Latest news with #P.Prasad
The Hindu
15-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day observed
The Social Justice department organised a programme to mark World Elder Abuse Awareness Day at the Government Old Age Home, Mayithara, on Sunday. It was inaugurated by Agriculture Minister P. Prasad. Mr. Prasad said elderly people deserve society's respect and protection. 'It is everyone's responsibility to ensure this. Elderly individuals should not face any difficulties, either in society or at home. It is important for every person, starting from their student days, to understand the importance of caring for the elderly. The government is implementing various initiatives in this regard. The younger generation should recognise that they too will grow old one day, and therefore, there should be no hesitation in ensuring care and happiness for elderly family members,' the Minister said. A torch-lit rally was organised on the occasion. Kanjikuzhy block panchayat president V.G. Mohanan presided.
The Hindu
09-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Second phase of groyne construction gains momentum
The second phase of groyne field (pulimuttu) construction using tetrapods along the Alappuzha coast is making progress. Forty-one groyne fields are being constructed by the Kerala Irrigation Infrastructure Development Corporation (KIIDC) at a total cost of Rs. 107.8 crore sanctioned under the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB). Nineteen groynes with a total length of 1.8 km are coming up at Kakkazhom-Valajavazhi in the Ambalapuzha Assembly constituency, nine each at Ottamassery (960 m) in Cherthala and Kattoor-Polletahi (1 km) in Alappuzha and four at Nellanikkal (450 m) in Haripad. While the construction of groynes had already begun at Kakkazhom-Valajavazhi, Kattoor-Polletahi and Nellanikkal, work at Ottamassery was kick-started in the last week of May. 'We expect the work to gain momentum by next week,' said a KIIDC official. Ottamassery is the area most affected by sea surges in the Cherthala Assembly constituency, with 12 houses destroyed in recent years. The project to protect the coastline was conceived in 2021. Initially, an amount of ₹16 crore was sanctioned for constructing groyne fields at Ottamassery, but it proved insufficient. Following the intervention of Agriculture Minister P. Prasad, KIIFB sanctioned additional funds for the project. Though approval was granted based on a revised estimate of ₹30 crore, work was again stalled due to difficulties in procuring granite stones. Stones are now being transported from Konni in Pathanamthitta. In the first phase, KIIDC constructed 114 groynes with a total length of 11.26 km at five places — Kattoor, Ambalapuzha, Arattupuzha, Vattachal and Pathiyankara – at a cost of ₹223.18 crore sanctioned under KIIFB. The groynes were constructed using tetrapods weighing two and five tonnes. After laying granite stones of different sizes, tetrapods were placed on top. Groyne fields, built 100 m apart in areas prone to severe sea surges, were designed not to hamper the flow of floodwaters into the sea through existing channels. The groynes, which extend from the shore into the sea, are helping reduce the impact of waves and prevent coastal erosion.
The Hindu
07-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
CPI(ML) New Democracy criticises Union government for not handing over the bodies of Maoist leaders to their families
CPI (ML) New Democracy's State official spokesperson and Indian Federation of Trade Unions State president P. Prasad on Saturday accused the Union government of violating Constitution norms and basic human rights by refusing to hand over the bodies of Maoist leaders who were killed in encounters in Chhattisgarh and other places. The party organised a condolence meeting in Srikakulam and recalled the services of Maoist top leaders Nambala Keshava Rao, Sudhakar and others who were killed recently in Operation Kagar launched by the Union government. Speaking on the occasion, he said that completion of last rites was the wish of every family but it was denied by the Union government. He said that the Maoist leaders dedicated their lives for the people's rights while ignoring their own families for many decades. Mr. Prasad said that the government cannot kill the ideology of Maoism with its special operations like Kagar and others. CPI (ML) New Democracy Srikakulam district secretary Tandra Prakash and the party assistant secretary Vankala Madhavarao alleged that the government not handed over Keshavarao's body to his family members in spite of the Andhra Pradesh High Court's order. Several leaders, including Tirupati Rao (CPI), Rao (CPIM) and Tandra Aruna (CPI-ML), offered tributes to the portrait of Keshavarao.
