Milma chairman K.S. Mani releasing the five-year project report of the Malabar Regional Milk Cooperative Milk Producers Union in Kozhikode on December 5. Managing director K.C. James is seen.
| Photo Credit: K. Ragesh

The Malabar Regional Cooperative Milk Producers Union (MRCMPU) under the Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (Milma) will open a modern milk powder production factory at Moorkkanadu in Malappuram on December 24. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the facility, which was completed at a cost of ₹131.03 crore.

Addressing the media after releasing a comprehensive project report featuring the Malabar union’s achievements within the past five years here on Thursday (December 5), Milma chairman K.S. Mani said the new factory, equipped with a production capacity of 10 metric tonne milk powder a day, would be another milestone and it would employ advanced Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCDA) systems for scientifically controlling, monitoring and analysing the whole production process.

He said spray drying technology would be used at the State’s first SCDA-enabled modern factory which was realised with the financial aid of the State government and the Swiss Development Co-operation. “Intensified efforts are under way to explore the export potential of new value added products after improving the shelf life through focused research and development activities. We are in the process of making Milma a global brand,” he added.

The project report presented by MRCMPU’s managing director K.C. James said the total turnover of the Malabar Milma registered a 48% growth within the past five years. During the term, the Malabar Milma paid ₹5,091.7 crore to dairy farmers under various milk cooperative societies. The sale of milk registered 27.89 % growth in the region. This was apart from increasing the total turnover from the marketing of various value added products.

Explaining the significant achievements mentioned in the project report, Mr. Mani said the Malabar union was truly elated over the Prime Minister’s praise in the ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programme for its efforts in providing efficient Ayurveda medicines for animal diseases. The Energy Conservation awards instituted by the Central government and the Society of Energy Engineers and Managers were some of the notable achievements during the term, he pointed out.

“A number of welfare projects related to education and treatment were introduced for the dairy farmers’ families. Within the past five years, ₹192 lakh was distributed as charity aid through the Malabar Rural Development Foundation under MRCMPU,” said Mr. Mani. He also said several dialysis patients were enrolled under a special treatment support scheme to grant ₹1,000 every month.  

Kerala Private College Teachers’ Association (KPCTA) Kannur regional committee has called off its indefinite boycott of the “flawed” K-REAP software and the shortcomings of the ongoing evaluation camp, following a discussion chaired by Kannur University Vice-Chancellor (V-C) K.K. Saju on Thursday (December 5).

The discussion, which took place on the first day of the strike, saw participation from Dr. Premachandran Keezhoth and Dr. Shino P. Jose as representatives of KPCTA.

Mr. Jose said that the committee expressed its protest against the stance of the Kannur University Syndicate members, who were present during the discussion on the issues faced by teachers. However, the Vice Chancellor’s assurances were seen as a step forward.

He said that the V-C confirmed that the software issues would be addressed, and announced that the evaluation period would be extended, with the final deadline now set for December 12. Besides, the requirement for teachers to evaluate 50 papers daily was withdrawn.

In light of these commitments, the KPCTA Kannur Regional Council decided to withdraw the strike. Nevertheless, the organisation has stated that its protests regarding the K-REAP software’s flaws would continue.

इंदौर: फिल्म इंडस्ट्री की मोस्ट अवेटेड फिल्म ‘पुष्पा 2: द रूल’ ने सिनेमाघरों में 5 दिसंबर को दस्तक दे दी. फिल्म के रिलीज के पहले ही दिन देश और दुनियाभर के सिनेमाघरों में पुष्पा-2 के पुष्पा राज का जलवा दिखा. इंदौर में भी पुष्पा 2 का खुमार दिख रहा है. लोग इस फिल्म को वाइल्ड फायर बता रहे हैं. फिल्म देखकर आए दर्शकों ने तो इसे ब्लॉक बस्टर बता दिया.

