TRIBUTE PAID TO JUSTICE BALAKRISHNA ERADI

Justice Vettath Balakrishna Eradi

Vettath Balakrishna Eradi,former judge of the Supreme court died at Kozhikodu on Thursday 30th
December,2010. He was 88.
  Justice Eradi who had also served as chief Justice of the Kerala High court and president of the National
Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission. He is survived by his wife and a daughter.
    Born on June 19, 1922, Mr Balakrishna Eradi studied in law at the madras Law College, becoming the topper in the Madras presidency. In 1967,Mr Eradi was elevated as a judge of the Kerala High court. He became the chief justice of the Kerala High court on January 19,1980 and was elevated to the Bench of the supreme court in January 1981.
    He was appointed chairman of the Ravi and Beas Waters Tribunal for adjudication of the dispute relating to the sharing of the Punjab river water among punjab,Haryana and Rajasthan.
    Mr Eradi retired from the Supreme court in 1987. He was president of the International Centre for Kathakali, Delhi,President of Swaralaya Music Society,Member of the council of Management of Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust since its inception in 1972.
   The National Press of India Golden Jubilee Award, the Rajiv Gandhi Excellence Award, the Shiromani award and the National Citizenship Award are among the honours he won during his long and eventful career.
     Kerala Kavya Kala Sahithy conducted a condolence meeting at Kurakar City Centre,Kottarakara. Prof.John Kurakar presided over the function

Kerala Kavya Kala Sahithy

HEAVY SNOWFALL IN KASHMIR VALLY

   The first major snowfall in Kashmir on Thursday 30th December,2010 in Kashmir ended the two month long dry spell. All schools closed till further orders. Snow which began falling on Wednesday accumulated in sizable amounts through out the Vally. Five houses in south Kashmir were damaged due to heavy  snow fall. There was no electricity many roads were closed.
   Authorities closed the Srinagar-Jammu National High way. Due to heavy snow fall at the Srinagar International Airport, no flight could land to take off. The schools were closed due to inadequate heating arrangements. The Kashmir University has postponed examinations till January 2nd.

Prof.John Kurakar

WORLD AWARD FOR TUTICORIN PHYSICIAN DR.GIFTY IMMANUEL

Dr Gifty Immanuel

    A Tuticorin-based Indian physician Dr Gifty Immanuel, University of Cambridge, has won the 2010 Junior Chamber International of the world award for medical innovation.
    Dr Gifty Immauel, who works in India, is studying a Jewish-christian Relations programme via e- learning. Each year the award is presented to 10 people under 40 in various categories around the world for extraordinary service to their communities. Dr Immunel in recognition of his contribution to public health and use of innovative medical knowledge to serve global communities. Dr Immunel was brought up in India, Africa and Arabia and is qualified in dentistry medicine and public health. He has a range of academic qualifications from various universities including Harvard.

 Prof. John Kurakar

RUBBER-BASED INDUSTRI WORKERS FACING AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE

   At least 20,000 workers in rubber-based industries across the state are face an uncertain future with unprecedented rise in natural rubber price threatening the existence of around 800 industrial units.
   There are around 800 rubber based industries in the state, mostly tread rubber, registered with the Rubber Board and hundreds of the small units operate with out registration. Each of these  registered units would employ between 20 and 25 people.
    Natural rubber price had crossed the Rs 200-mark in the domestic market. Rubber industries were among the traditional industries in the state that had taken the brunt of the spiraling price of raw materials. Frequent hike in patrol price had just added to the woes of the small units. The small rubber-based units had no option but to wind up in the face of continued price. The government must take a more sympathetic view of the situation.

 Prof.JohnKurakar

SMART SCHOOLS

    Five Schools in the state will be upgraded as amart Schools. These include Cotton Hill Government GHSS, Thiruvananthapuram, Government Moyan Memorial GHSS, Palakkad, Government Tribal HSS,Poomala,Idukki, Government HSS,Karuvarakund,Malappuram and Government HSS south Ezhipuram Ernakulam.
    These Schools were selected on the basis of model ICT activities,' technical area performance of schools in Harithavidyalayam' reality show and IT awards won by Schools, an official statement said on Wednesday 29th December,2010. IT@ school Executive director said that ICT infrastructure up gradation at a cost of Rs 25 lakh would be implemented in these schools for five years starting this year.
     The facilities to tome up in these schools included well equipped computer labs, multimedia rooms to smart class rooms with the installation of multimedia projectors, laptops and wireless internet facility. The project aims at equipping all students in these schools with laptops in a phased manner.
    The smart schools would be provided with services of full time IT co coordinators and all teachers and student It co coordinators would be given special training. The smart schools would be  given special training. The smart schools would be transformed in to IT bubs sothat students from nearby schools as well as members of the public could make use of IT ( information communication technology) education and infrastructure development scheme of IT @ School would be implemented in around 4,071 schools in the state.

