Minister for Local Self-Governments M.B. Rajesh inaugurating 11-day Swaralaya Samanwayam music and dance festival at Rapadi open air auditorium in Palakkad on Saturday evening.

Curtain went up on an 11-day dance and music programme being organised by the Swaralaya here on Saturday evening. The inaugural session of the Swaralaya Samanwayam marked a musical programme that paid tributes to lyricists Bichu Thirumala and M.D. Rajendran.

The musical evening named ‘Ezhu swarangalum thazhuki varunnoru gaanam’ gave life to the songs of Bichu Thirumala and M.D. Rajendran at Rapadi open air auditorium.

Singer Sudeep Kumar kicked off the programme with a masterly rendition of ‘Kuri varachalum’, followed by Rajalakshmi singing ‘Thushara bindukkale’, and Chitra Arun rendering ‘Ariyaathe’.

Edappal Viswan sang the title song for the programme ‘Ezhu swarangalum thazhuki varunnoru gaanam’.

Vocalist Bhavana Radhakrishnan and team will present a Carnatic musical orchestra on Sunday evening. It will be followed by a Mohiniyattam performance by Rajita Ravi.

Inaugurating the Swaralaya Samanwaya programme, Minister for Local Administration M.B. Rajesh said that art and cultural expressions would help uphold the country’s constitutional values especially at a time when the country’s unity was facing challenges. He said the music and dance festival should fulfil both artistic and social roles.

V.K. Sreekandan, MP, Rahul Mamkootathil, MLA, District Panchayat president K. Binumol, Municipal Chairperson Prameela Sasidharan, District Collector S. Chithra and several other dignitaries joined the Minister in lighting the inaugural lamp.

Amid strained India-Canada bilateral ties, a growing trend of reverse migration of students, who once aspired to secure jobs while pursuing higher education in Canada, has sparked concerns in the State. Further, as many as nine Indian students were killed in Canada during the last five years, the highest-ever student death toll in a foreign country during this period.

Speaking to The Hindu, Ajith Kolassery, Chief Executive Officer of NoRKA-Roots, the field agency of the department of Non-Resident Keralites Affairs (NoRKA), said that although the exact number of students or people who migrated to Canada in recent years and returned after they were not able to secure permanent residency (PR) status is not known, it is estimated that 20-30% of them have returned during the post-pandemic period. A detailed study is needed to give the exact number of such candidates, and things are not so rosy in countries such as Canada and Germany due to the tightening of migration norms, said Mr. Kolassery.

According to Sooraj Athipatts, secretary of Samanwaya Cultural Association, an outfit of the Malayali diaspora in Canada, it is estimated that around four to six lakh Keralites, including students who migrated recently, settled in 10 provinces in Canada over the years. Now, they have tightened the visa norms and increased the PR score to reduce the inflow of people from other countries. This has resulted in a good number of students and people who reached on visiting visas and are waiting for refugee status to return to Kerala, said Mr. Athipatts.

Besides, there have been instances where ‘students not allowed’ boards were placed in front of the government-run food banks in Canada. Although the food banks and gurdwaras provide free food for the homeless, a good number of Indians used to make use of this facility to stay on due to high living costs.

According to statistics available with the Union Ministry of External Affairs, as many as 20 students were killed in 58 attacks against Indians in foreign countries. Of this, Canada tops the list with nine deaths of Indian students, followed by seven student deaths in the U.S., which together account for 15 deaths out of 20.

Irudaya Rajan, Chair, International Institute of Migration and Development, a prominent migration expert from Kerala, the State government should urgently frame a policy to address issues related to reverse migration. Students coming back to Kerala from Europe cannot be compared with the reverse migrants from West Asia, as these students are distressed reverse migrants. In the next 5-10 years, the flow of reverse migrants will be high with change in regimes in countries like the U.S. and Canada and their inclination towards right-wing policies and anti-migration stances, said Mr. Rajan.

Writers of children’s books said that literature plays a key role in shaping the future of children.

Speaking at the session on “The role of literature in shaping the personality of children” on the second day of the 87^th Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelana on Saturday, writer R.D. Ravindra said children must have the knowledge of stories and novels in addition to academics. In the past, grandmothers used to take children into a different world through storytelling. This was helping children improve their learning capabilities.

He said that children develop concentration by listening to stories. “The stories on Ekalavya, mythology, Harishchandra, and others used to help them improve their concentration levels,” aimed.

Writer Bagur Markandeya said that the use of mobile phones and computer games has reduced the interest in children’s literature. Parents should create libraries in their homes so that the children take an interest in reading books. They must stop using their phones in front of their children at home.