दूसरा पार्ट भी खूब कमाएगा
राजेंद्र अपने दोस्तों के साथ फिल्म देखने आए थे. उन्होंने बताया, फिल्म का पहला पार्ट भी मजेदार था और उम्मीद के मुताबिक दूसरा पार्ट भी मज़ेदार है. पहले पार्ट की तरह दूसरा पार्ट भी कमाई करेगा. नवीन भाई बोले, इस फिल्म ने क्लाइमेक्स को लेकर भी सवाल छोड़ा है कि जिसकी वजह से फिर से इस फिल्म से लोग जुड़ेंगे. कपिल राजपूत ने कहा, इस फिल्म की स्टोरी और डायरेक्शन दोनों कमाल हैं. पुष्पराज की फैमिली भी इसमें आई, जिससे फिल्म सुपरहिट है. मैंने पहला भाग भी देखा है, इसलिए कह सकता हूं कि दूसरा भाग उससे भी ज्यादा मजेदार है. फिल्म के डायलॉग भी ध्यान खींच रहे हैं.

तीसरे पार्ट का इंतजार
शिवांक बताते हैं कि बॉलीवुड में इस तरह की फिल्म बनना नामुमकिन है. इससे पहले भी हिंदी सिनेमा में ताबड़तोड़ कमाई की और अब भी करेगी. अपने दोस्तों के साथ इस फिल्म को देखने आया. इसके एक्शन और सीन सभी कमाल के हैं. साउथ का कॉन्टेंट रीयल होता है जो लोगों से जोड़ता है. सुरेश सिलावट कहते हैं कि 8 दिन पहले ही फिल्म की टिकट बुक कर दी, जिसके बाद आज परिवार के साथ देखने आया. इस फिल्म में नेगेटिव कुछ नहीं. 3 घंटे की फिल्म कही भी बोर नहीं करेगी. मैंने भी देखी, बहुत मजा आया और अगले भाग का इंतजार है.

सिनेमाघर प्रबंधन भी खुश
केजल हानोतियां कहती हैं कि ये फिल्म एक्शन से भरपूर है , स्टोरी को कंटिन्यू रखा गया है जिसकी वजह से देखने का एक्साइटमेंट कंटिन्यू रहा. रश्मिका मंदाना की एक्टिंग भी अच्छी है नए गाने हैं. सपना संगीता के मैनेजर धर्मेंद्र सिंह कहते हैं कि टिकट बुकिंग अब भी जारी है. पहला दिन पहला शो मजेदार रहा, हाल ही में थियेटर का रिनोवेशन हुआ, जिसके बाद बड़े बजट की यह पहली फिल्म है.

One more maternal death was reported at the government-run Ballari hospital on Thursday, taking the number of such deaths in a month to five.

Hospital authorities identified the woman as Sumaya from Kudligi.

She was admitted to the hospital on November 11 and underwent a caesarean section the same day. She was shifted to the Ballari Medical College and Research Centre (BMCRC) after she developed complications following the surgery and was kept in the Intensive Care Unit there for the last 24 days.

Speaking to the media, BMCRC Director T. Gangadhara Gouda said the patient had a multi-organ failure and died at around 8 p.m. on Thursday despite efforts by doctors to save here.

Newborn dies

In another case, a newborn died at the BMCRC on Thursday. While the child’s relatives held doctors responsible for the death, hospital authorities denied the allegation.

Dr. Nasser Yusuf has been conferred with the Dr. S.N. Tripathy Memorial Oration Award for his exemplary dedication and notable contributions to the field of Tuberculosis and Chest Diseases in India at the 79th National Conference of Tuberculosis and Chest Diseases (NATCON 2024), held in Jaipur, Rajasthan, recently.

A press release said here that his lecture was titled ‘Tuberculosis – The Phoenix of Thoracic Surgery’. He is the first thoracic surgeon from Kerala to receive the honour.

The major focus of his work is on surgery to treat complications of tuberculosis, especially the dreaded multiple and extensive drug-resistant tuberculosis.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] leader E.P. Jayarajan has called upon the Central government to declare the recent landslides in Wayanad a national disaster and expedite the release of relief funds for the affected people.

Inaugurating a protest meeting organised by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in front of the Head Post Office on Thursday (December 5), Mr. Jayarajan stressed the need for swift action to alleviate the suffering of the survivors.

Mr. Jayarajan said that during his visit to Wayanad, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised to provide all necessary help to the victims. However, he added that the promises remained unfulfilled and urged the Prime Minister to honour his commitments.

LDF district convenor N. Chandran and Communist Party of India district secretary C.P. Santhosh Kumar participated in the protest.