 Prof. John Kurakar

AJANTA AND ELLORA

   The Ajanta and Ellora festival is held every year in the last week of November. Ellora and Ajanta have designated as world Heritage sites by the UNESCO. The Ajanta and Ellora caves located near Aurangabad in Maharashtra, these rocks were discovered by accident in 1819. The festival is a reminder that we need to preserve our artistic legacy.

     The serene figure of Buddha - is the dreamy beauty of Ajanta. They stand testimony to India's rich heritage and centuries old artistic expertise.Images and sculptures like these adorn the interiors of the canyons of the Deccan trap along the ancient trade route between paihan and the historical city of Ujjain. Nestled in the sahyadri hills near the ravine of waghora is the cave complex comprising 29 caves with chaitya grihas( temples) and viharas( monastries) that are laboriously carved out of rocks.. They served as an important religious center of  many Central Indian dynasties and the murals and sculptures reflect important social and political developments time.
   Some of the paintings in Ajanta are believed to date back to second century BC. The work was undertaken under the patrionage of various rulers and feudatories and the monastery lost its support with the fall of Vakataka empire. For around 1300 years, these magnificent sculptures and enthralling murals were left to oblivion but years of weariness and negligence have not diminished the splendor that captivates the visitors even several centuries after their creation. It was British Army Captain John Smith who accidentally came across the cave complex during one of his hunting expeditions in 1819.
   The first caves in Ellora were created shortly after previous shrines like Ajanta were abandoned and it follows the style of Ajanta in many aspects,but shows other influences and new trends as well. Ellora caves also known as" Verul Leni" is located along the Aurangabad- Chalisgaon road. there are 34 monasteries and temples dating  from A.D 600 to 1000, extending to over more than two km. The caves have depictions of Buddhist,jain and Hindu deities and mythical scene. The caves of Ajanta numbered from one to 12 are the largest Buddhist cave temples in India and belong to the Mahayana branch of Buddist ones while some were created after the decline of Buddhism. A number of depictions relate to Shaivism- a branch of Hinduism devoted to Shiva. the famous Kailasanath Temple of Ellora, considered the largest and most magnificent monolithic excavation in the world, rises 30 meters above the courtyard. Another group of the caves is devoted to the Digambara branch of Jainism
     According to an inscription relating to Ellora, even the artist who created it was wonderstruck that he could build it. The larger than life images of deities,huge elephants and bulls, and the scale of the structures dwarf the human being standing in front.
   Ajanta and Ellora are  recognized as UNESCO heritage sites are under the maintenance of the Archaeological Survey of India. The increasing number of tourists and some of the conservation efforts that caused reverse results have aroused concerns among many about the future of these treasures of Indian art .

Prof.John Kurakar

INDIA & INDONESIA

Mari Elka pangestu(Indonesian Minister)

    India and Indonesia enjoy a very warm and strategic partnership in the region.In 2005,both the countries set a target of achieving $ 10 billion trade turnover. As  the global economy is still in the recovery stage and the western countries are still grappling with various economic issues, this provides a huge opportunity to both India and Indonesia to capitalize on the situation. Both the nations need to have a more diversified basket of goods and services to take the economic partnership between both the countries to a new level. India-Indonesia trade has alredy touched $ 10 billion during January-October 2020 and cold cross $ 12 billion by the year end. This target is likely to be doubled to $24 billion when the Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyona visits India to be the chief guest at the Republic Day parade on January-2011 and also holds talks with Prime Minister Dr Manmohan singh..
   Mari Elka Pangestu,Indinesian Minister of Trade said that Indonesia offers potential  and opportunity in the automobile sector, textiles, engineering products- heavy machinery being a good area for cooperation-electronics, consumer products, processed and manufactured goods, pharmaceuticals, creative industry mining, agro-based products,oil and gas, mining support services, rubber goods, infrastructure and real estate. Indonesian Minister said that India will be the number one investor in Indonesia in the next few years.

Prof.John Kurakar

TOXIC CULTURE-LEADING TOTLA LOSS OF ECOSYSTEM

Vandana Shiva

 

Environment activist Vandana Shiva has stressed the need for Nationwide ban on" Endosulfan. Toxic culture was leading to the total loss of ecosystem productivity in India. Number of cancer patients was on the rise, following the increase in the use of pesticides.