The parents must make available popular books such as Kindarijogi by Kuvempu, Karadikunita by Da. Ra. Bendre, Tuttoori by G. P. Rajarathnam, and Ajjanakolidu by Siddaiah Puranik.

नई द‍िल्‍ली. इस साल सरकार ने अश्‍लील कंटेंट परोस रहे 18 ओटीटी प्‍लैटफॉर्म को ब्‍लॉक कर द‍िया है. भारत के सूचना और प्रसारण मंत्रालय ने पाया क‍ि 18 OTT प्‍लैटफॉर्म पर अश्लील और कुछ मामलों में पोर्नोग्राफ‍िक कंटेंट द‍िखाया जा रहा है, जो भारतीय कानून के ख‍िलाफ है. इसी क्रम में 19 वेबसाइट्स, 10 मोबाइल ऐप्‍स (इनमें से 7 गूगल प्‍ले स्‍टोर और 3 ऐप्‍पल के ऐप स्‍टोर पर मौजूद) और इनसे जुडे 57 सोशल मीड‍िया अकाउंट को भी बैन कर द‍िया गया है.

केंद्रीय मंत्री अनुराग सिंह ठाकुर ने इस कार्रवाई की घोषणा करते हुए इस बात पर जोर दिया कि कंटेंट क्रिएटर ‘रचनात्मक अभिव्यक्ति’ का इस्तेमाल अपमानजनक सामग्री का प्रचार करने के बहाने के रूप में नहीं कर सकते. यह कार्रवाई सूचना प्रौद्योगिकी अधिनियम, 2000 के प्रावधानों के तहत की गई, जिसमें भारत सरकार के अन्य मंत्रालयों/विभागों और मीडिया और मनोरंजन, महिला अधिकार और बाल अधिकारों में विशेषज्ञता रखने वाले डोमेन विशेषज्ञों से इनपुट लिया गया.

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ब्‍लॉक हुए OTT प्‍लैटफॉर्म की ल‍िस्‍ट
1. ड्रीम्स फिल्म्स
2. वूवी
3. येसमा
4. अनकट अड्डा
5. ट्राई फ्लिक्स
6. एक्स प्राइम
7. नियॉन एक्स वीआईपी
8. बेशरम्स
9. हंटर्स
10. रैबिट
11. एक्सट्रामूड
12. न्यूफ्लिक्स
13. मूडएक्स
14. मोजफ्लिक्स
15. हॉट शॉट्स वीआईपी
16. फुगी
17. चिकूफ्लिक्स
18. प्राइम प्ले

क्‍यों ब्‍लॉक क‍िए गए ये 18 ओटीटी प्‍लैटफॉर्म ?
मंत्रालय ने पाया कि इन प्लेटफॉर्म पर होस्ट क‍िए गए कंटेंट अत्यधिक अश्लील, महिलाओं के लिए अपमानजनक और कई मामलों में पूरी तरह से अश्लील है. इन प्‍लैटफॉर्म पर द‍िखाई जा रही फ‍िल्‍मों में रिश्तों का अनुचित चित्रण भी शाम‍िल था, जैसे कि छात्र-शिक्षक संबंध और पारिवारिक संबंधों में व्यभिचार. बता दें क‍ि इस प्रकार के कंटेंट कई कानूनों का उल्लंघन करते हैं, जैसे क‍ि आईटी अधिनियम की धारा 67 और 67, आईपीसी की धारा 292, महिलाओं का अश्लील चित्रण (निषेध) अधिनियम, 1986 की धारा 4 आद‍ि.

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ब्‍लॉक की सूची में शामिल कुछ ऐप ऐसे भी शाम‍िल हैं, ज‍िन्‍होंने खूब लोकप्रियता हासिल की है. इसमें से एक के पास तो 1 करोड़ से ज्‍यादा डाउनलोड हैं और दो ऐसे हैं, ज‍िनके पास 50 लाख डाउनलोड हैं. ये सभी OTT प्‍लैटफॉर्म अपने ऐप की तरफ आकर्ष‍ित करने के ल‍िए अपना ट्रेलर और लिंक फेसबुक, इंस्टाग्राम, यूट्यूब और एक्स (पूर्व में ट्विटर) जैसे प्लेटफॉर्म पर शेयर करते थे. सोशल मीडिया अकाउंट पर भी इनके पास 32 लाख से ज्‍यादा फॉलोअर थे.

हालांक‍ि सरकार, हमेशा ओटीटी इंडस्‍ट्री के विकास को प्रोत्साहित करती है, लेक‍िन इसके साथ वह इस बात पर भी जोर देती है क‍ि प्‍लैटफॉर्म हमेशा जिम्मेदार कंटेंट द‍िखाएं. यह कार्रवाई डिजिटल मनोरंजन क्षेत्र में नैतिक मानकों को बनाए रखने के लिए की गई है.

