Kerala demands trains to bring back Malayalees stranded in other States

Thiruvananthapuram, May 04: Kerala Chief Minister, Shri Pinarayi Vijayan today informed that the State has requested the support and the intervention of the Central Government in arranging special non-stop trains in bringing back the thousands of Malayalees stranded in other States across the country.

 “I have written to the Prime Minister to bring back these stranded Malayalees in the special non-stop trains being used to send the guest workers from Kerala to other States. I have also requested the PM to allow special non-stop trains from other places also to Kerala. Our government’s policy is to bring back those who are stranded outside”, the Chief Minister said while briefing the media today.

 Till date, 1,66,263 Keralites from other States have registered in the Norka website indicating their desire to come back to the State. The maximum number of people is from the neighbouring States of Karnataka (55,188) and Tamil Nadu (50,863) but it’s the people in other States who require transportation by trains as it would be too long and hard for them to travel by road.

 Meanwhile, over 28,272  people have applied for vehicle passes to enter Kerala by road and 5,470 passes have been issued till now. Those who have registered through Norka will get priority. They should use the Covid-19 Jagratha Portal (covid19jagratha.kerala.nic.in) to get the pass. But those who want to go and collect their family members in other States should get the required permission from those States also. Those travelling to Kerala should install the Covid-19 Jagratha app in their smartphones for any emergency assistance.

 The CM also informed that efforts are being taken to bring back those who are stranded in the Lakshadweep islands.

Kerala announces initiatives to attract large scale investments

Industrial licenses and permits within one week of applying

 Thiruvananthapuram, May 04: In an effort to attract large scale investments in Kerala and to make the State a preferred investment destination, Kerala Chief Minister, Shri Pinarayi Vijayan today announced a slew of initiatives to boost investments.

 Addressing the media, the Chief Minister said, “The Covid pandemic opens up new possibilities for Kerala. The extraordinary way in which we handled this outbreak has made the State one of the safest and secured industrial investment centres in the world. We are getting a lot of inquiries from investors and entrepreneurs from around the world who is interested in Kerala. Our strength is the manpower here and we have once again proved that our human resources are comparable to any developed nation in the world. Considering all these factors, the government is making some decisions to attract a large number of industrial investments to Kerala.”

 1. All industrial licenses and permits will be issued within one week of application. Permission will be granted with certain conditions which the entrepreneur should complete within a year.

2. Multimodal logistics centres will be established in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Kozhikode and Kannur connecting the airport, port, rail and road. This will make Kerala a major force in international trade and commerce.

3. Logistics parks will be set up in different parts of the state to take advantage of export and import opportunities.

4. Azheekal Port will be developed to address the demands of north Kerala region. The port will be equipped to handle large amounts of cargo.

5. Value-added products will be promoted in the agriculture sector. Land at Palakkad Mega Food Park will be leased out to industrialists for making value-added agro products.

6. A coconut park will be established in north Kerala with an emphasis on value-added products.

7. An Advisory Committee will be formed to make Kerala into a preferred investment destination. Investors, policymakers and industry leaders will be part of the CM’s Investment Advisory Committee.

8. Star rating system will be introduced for investments. The Gold, Silver and Bronze positions will be awarded in terms of investment and generated employment. This ranking will determine the benefits and concessions to be offered by the government.

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

 Kerala Covid-19 Tracker

61 recoveries & no new cases today, total 34 patients under treatment

 Thiruvananthapuram, May 04: For the second consecutive day, no new case of Covid-19 was detected in Kerala today. At the same time, 61 patients have recovered from the Coronavirus infection. The total number of confirmed cases in Kerala is 499 and 34 patients are still undergoing treatment in the State.

 19 patients from Kannur District, 12 in Kottayam district, 11 from Idukki district, nine in Kollam district, four from Kozhikode district, and two each in Malappuram, Kasargod and Thiruvananthapuram districts are those who have recovered and tested negative today. With today’s results, Thiruvananthapuram, Malappuram and Kozhikode districts have no Coronavirus patients.

 Briefing the media, Kerala Chief Minister, Shri Pinarayi Vijayan said, “It is a matter of relief that we have been able to contain the spread of the pandemic in Kerala. But it’s a matter of concern that Keralites across the world are in the grip of the virus in several countries. More than 80 Malayalees have so far died due to Covid-19 outside Kerala.” The CM also offered his condolences to the bereaved families.

 There are 21,724 persons are under surveillance across the State. Of these, 21,352 are quarantined at their homes and 372 are isolated in hospitals. 62 persons were admitted to hospitals today.

 Till date, 33,010 samples have been sent for testing and 32,315 samples have no infection. As part of sentinel surveillance, 2,431 samples were tested from people in the high-risk group and out of these, 1,846 samples have tested negative. 1,249 tests were conducted today.

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