Prof.John Kurakar

DEAR HOMOSAPIENS, WE TOO NEED A HOME

                                      Dear Homosapiens, We need a hom
  I am a baby elephant. I live along with my herd in a forest in India. Some times, we devour the crops in the villages,on the edge of the forest. Then the people attack us retaliation and usually there are causalities on both sides.
    Our natural habitats are diminishing and we are on the verge of starvation. Our water holes are fast diaappearing and often we don't get water to drink, leave alone have bath. If we emage from the forest we risk getting killed. They say we are "wild' and dangerous. What nonsense' we don't even eat other animals like some men do. To make things worse, we have to beware of poachers. Ivory sells at fancy prices,so the big tuskus are often hunted down and killed. My mother says that when I grow up I will have huge tusks. Then I will have to be careful. If I am not killed I may be capured and taken to a circus or Zoo., or, put to work hauling timber or participating in temple ceremonies.
      Men say the life span of an elephant can be 60 years in the wild and 80 years in captivity. They claim that half of all elephants die before the age of 15,and only one in five reaches the age of 30. The forest is a dangerous place indeed.
      Man no longer lives in his natural habitat. And he is doing well for himself, dominating the planet in fact. So why shouldn't elephant leave the forest and come to live in the city with men? After all, isn't he the best provider on earth? He will surely provide us food, shelter and protection from the dangers of the wild. Just as he provides for his dogs, cats,horses, pigs,goats and chickens.
    I know he eats some of them,but thankfully, not all, I am a good labourer, So I am sure the he won't kill me. I can give him my tusks.If he fancies the hair on my tail for making rings. I can give him that too. In any case, my tail is so small to be any practical  use.
   India has had captive elephants since 3500 BC in 1970, the world had 1.5 million wild elephants. With in two decades this number plummeted to 640,000. India now has hardly 30,000 elephants
      We elephants need large amounts of food  We are strict vegetarians. When the planet already has to feed 6.8 billion humans, and a host of their species, what chances are there of our survival ? It is time we found a new home. If only humans would take care of us and save us the trouble of foraging for food. I don't mind doing work. What is wrong with elephants doing work? Don't human beings work too?..
     I would hate to be captured, though.If only the mahouts were more humane, then life with man would be sheer bliss. And then we would never destroy crops or attack people again. I Promise
Reference : pushpakurup@yahoo.com

Prof.John Kurakar

TRIBUTES TO TSUNAMI VICTIMS(SIXTH ANNIVERSARY)

               


Silent processions, special prayers, flickering candles and floral tributes marked the observance of the sixth anniversary of the tsunami tragedy in various   places in the world particularlyIndinasia,India and Sri Lanka on 26th December,2010. The  whole world remembered the victims of the tsunami of December 26,2004.
    About 40,000 people, including tourists from abroad,died when the tsunami hit the island nation (Sri-lanka). A train chugging a long the coast-hugging south railway line from Colombo to Galle was washed away,killing over 1,500 passengers.
    The Sri Lankan government observed the day as National safety Day. Sri Lankan Prime Minister D.M Jayaratne traveled  to Jaffna to lead a commemoration meeting. A two minute silence was  observed nation wide from 9.25 am as a mark of respect for those who died.
     As many as 43,804 families including 1.88 Lakh people, were affected in the coastal areas of Kanyakumari district. Around 1000 persons were killed by the giant waves.
    The anniversary was also observed inNagapattinam and,Kollam . 500 women took out a paal Kudam
( Milk pot) procession on the Marina beach. A candle light march and a memorial service were also held.

Prof.John Kurakar

KERALA SASTRA SAHITHYA PARISHAD CAMPAIGN AGAINST ENDOSULFAN

    The Kerala Sastra Sahithya Parishad ,Malappuram district committee is launching a campaign against the extensive use of pesticides in the plantation sector and banana farmers in waynad.
    A preliminary study conducted by the organization on the use of the banned pesticides in the plantation sector found extensive use of the pesticides such as endosulfan.
     Though the pesticide had been banned in the state its production was yet to be banned. More over the pesticide was not banned in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and it was easily available in the fertilizers shops in these states. The proximity of the district also helped available in the fertilizer shops in these states. The proximity of the district also helped estate owners to transport it from the neighbouring states. State-wide campaigns were on against the use of Endosulfan, highly toxic pesticides. It were being used in the plantation sector.
    The campaign is aimed at sensitizing the farmers as well as the workers against the unscientific and extensive use of the pesticides.

Prof.JohnKurakar

ROUSING RECEPTION FOR MOTHER EXPRESS

Mother Express

     The exhibition train(Mother Express) of Indian Railways to commemorate the birth centenary of Nobel Laureate Mother Teresa, was acorded a rousing reception in Kollam on Friday25th December,2010.
     The train showcases the life of mother Teresa dedicated to the poor and destitute. The train was flagged off by union minister for Railways Mamta Banerjee from Sealdah in West Bengal on August 26. The train has six coaches painted sky blue with dark blue stripes bearing semblance to the sari worn by the mother.
  Three have exhibits on the life, work and message of Mother Teresa. The exhibits include a big collection of photographs, write ups and excerpts from her speeches,most of them provided by the missionaries of charity ,founded by her in lolkata. Hundreds visited the train.Many viwed the exhibiton as a christmas eve treat.Many penned emotional messages on the visitors book.

