Senior Congress leader A. K. Antony called for a generation change in the State unit of the Congress here on Saturday.

Addressing a convention of Congress leaders from local bodies, Mr. Antony said that there should be higher representation for youth in party fora. New leaders should emerge.

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Cabinet on Friday approved a one-time debt relief scheme aimed to help low income groups facing revenue recovery for loans taken from various government agencies.

The scheme, which will cover persons who have paid back twice the principal, will include interest concessions.

Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Pinarai Vijayan and Travancore Devaswom president Prayar Gopalakrishnan have differed over VIP visits to Sabarimala at a review meeting held on Thursday.

Mr. Vijayan wanted the Devaswom Board to disallow VIP visits and introduce a paid system similar to that at Tirupati. Mr. Vijayan also wanted the Sabarimala temple to open on all days.

Mr. Gopalakrishnan maintained that preferred treatment for VIPs could not be done away with.

Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala has denied that he had expressed views against closure of bars in the State in an interview to Kalakaumudi weekly recently.

Mr. Chennithala said that he had only said that UDF’s liquor policy had not benefitted the Front in the elections. This did not mean that he was opposed to the liquor policy adopted by the UDF after sufficient consultations and discussions.