Kerala expresses concern over Electricity Amendment Bill 2020

 Thiruvananthapuram, May 20: Kerala Chief Minister, Shri Pinarayi Vijayan has, in a letter to the Union Minister of State for Power, Shri R K Singh, expressed the concern of the State regarding the Electricity Amendment Bill 2020.

 Briefing the media, the Chief Minister said, “If the Electricity Amendment Bill 2020 comes into force, the state will not be able to continue the various subsidies being given to consumers through KSEB. The central government will have the authority to decide on the use of non-conventional sources of energy and also appoint the representatives to the State Electricity Regulatory Commission.”

 “As per the new law, the Distribution Licensee will be able to appoint franchisees in the State without the permission of the State Electricity Regulatory Commission. The provisions of the Bill would give more Centralised control on a subject that is in the concurrent list. Therefore I have asked the central government to have more consultations with the State on this subject”, he added.

 It may be noted that electricity is a concurrent subject at Entry 38 in List III of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India. In Kerala, KSEB Ltd, a public sector undertaking under the Government of Kerala is responsible for generation, transmission and distribution of the electricity supply within the state.

Kerala SSLC, HS & VHS examinations from May 26-30

Chief Minister, Shri Pinarayi Vijayan announced that the remaining SSLC, Higher Secondary and Vocational Higher Secondary examinations will be held from May 26-30. The examination timetable was announced earlier but there were some issues due to delay in getting permission from the central government.

 “We have got the necessary approvals from the Centre and now the examinations will be conducted as scheduled. Necessary safety precautions and the transport facilities required by the students will be arranged accordingly. Facilities will be provided for all students to write the examination. Students or parents need not worry about this and if there are any specific issues, they will be addressed”, the CM said.

2,948 additional temporary posts in Health Department to tackle Covid-19

Chief Minister, Shri Pinarayi Vijayan today announced that as part of strengthening the Covid preventive measures in the State, 2,948 temporary posts have been created in the Health Department through the National Health Mission. This is in addition to the 3,770 posts announced earlier as part of the Covid defence initiatives.

 The Health Department has so far created around 6,700 temporary posts. These additional posts were created in view of the large number of Malayalees arriving in Kerala from other States and countries abroad. These temporary appointees will be deployed in the first line Care Centres, Covid Care Centers and Covid Hospitals.

 The additional temporary posts are in 21 categories/designations including 38 doctors, 15 specialists, 20 dental surgeons, 72 staff nurses, 169 nursing assistants, 1,259 Junior Health Inspectors, 741 Junior Public Health Nurses and 358 cleaning staff.

 Minister of Health & Social Justice, Smt K K Shailaja Teacher; Revenue Minister, Shri E Chandrasekharan, and Chief Secretary, Shri Tom Jose IAS were also present during the media briefing.

Kerala Covid-19 Tracker

24 new cases & five recoveries today, total 161 patients under treatment

 Thiruvananthapuram, May 20: Chief Minister, Shri Pinarayi Vijayan today informed that 24 new cases of Coronavirus infection were confirmed in Kerala today. Seven persons from Palakkad district, four in Malappuram district, three from Kannur district, two each in Pathanamthitta, Thiruvananthapuram and Thrissur districts, and one each from Kasargod, Kozhikode, Ernakulam and Alappuzha districts are those who have been tested positive. 12 of them have returned from abroad and 11 have come back from other States (Maharashtra-8 & Tamil Nadu-3). One, in Kannur district, is a case of local transmission.

 Meanwhile, five patients under treatment have tested negative today. They are two in Thrissur district, and one each in Kollam, Wayanad and Kasargod districts.

 The total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Kerala is 666 and presently, 161 patients are under treatment in different hospitals across the State.

 74,398 persons are now under surveillance in the State. 73,865 are quarantined at their homes and 533 are under isolation in hospitals. 155 persons were admitted to hospitals today.

 So far, 48,543 samples have been sent for testing and 46,961 samples have been confirmed with no infection. As part of sentinel surveillance of high-risk category, 6,090 samples were collected separately and tested. Out of these, 5,728 samples have tested negative.

 No new place was declared as hotspots today and currently, there are 33 hotspots in the State.

 Addressing the media, Chief Minister said, “With a significant increase in the number of patients following the return of Keralites from other places, we are moving to a serious situation and certain areas will need severe restrictions. With just 16 patients under treatment on May 8, today we have 161. Our diagnosis strategies are being formulated based on these figures. Knowing how we are getting the disease itself is a way to stop its spread.”

 The CM also cautioned the people against targeting those who are coming back to the State as carriers of the disease. We should remember that most of them are healthy and not infected. Only a few of them are found to be infected. Similarly, those who are being quarantined or those who have recovered should not be ostracised. They need not be excluded from our society. People should not get carried away by any misinformation on social media.”, he added.

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