Prof.John Kurakar

RICH TRIBUTE PAID TO MR K. KARUNAKARAN

      The former chief Minister of Kerala and veteran congress leader K. Karunakaran died at Ananthapuri hospital on Thursday evening,24th December,2010 . He was 93 and is survived by daughter Padmaja Venugopal and son K. Muraleedharan.
      Mr Karunakaran was admitted to the Ananthapuri Hospital and Research Center on December 10 for respiratory problems and fever. His condition worsened following a stroke on Wednesday and was on ventilator since then. KPCC president Ramesh chennithala,who announced the veteran's death at 5.30 pm.
    The congress has  a seven day mourning.Mr Karnakaran was chief minister of Kerala for four terms and was the undisputed leader of the congress in Kerala for decades. He was quite active politically till the very end, making a few political appearance even after a series of hospitalization during the last one year. His wife Kalyanikutty Amma died 15 years ago.
   Karunakaran Born on July5, 1918 at Chirackal in Kannur to Kannoth Ramunni Marrar and Kannoth Kalyani Marasiyar, he studied in Raha's High School and did his diploma in Design, Geometry and painting from college of Arts, Thrissur, which became his political Karma bhoomi, with Mala his political constituency. He joined the Freedom struggle at a very young age and was one of the founders of the Indian National Trade Union Congress in Kerala. He began his electoral innings as a member of the Cochin Legislative Assembly in 1948. He also represented the Travancore Cochin Legislative Assembly in 1949, 1952 and 1954. He was Home minister in the C.Achutha menon Ministery from 1971-77. He took over as chief minister in 1977, but had to resign a month later following an adverse court reference in the infamous Rajan case. He came back in to reckoning in 1982.
   Mr Karunakaran was a stanuch supporter of the Nehru Gandhi family and drew his political strength from his close association with Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.
    Mr K .Karunakaran was an able administrator and quick and decisive decision maker. The list of development projects he initiated is unending Techno park, the state's flagship information technology promoter, Rajiv Gandhi Center for Bio technology in the state capital, the Nedumbassery air port, Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kochi, the Pariyaram medical college in Kannur are same of the development land marks he achieved.
   He was elected seven times from Mala constituency 1967,1970,1977,1982,1987 and 1991. He was elected to the Lok sabha from Mukudapuram in 1999. His deep physical,emotional and spiritual connection with the Guruvayur Sree krishna temple marked the high point of his ties with Thrissur.
      The government has declared a holiday for government offices, public sector undertakings, statutory undertakings, cooperatives and educational institutiona on Friday as a mark of respect to former chief minister.
     Governor R.S Gavai said that the country and the state would always remember the contributions of the former chief minister K. Karunakaran, who was an illustrious freedom fighter and one of the senior-most leaders of the congress. Chief minister in his condolence message, said Mr Karunakaran played a major role in the political growth of the  congress in Kerala. He also played an important role in the development of the states. He was one of the most democratic leaders in the state. He had a special ability to directly communicate with people. His political tactics and strategies were part of political history. Leader of the opposition Oommen Chandy said the secret of Karunakaran's success was his hard work and practical positions.
    Defence Minister A.K Antony said various development projects initiated by Karunakaran would prove to be memorials that would preserve memories about his contributions to the state. His amazing political leadership and charismatic personality, coupled with hard work and organisational skills, helped rebuild the congress from scartch..
    Union minister of state for Home Mullappally Ramachandran said" K .Karunakaran's death is an irreparable loss to the congress. CPI leader said Karunakaran's contributions would always be remembered. The Indian Union Muslim League has condoled the death of the former chief minister K.Karunakaran.Mr P.K Kunhalikutty said" He was a leader who succeeded in linking all democratic forces of Kerala with the same cord" Mr Thangal said Karunakaran was an unrivaled leader in upholding communal amity in the state. NSS general secretary said' Karunakaran was a personality which was irreplaceable both as a politician and administrator.His demise was a loss to politics and democracy in the country. All political and religious leader expressed grief at the demise of Karunakaran.
    The Capital city of Thiruvananthapuram on Friday 24 the December paid rich tributes to the departed congress leader. People cutting across  party lines and from various walks of life lined up in large numbers before the Indira Bhavan and the Darbar Hall in the state secretariat to pay homage to Karunakaran before his mortal remains were taken to Thrissur for his funeral.
      Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Union Home Minister P.Chidambaam,Union Law Minister Veerapa moily and Union shipping Minister G.K Vasan among the prominent personalities who arrived at the party head quarters to pay their last respects to the departed leader. Prime Minister Manmohan singh paid tributes to the former Kerala chief minister K.Karunakaran at the Town Hall in Thrissur on Saturday 25th December,2010. Karunakaran's son K.Muraleedharan, lit the funeral pyre around 5 p.m. Karunakaran was cremated near the memorial to his wife Kalyanikutty Amma.
    Prime Minister Manmohan singh arrived at the  Town Hall at 2.15 pm to pay his last respects to the congress veteran. The Prime minister was accompanied by union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, Union Minister for Overseas India Affairs Vayalar Revi, Union Minister of the state for Agriculture K.V Thomas, and ALL India Congress Committee (AICC) General secretary Mohsina Kidwai.