Tags: Tech news, Tech news hindi

AIADMK Rajya Sabha Member C.Ve. Shanmugam leading a protest in Villupuram on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The AIADMK on Saturday accused the ruling DMK regime of being “administratively incompetent” to tackle the rain and said the government should own responsibility for the damages caused due to flooding in Villupuram, Cuddalore and Kallakurichi districts.

Leading a demonstration here demanding relief assistance for all those affected by the floods, AIADMK Rajya Sabha Member C.Ve. Shanmugam said the Tamil Nadu government had issued an advisory only to the Tahsildar of Thandrampet in Tiruvannamalai district before releasing nearly 3 lakh cusecs of water into the Thenpennai river.

Alleging disparity in distribution of relief assistance to the flood-affected people in the three districts, he said the government had distributed ₹2,000 as relief to ration cardholders while ₹6,000 was being given as relief to cardholders in Chennai during last year’s floods.

Mr. Shanmugam claimed that the relief assistance was not distributed to the affected sections in several villages so far. It was only after the AIADMK had announced a protest in Villupuram, the district administration had come out with a statement detailing the damages caused by the cyclone. The government should distribute the promised relief amount to all affected sections, he said.

The Kannur University Senators’ Forum has raised serious allegations against the university’s administration, accusing it of compromising its autonomy and acting under the verbal instructions of the Higher Education Minister.

The forum claimed that the university had handed over student data to the Maharashtra-based MKCL without signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in violation of norms.

While other universities resisted sharing data, Kannur University (KU) allegedly shared it, which the forum termed a betrayal of students’ academic interests. The forum described the Vice-Chancellor’s alleged involvement in the matter as “unfortunate,” reflecting poorly on the institution’s governance.

The release of the first-semester results of the varsity’s four-year undergraduate programme also came under scrutiny. The forum came down on the varsity for publishing results prematurely on the Principal’s portal, bypassing official protocols. The blame placed on principals and colleges for distributing results was deemed “ridiculous” compared to the alleged lapses by MKCL, the software company managing the results. The forum claimed that the varsity did not give any prior information regarding the trial run.

The forum sought an investigation into whether external agencies linked to foreign universities influenced the situation, possibly aiming to diminish the university’s credibility.

The forum also highlighted alleged irregularities in the first-semester evaluation process. Teachers reportedly conducted assessments using students’ register numbers, rather than anonymised codes, raising concerns about potential bias and mark manipulation. The direct uploading of marks by teachers into the Maharashtra company’s software was termed as a breach of transparency and accountability.

The forum accused the Higher Education Minister of pressuring universities into transactions with MKCL, and KU was the only one to fully implement the directive. This, they argued, violated Section 25(15) of the University Act and demanded a thorough investigation into the matter.

A. Santhi Kumari
| Photo Credit: Subyendu Ganguly 10328@Hyderabad

Central Administrative Tribunal-Hyderabad (Telangana) bench has granted two weeks time to Chief Secretary A. Santhi Kumari ‘as final opportunity’ to comply with its order over giving posting to IFS officer Ratnakar Jauhari.

The CS has to appear before the Tribunal on January 9, 2025 if the order is not complied with, the bench said. The order was passed by the bench comprising Tribunal members Varun Sindhu Kul Kaumudi (Administrative) and Lata Baswaraj Patne (Judicial) in an original application filed by the IFS officer, posting the matter to January 9 for orders for contempt of court.

An IFS officer of 1994 batch, Mr. Jauhari was allotted to the cadre of undivided Andhra Pradesh State. By 2014 when separate Telangana State was carved out, he became Chief Conservator of Forests and opted for Telangana cadre. However, the government allotted him to AP cadre.

Challenging this, he moved CAT in 2016. Six years later, the CAT passed an order setting aside allotment of the officer to AP cadre and re-allocated him to Telangana cadre. With the Telangana government not giving any posting to the officer, the latter had filed another application before the CAT in 2024.

The CAT in its order observed that its order was not complied with by not giving any posting to the officer despite a clear direction from the Central government.

“On the contrary, they passed some instructions on October 25 which are nothing but wilful disobedience of the order of this Tribunal,” the CAT order said. Subsequently, the bench issued contempt notice to the CS. Questioning the order, the CS moved the HC by filing a writ petition which was eventually dismissed.

The IFS officer was not given any posting though he reported to the office of the CS in April 2024. He was not getting salary too till date. “It shows utter disregard to the orders of the Tribunal,” by the CS, the bench said. The CS did not turn up before the bench on December 19 despite specific direction.