Agriculture Minister P. Prasad visiting a stall put up as a part of a Kisan Mela organised by the Agriculture department at Vythiri in Wayanad on December 5.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

To ensure good food for a better tomorrow, farmers should be protected, for which a minimum support price would be ensured for all agricultural products, Agriculture Minister P. Prasad has said.

Inaugurating the first ‘Kerala Agro’ brand store and a Kisan Mela at Vythiri in the district on Thursday (December 5), Mr. Prasad said the biggest challenge that farmers face in the sector was their struggle to secure fair prices for products.

“Due to the strong interference of middlemen, farmers often struggle to cultivate profitably. As agricultural resources cannot be stored for long periods, middlemen frequently exploit the situation. The department is planning and implementing various initiatives to address the issues,” he said, adding that the government had introduced a project titled Value Added Agricultural Mission to support the efforts.

The Minister said steps had been taken to provide all necessary financial and technical assistance to promote agricultural products as value-added items, thereby increasing farmers’ income. Mr. Prasad added that the government had established a system allowing farmers to market their products as high-quality, value-added items under the Kerala Agro brand.

The brand store has been set up by Wayanad Spices and Agro Farms Producer Company, with the financial support from the Department of Agriculture.

Inaugurating the Millet Café of Wayanad Paddy Producer Company at Meenangadi, the Minister announced plans to hold a business-to-business meeting in Wayanad to introduce and market farmers’ produce and value-added products to the business sector. He said that the meeting would include agricultural producers as well as people and organisations involved in sourcing products. The initiative aims to ensure comprehensive progress in the agricultural sector.

He also added that projects were being developed to invest ₹2,365 crore in the agricultural sector with the support of the World Bank.

The Haritha Sena, a prominent farmer group, staged a one-day hunger strike in front of the collectorate in Wayanad on Thursday (December 5) to voice their concerns regarding the alleged negligence by the authorities towards the Wayanad landslide survivors.

Speaking after inaugurating the agitation Haritha Sena district president M. Surendran accused the Central and State governments of misleading the public and shifting responsibility onto each other, thereby neglecting the urgent needs of the affected people.

Four months following what is regarded as the State’s worst disaster, the government has yet to implement an adequate housing project for the families eligible for resettlement. “As many as 47 people are still missing following the landslide, but their families have not received any assistance, nor have any efforts been made to locate the missing. Many deserving families have been unfairly excluded from the draft beneficiary list,” said Mr. Surendran.

Many relocated families after the incident were yet to get the assistance promised by the State government, Mr. Surendran said, adding that all relocated families should be considered for resettlement. He further demanded that families of the missing should receive benefits.

He said the Kerala Bank had adopted steps to write off the loans of the survivors, but the nationalised banks were yet to adopt such steps. He urged the government to waive the loans of the survivors and take steps to provide interest-free loans to help disaster victims rebuild their livelihoods, as well as make higher education accessible and free for their children.

If the governments failed to provide assistance to the survivors in a time-bound manner, the organisation would intensify agitations, he added..

Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran along with District Collector Snehil Kumar Singh and District Police Chief (Kozhikode City) T. Narayanan visiting HPCL depot at Elathur in Kozhikode for inspections on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT 

Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran, who visited Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) depot at Elathur along with District Collector Snehil Kumar Singh on Thursday (December 5), asked the HPCL authorities to ensure a “safe and transparent” functioning in the area to avert incidents like diesel leakage in the future.

He also said further inspections were required under the leadership of experts to check the reasons behind the faulty functioning of mechanical and electronic components that reportedly led to the diesel overflow to the nearby drains and waterbodies.

“The State government will initiate talks with the HPCL authorities and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gases on measures to fortify the safety arrangements in the field. Based on the preliminary inspections, a case has already been registered against HPCL under various sections of the Factories Act,” said Mr. Saseendran. He also reiterated that the impact of the pollution would be assessed scientifically for further actions.  

The Malabar Garden Festival organised by the Malabar Botanical Garden and Institute for Plant Sciences will be held in Kozhikode from December 20 to 29. The festival will showcase hundreds of flower varieties and captivating garden designs.

Visitors can also engage in discussions and workshops, witness exhibition of photographs and cultural programmes and contests, and visit food courts and do shopping. The festival is aimed at giving visitors an opportunity to celebrate the beauty of nature, says N.S. Pradeep, scientist-in-charge, on Thursday (December 5).