Prof.John Kurakar

HARVARD PROFESSOR WEIZHANG RECEIVED RAMANUJAN AWARD

Ramanujan

prof.Wei zhang

   Wei zhang, professor of Harvard university received the SASTRA Ramanujan Award, instituted by the Shanmugha Arts Science Technology and Research Academy (SASTRA) University to encourage path-breaking research in Ramanjan mathematics for 2010. Senior professor Raman Research Institute,Bangalore,presented the award, carrying a prize of $10,000 and a citation.
    Prof Wei zhang said he was delighted to visit Ramanujan's house. According to the citation Prof Weizhang was honoured for far-reaching contributions,by himself and in collaboration with others, to a broad range of areas,including number theory, automorphic forms, Le-functions,trace formules, representation theory and algebraic geometry. The award also recognizes the profound influence he has wielded in the past few yars on number theory and related areas by introducing several deep ideas and techniques.
  Lakshmi Narayanan, senior professor, Raman Research Institute Bangalore said Mathematics, the basis for all sciences,was being relegated to the back ground now. Ramanujan and scientist sir C.V Raman as two icons of India. He said both had many Commonalities they were born on the banks of the cauvery, Ramanujan at Erode and Raman at Thiruvanaikaval. They were not students of any institution,but were driven by a passion for mathematics and science. Raman was a young genius,and Ramanujan was a real prodigy Wizhang said Ramanujan is an inspiration for mathematicians world wide

 Prof.JohnKurakar

TRIBUTE PAID TO PALA M.M MATHEW

  Pala K.M Mathew, senior congress leader and former member of Parliament,died on Wednesday 22nd December,2010.
   The 83 year old agrarian family in Pala,Mathew was drawn in to politics by his elder brother and congress leader,the late K.M Chandy. He joined active politics after serving on the editorial board of Malayala Manorama for 15 years. Mathew had served as member of Parliament from Idukki segment from 1989 to 1996. A multifaced personality,Mathew had served as a member of the Jawaharlal Nehru- University court and also member of press council.
  An organization man,Mathew was the first convener of the youth congress in Kerala (1954). He had served as member of the AICC and was a member of the KPCC for three decades.
    He was president of the Kottayam DCC from 1988 to 1992.Mathew a voracious leader,had focused on the ideological front of the organization.
    A prolific writer,Mathew had penned over 30 volumes spread over children's Literature,politics and autobiographical works.His latest work, Mennachilatninte Theerathu was due for release on December
   A widower,Mathew leaves behind four sons and three daughters. His funeral is scheduled at the cemetery  of Lourds Forane Church on  Thursday afternoon. In political leaders in separate statements,expressed their condolence at the death of Pala K.M Mathew. The Kerala Kavya Kala Sahithy president in a message said the death of Pala K.M Mathew was a great loss to the art lovers of Kerala and branch of children's literature's

Prof.John Kurakar

INDIA &RUSSIA

   India & Russia signd,30 agreements on Tuesday 21st December at New-Delhi.Prime Minister Manmohan singh and Russian president Dmitry Medvedev signd the agreement. Dr Man mohan singh told the journalist that India's relationship with Russia was' special and privileged.The highlight of the 30 agreements was the consolidation and extension of strategic cooperation in the civil nuclear, hydrocarbons and space sectors
   India and Russia agreed to work together at the global level on nuclear energy. Both sides also identified joint research and development in reactor technology as an area on which the two atomic energy establishments. In defense ,India and Russia marked the beginning of their first-ever collaboration in producing a next generation fighter air crafts.
   The biggest defense programme in India's history-the contract for the preliminary design of the fifth generation Fighter Air craft (FUFA) was signed on Tuesday 21 st December,2010,between Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Russia's Rosoboronexport and sukhoi.It will involve the production of 200-250 air craft

Prof.John Kurakar

COLDEST DECEMBER ON RECORD SINCE 1910

    Heavy snow on Sunday 19th December,2010. Shut down European airports.London's Heath row Airports. London's Heath row Airport stopped accepting arrivals, causing havoc at the start of the Christmas travel rush. About 40 percent of flights were canceled at Frankfurt airport and paris charles deGaulle.
     In the French Capital, where snow quickly turned to slush and big trucks were banned from roads, a Lay Gaga concert was canceled  Icy conditions in Britain caused three deaths on Saturday 18th December. Britains national weather forecaster said the nation has experienced in December, the heaviest snowfalls in decades and is on course for record low  temperatures. The coldest December on record since 1910.
  France, meanwhile, is having one of its snowiest winter in years. In Italy, Florence's airport remained closed Sunday 20th December morning amid snow and ice storms that blanketed Tuescany. At Frankfurt airport,more than 500 flights were cancelle3d on Sunday.