The Hindu
06-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
No official version of Bharat Mata portrait, says Prasad
Ministers in the Left Democratic Front government in Kerala on Friday made it clear that they were not in agreement with the use of the Bharat Mata portrait at the World Environment Day event at Raj Bhavan here as the picture was not authorised as the official version by the Constitution or the Indian government. Agriculture Minister P. Prasad, who boycotted the event at Raj Bhavan a day ago over the use of the portrait, said that those in constitutional offices cannot convert government programmes into political events. A similar view was expressed by General Education Minister V. Sivankutty, who said Raj Bhavan and the Governor were above politics and said Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar should withdraw from the stand taken by him. The Governor had on Thursday asserted that there would be no compromise on Bharat Mata. No Indian flag Mr. Prasad, while talking to a TV channel, said no Bharat Mata portrait has ever been acknowledged as the official or authorised version by the Constitution or any of the governments in power since independence. The portrait was not carrying the Indian flag, but that of a political organisation, and, therefore, it could not be honoured during a government event. The Governor was free to pay homage to the portrait at private events, but it cannot be done in State government programmes. 'We all have a political view, but those in constitutional positions have restrictions on how they express it,' he said adding that the government view was that such a stand ought not to have been taken by a constitutional establishment. He expressed the hope that it will be corrected by the persons concerned. 'It actually should not be repeated in our country. We cannot accept it in Kerala,' he added. The Minister questioned why the Governor was 'rigid' on the issue when none of the earlier Governors and not even the Presidents of the country have carried out such a practice in the past.
The Hindu
05-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Saffron flag-holding Bharath Matha motif at an official function emerges as a sore point between government and Raj Bhavan
Partisan politics appeared to have crept into the Kerala government's World Environment Day celebrations at Raj Bhavan on Thursday, with Agriculture Minister P. Prasad controversially skipping the event at the last minute, citing constitutional and political reasons. The picture of a saffron flag-holding Bharat Matha astride a lion at Raj Bhavan's central hall, where the event was scheduled to be held, emerged as a sore point between the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government and the Governor's office at the eleventh hour. Mr. Prasad justified his decision by stating that the picture, unlike the tri-colour, was not a national symbol. 'It is a motif used by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to promote its Hindu deification of the secular Mother India concept inspired by the Independence movement. The LDF could not constitutionally abide by Raj Bhavan's insistence that the administration hold the event against the backdrop of the RSS's political device,' he said. Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar took strong exception to the government's stance. 'We cannot do away with a national symbol we are living for,' he said later at a private function. Mr. Arlerkar observed the day by planting a fruit tree on the grounds of Raj Bhavan. The LDF administration shifted the function to the historic Durbar Hall in the government Secretariat. Mr. Prasad marked the occasion by planting a sapling. CPI(M)] State secretary M.V. Govindan stated that Raj Bhavan was constitutionally bound to remain overtly apolitical. 'The picture of the Bharath Matha adorning the Raj Bhavan's central hall projects the RSS's narrow Hindu majoritarian and communally sectarian view of the country. It has no place in a constitutional office or at a government function as in the case of other political symbols,' he added. CPI State secretary Binoy Viswam said the Bharath Matha symbol projected a discomfiting and anti-constitutional notion of Hindu nationalism, which aspired to relegate people of other faiths and religious traditions as subaltern citizens. 'Nevertheless, the incumbent Governor is starkly different from his predecessor. The LDF has no quarrel with him,' Mr. Viswam said. Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan accused the LDF of genuflecting to the Governor. He dared Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to call a spade a spade and criticise the Governor for allegedly attempting to transform Raj Bhavan into the RSS's bully pulpit. Last month, Raj Bhavan courted controversy by hosting columnist S. Gurumoorthy, whom the government and Opposition portrayed as an RSS ideologue. Meanwhile, former BJP State president Kummanam Rajasekharan accused the ruling front and the Opposition of perceiving nationalism with a jaundiced eye. 'Both the Congress and the CPI(M) view nationalism through the prism of religion,' he said.