The CS filed a miscellaneous application seeking exemption from appearance stating that she was occupied with the Assembly session and the visit of the President. The bench said that it was not happy with the averments made in the application by the CS and dismissed it.

The Calicut University (CU) will receive ₹100 crore under the Union government’s Multi-disciplinary Education and Research University (MERU) scheme.

Of this, the Centre will provide ₹60 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan and the State will give ₹40 crore. A release said on Saturday (December 21) that ₹2 crore will be for the renovation of the Pareeksha Bhavan, ₹1.7 crore for the online exam centre, ₹1.66 crore for the modernisation of the Department of Hindi, ₹1.5 crore for setting up Kerala Media Archive, and ₹1.79 crore for setting up a plastic waste management incubation centre, among others. A total of 26 projects would be taken up, which include ₹3 crore for setting up classrooms, labs, and libraries for four-year undergraduate programmes and integrated postgraduate degree programmes.

Zamorin’s Guruvayoorappan’s College, Kozhikode, MES Kalladi College, Mannnarkkad, Palakkad, and WMO College, Muttil, Wayanad, would get ₹5 crore each. The authorities said that the projects would have to be completed by March 31, 2026, the release added.

Hours after a discussion in the Telangana Legislative Assembly about the behaviour of actor Allu Arjun in the aftermath of a woman’s death at Sandhya 70 MM cinema hall, the actor dismissed it as “character assassination” without naming anyone or the forum.

Speaking in a press conference, Mr. Arjun, flanked by his father and a lawyer, gave his side of the story, and termed the death of the woman and the injury to the child an accident. The stampede at the cinema resulted in the death of a 35-year-old woman; her eight-year-old son is battling for life in a hospital.

“This is an unfortunate accident, and it is nobody’s fault. Everyone, including the police and myself, acted with positive intentions,” Mr. Arjun said, condoling with the family and wishing the injured child a speedy recovery. The actor informed the media that he was receiving hourly updates on the child’s condition.

The actor described the situation as being marred by misinformation and miscommunication, claiming that much of the narrative being shared was inaccurate. “There has been an attempt at character assassination. Despite the success of the film, we have cancelled all celebratory events to focus on the issue,” he added.

“It was not a roadshow; I was asked to wave to the fans so that they disperse, which I did out of respect for those waiting to see me. Had I known there was no permission, I would have turned back,” he said. He added that no police officer approached him while he watching the film. It was only after his team alerted him about the overcrowding that he decided to leave the venue.

“It was only the next day that I learned of the incident involving the death of a woman and an eight-year-old being hospitalised. My team advised me against visiting the hospital, and later, I was informed that a case had been filed against me. It was not appropriate for me to meet the family under these circumstances,” he said.

The CPI(M) district secretariat removed Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) chairman and former MLA P.K. Sasi from two more positions on Saturday.

Mr. Sasi, who faced disciplinary action after being involved in financial fraud, was removed from the posts of CITU district president and Chumattu Thozhilali Union president. Earlier, Mr. Sasi was demoted from the district committee to area committee.

CPI(M) district committee member P.N. Mohanan will become the new district president of the CITU. T.M. Sasi will be the new Chumattu Thozhilali Union president.

The party has left it to the State government to decide whether to retain Mr. Sasi as KTDC chairman.

Mr. Sasi faced disciplinary actions following the finding of an inquiry commission that he was directly involved in financial misappropriation. Although the party district committee had asked him to quit KTDC chairmanship and CITU presidentship, he refused to oblige.

In 2018, Mr. Sasi was suspended from the party for six months on charges of sexually harassing a woman. Although he returned to the party after two years, he faced disciplinary action yet again for causing divisionism within the party.

The CPI(M) district secretariat meet found fault with State committee member and former MP N.N. Krishnadas for making unsavoury comments in public. Mr. Krishnadas was criticised for his remarks against mediapersons equating them with “the dogs in front of a butcher shop”. He also faced criticism for his statement rejecting the “blue trolley” dispute as unhealthy for an election.

The meeting criticised him for not correcting his stand in spite of the party leadership standing against it. The meeting observed that Mr. Krishnadas’s stand had adversely affected the party’s prospects in the recently held Assembly byelection in Palakkad.

Party leaders were of the opinion that Mr. Krishnadas’s stand had validated the United Democratic Front (UDF) allegations that there was a split within the CPI(M) over how to fight the election.

The party observed that fielding Congress defector P. Sarin against UDF candidate Rahul Mamkootathil in Palakkad was a fair move.

The CPI(M) evaluated that the party did not lose its votes, and it was the BJP that helped the Congress in some areas.