  Prof.John Kurakar

RAHUL GANDHI'S STATEMENTS ON HINDU EXTREMISM

    As per US diplomatic cable revealed by Wiki Keaks,Mr Gandhi told US Ambassador to India Timothy Roemer that he saw " the growth of radicalized Hindu groups' as a bigger threat than some support" for the Lashkar-e- Taiba in India.
   Mr Naidu termed the statement irresponsible, one that could weaken India's fight against terrorism. Terrorism has no caste, religion or color. Any terrorist is an enemy of the nation. Gujarat chief Minister Narendra modi and shiv sena chief Bal Thackeray have criticized congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his remarks that Hindu radical groups posed a greater threat to India than the Lashkar-e- Taiba.
     Mr Gandhi has a right to his opinion. Hindu terror is no less dangerous than Muslim terror. Terrorism is terrorism. Hindu fundamental groups have demonstrated terror in Gujarat and Orissa. The majority terrorism is more dangerous than minority terrorism

Prof.John Kurakar

2.G SPECTRUM SCAM

   The supreme courts decision to take charge of the CBI probe in to the 2G spectrum scam comes as a relief to the people of India. The judiciary is still held in high esteem by the people who took up to its as a protector of rights and values in public life. The government has lost its effectiveness. Parliament did not function through out the winter session. The courts intervention is welcome. A JPC is a political institution. The court has guaranteed a fair and free CBI investigation in to the spectrum scam

Prof.John Kurakar

SATELLITE BASED LEARNING SYSTEM

   The Education Minister inaugurated the Satellite based learning system. The system for higher secondary students introduced by the Kerala State Open School in Association with the IT @ School project and ViCTERS Channel. The Satellite based learning system would benefit those enrolled in the open school.
    The new system in corporates lessions based on the sylabus for humanities and commerce prepared in the form of episodes. The telecast of the programme on the ViCTERS channel begin on Friday 18th December,2010.The first involves the telecast of 10 subjects selected from the first year syllabus. The daily telecast will be from 7.30 pm to 8 p.m, with a re telecast from 10.30 pm to 11 pm. The visual classes would benefit about one lakh open school students as well as 2.5 lakh regualar students studying in higher secondary schools. The episodes were prepared with the help of experienced teachers.
   the episodes for the second year classes would be prepared after assassing the impact of the first year classes.

 Prof John Kurakar

Vellaramkallu.com

    Vellaramkallu.com,an educational portal in the state was launched by the Kozhikode mayor A.K Premajam on Friday 17th December,2010.
    The portal, which claims to child-friendly, is designed for children of all ages. Information can be accessed in both English and Malayalam. There are three major segments named School zone, Teachers zone and students zone.
      There are also sub-segments such as IT cafe,Health club, Green page, Our Universe, Play ground,Movie Gallery, Language corner, Art House, Science Lab, Comic spot and Book shelf. Vellaramkallu.com is an initiative of Frame Art pictures ,Kottakkal.

Prof.John Kurakar

UAE CHAPTER SPONSORED CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION AT JUBILEE MANDIRAM

 

                   UAE Chapter sponsored Christmas celebration

                                    at Jubilee Mandiram

St.Gregorious college alumni association UAE chapter sponsored a colourful Christmas programme conducted by Marthomma Jubilee Mandiram committee on 17^th December,2010 at Jubilee Mandiram chapel Kottarakara.

            Rt. Rev  Thomas Mar Themathios episcope inaugurated the celebration. Rev Daniel vargheese gave Christmas message. Prof John Kurakar, Vice president alumni association delivered keynote address and handover the donation of UAE chapter to Rt. Rev Thomas Marthoma.  Rev Daniel Thomas, secretary  of jubilee mandiram welcomed the gathering. Prof Jacob Vargheese Vadekkedom, secretary, Alumni association also participated on the  occasion. More than 500 members actively participated. Various parish music teams  presented the carol songs and group dance programme. The audience appreciated the role play on “Bethlehem Kalithozhuth” presented by the inmates of Jubilee mandiram.

            The UAE chapter also sponsored delicious food for all members and presented gifts to the inmates of the Jubilee Mandiram.

                                         Prof. John Kurakar

TRIBUTE PAID TO MURALIKUTTAN

   Mr M.G Muralikuttan,who died on Sunday 19th December,2010, was one of the finest athletes of his generation,winning for the country the bronze in the 400 M at the 1978 Asian Games in Bangkok.

    Hailing from Alappuzha, Muralikuttan was a late bloomer in his favorite sport. He was initially more focused in the 100 M and 200 M. In Bangkok, Muralikuttan took the 400 M bronze behind Abbas Al Aibi (iraq) Muralikuttan was also a member of the silver medal winning Indian quartet in the 4x400M relay at the same games. He again took part in the Asian Championships in Tokyo and proved his worth as he helped the Indian team to a bronze in the 1600 M relay.He had joined as sports officer with TISCO, Jamshedpur.
    The 58 year old was in Thiruvananthapuram in connection with the ongoing 54th state schools athletics meet. Ironically, his younger son Sujith Kuttan,won the senior boy's 100 M gold medal with a new meet record to boot on Sunday after noon but without knowing that his father had died a good 12 hours earlier.
    The news of Muralikuttan's sudden death generated quite shock among athletics circles. The sports Minister in a message said the unexpected death of Muralikuttan was a great loss to Kerala sport in general and athletics in particular


 Prof.John Kurakar

STRENGTHEN CARDIAC CARE

  As many as 40 percent of the 45 million cardiac patients in India are in rural areas where facility for diagnosis and treatment is almost nil. Dr Srivastava, tele-medicine in charge at St. Gregorious Cardiology Center at Parumala said a cases of cardiac ailments in India were on the rise. Diabetes, hypertension and heart diseases had become common in rural population should be made aware of their problems in an objective maaner as well as the solution available

     Dr Srivastava said though a number of primary health centers and community health centers had been covered under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), the remote areas still remained uncovered.

     The union and state government should take the initiative of the foundation in extending a latest cardiac care facility to remote village like Parumala as a role model to provide similar facility in various other parts of the country. Dr Srivastava has conducted as many 30 free cardiac care camps in Kerala

Prof.John Kurakar

CALL FOR GLOBAL BAN ON ENDOSULFAN

 

  The Asia- Pacific regional meeting of the International Union of Food Workers (IUF) demanded a global

ban on Endosulfan on thursday 16th December,2010.

     Representatives of agricultural trade unions and plantation workers attending the two day meeting at Thiruvananthapuram urged India to support the inclusion of Endosulfan in the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants. The unions called for global ban also paraquat-a toxic chemical with no antidote the use of which has been associated with Parkinson disease.

    INDIA SHOULD RECOGNIZE ITS ROLE AS GLOBAL STEWARD,BEING THE COUNTRY WITH ONE THE LARGEST POPULATION OF AGRICULTURE AND PLANTATION WORKERS

 Prof.John Kurakar

INDIA AND CHINA ARE PARTNERS

  Chinese president Wen Jiabao on Wednesday 15th December,2010 told that India and China are partners for cooperation and not rivals in competition. Mr Wen Jiabao, accompanied by 400 strong Chinese business delegation arrived on Wednesday on a three day visit. Chinese companies and business institutions proceeded to sign 50 deals worth staggering $16 billion at a formal function.
     The major agreements included those the China Development Bank signed for billions of  dollars in financing with the Reliance power Limited of the Anil Ambani Group and with ICICI Bank.
   The China Development Bank also signed a $ 2 billion agreement with Reliance Communication, also of the Anil Ambani Group. The other agreements include one between Dofeng Electric and Abhijet projects for supply of power equipments worth $2.5 billion between the Bank of China and the IDBI Bank for a &1.2 billion facility. Between the industrial and commercial Bank of China and the ICICI Bank for a $ 1 billion finance facility. Between Shandong and Tamil Nadu power corporation for supply of $800 million worth of equipment, and Vedanta for metal imports worth $330 million

Prof.John Kurakar

THE WINTER SESSION OF PARLIAMENT-2010

    It is very sad , valuable time in Parliament was lost due to the disruption by the opposition UPA government cannot escape blame for its intransigence on constituting JPC to esquire in to the 2G scam. Who is accountable for the loss of hundreds of crores? The ruling party was inefficient and the opposition unwilling to allow parliament to function.
    The congress, which claims that its government is transparent and has nothing to hide, should tell the people why it is shying away from constituting a joint parliamentary Committee to probe the 2 G spectrum scam. There have too many scandals in the last few months involving political leaders and people close to them. If the government is indeed transparent,it should have accepted the oppositions demand for JPC probe.
      The question on every common man's mind is why is the government afraid of constituting a JPC ? The more reluctance it shows, the more we believe it has something it does not want the opposition to know. It is the Radia tapes leaks which exposed the murky deals in the spectrum issue.
   The oppositions demand for a JPC probe is valid but obstructing parliament for an entire session on the issue was not particularly beneficial to the nation.

 Prof.John Kurakar

ERAVIKULAM NATIONAL PARK

   The tourist season, around 2000 visitors reach in the Eravikulam National Park every day. This had crossed the 5000 mark during the last flowering season of Neelakurinjis, which was an all-time record.
   Nearly 90 percent of the tourists to Munnar  mark it a point to visit the park" The park consists mostly of high-altitude grasslands that are interspersed with shola forests. It is better known to the outer world as the home of the outer world as the home of the Nilgiri tahr." The park holds the largest viable population of the endangered species of Nilgiri tahr. Apart from the tahr, the park is the abode of other little known fauna such as Nilgiri marten,ruddy mongoose,small clawed otter, dusky striped squirrel"

Prof. John Kurakar

VALLAR PADAM PROJECT

    The Vallarpadam International container Transhipment Terminal (ICTT) will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.. Vallarpadam, with an initial capacity to handle one million TEUs of cargo , was a strategic and prestigious project for the country, In the second phase, the project would handle three million TEUS, a target to be achieved by 2014.

    As part of efforts to increase India's share in global ship-building the government planned to provide incentives such as tax subsidies and preferential purchase by public sector companies to raise India's share to five percent from the current one percent by 2017. A new ship building policy was being prepared to achieve this target. The Rajiv Gandhi container terminal would be utilized to attract large bulk carries to Kochi. Container operations were currently carried out from the terminal, which had attractive features such as a draft of 12.5 meter sand rail siding.

Prof. John Kurakar

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

      The economic development of any country is often linked to its consumption of energy. However the ever increasing demand of power has led to considerable fossil fuel burning which in turn has an adverse impact on environment. In this background, efficient use of energy and its conservation is of paramount importance. One unit of energy saved at the unit of energy saved at the consumer end avoids 2.5 to 3 times fresh capacity addition.
     Nearly  80 percent of the world's population lies in the developing countries and their energy consumption amounts to only 40 percent of the world total energy consumption. the high standards of living in the developed countries are attributable to high energy consumption levels. Also, the population growth in the developing countries has kept the per capita energy consumption low compared with that of highly industrialized  developed countries.
     The per Capita energy consumption is too low for India as compared to developed countries.It is just 4% of USA and 20% of the world average. The per capita consumption is likely to grow in India with growth in economy thus increasing the energy demand. In theory, per capita energy consumption indicates the well being of human life. The more percapita usage is a human develop index.
    Economic growth is desirable for developing countries and energy is essential for economic growth. The energy inefficiency has damaged the atmosphere and climate.60% of the carbon dioxide reaching in the atmosphere is produced either from a thermal unit  or  from an industrial unit. Energy efficiency is very important to all enterprises, especially for energy intensive industries. Any successful energy conservation programme needs the commitment of top management.
   Energy conservation is not a one sided programme,  it is a multi-purpose programmes, which will reduce programmes, which will reduce your energy cost, increase profitability, reduces the burden of state, power utility, decreses the losses in the system, reduces the energy import bills, reduces the Green house gas emission for a better living condition of the coming generations.

Prof.John Kurakar

INSURANCE SCHEME

   

The state governments target is to bring 35 lakh families under the  Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CHIS) during 2011-12. All the eligible families were allowed to register through the Akshaya centres in the state. About 19 lakh families have registered with Akshaya.

     The Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) was one of the welfare schemes formulated by the Government of India under the un organized workers security Act,2008, to provide quality Medical service to those in the BPL list through hospitals in the government and private sector. The scheme was implemented in all the districts  of the state.

    As per planning Commission estimates,there are over 11 lakh  BPL families in the state, all of who are eligible for being covered under the RSBY.The state government has estimated another 10 lakh to be included in the BPL list.The state government had decided to extend the benefits of the RSBY to those 10 lakhs poor families also, meeting the entire expenditure from  its funds. The government also decided to extend the same scheme to benefit APL families. The entire premium in the latter case will have to be borne by the beneficiary. The Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CHIS) was formulated in this context.

    The RSBY and CHIS is jointly implemented by the Labour and Health and Family Welfare Department and the Local Self Government Department. The United India Insurance company was insurance Company associated with the Scheme during the last years.

  Prof.John Kurakar

LEAKED PHONE CONVERSATIONS

 

  The contents of a leaked phone conversation involving Niira Radia and her associates paint an alarming picture of the extent to which the influential lobbyist. Latest tapes released by the news magazine. In Radia tapes, an alarming picture of media manipulation. Which had earlier published 140 conversations. Ms Radia,now says it has 800 more conversations in its possession.

 Prof.John Kurakar