April 2004 - Old.kerala.gov.in - Government of Kerala

Department of
Information &
Public Relations
Government of Kerala
Volume 2 Number 5
State Faces The Challenge
The drought continues to sweep the
State causing unimaginable hardships,
losses and misery to the people. All
available resources have been chanalised
to meet the exigencies of the situation and
no stone is being left unturned for meeting
this end.
Chief Minister Mr. A.K.
Antony visited the remotest
places of the drought hit
areas and had a first hand
view and feel of the plight of
the people, gruelling under
the ravages of a scorching
sun. Crowds of farmers and
farm hands gathered round
him with their tales of owe
April 2004
Unprecedented Drought:
Chief Minister Mr. A. K. Antony views the drought damage to
crops in Kottayam district. MLA Mr. Thomas Chazhikadan and
the District collector Mr. Ajith Kumar are by his side.
about water scarcity and
agricultural loses. The Chief
Minister listened to every one of
them with his words of comfort.
Back in Thiruvananthapuram,
cabinet deliberations assessed the
situation and decided on
concerted and bold initiatives to
face the challenges.
The Minister for Revenue,
Mr. K.M. Mani has sanctioned
Rs.200 crores for drought relief
operations. A high level crisis
management group under the Chief
Secretary has directed all district
collectors to face the exigencies of the
drought, in a war footing. All revenue
recovery procedings against those
affected by the ravages of the drought
A meeting of District Collectors, chaired by the Chief Minister to
evaluate the drought relief activities. His cabinet collegues and the
Chief Secretary are also seen.
Contd. on page-4
A whirlwind itinerary
that addressed many issues
With the objective of initiating
meaningful interactions between the State
Government and the Governments of
the Middle East countries, Indian
Embassies and NRI organisations, the
Minister for NORKA Mr.M.M. Hassan’s
whirlwind visit of Gulf Countries met
Mr. Hassan with the ruler of Ajman Sheik
with great success in addressing the Humaid Bin Rashid Al Nuyai
problems of the two million Malayalees
working there. First hand observation of the trials and tribulations of the Pravasis
and creating a proper work environment, were agendas prioritised by Mr. Hassan in
Contd. on page-7
April 2004
Stockholm Challenge
International
IT Award for Akshaya?
Akshaya, the
flagship IT project
of the Department
of Information
Technology of the
Government of Kerala, has qualified as
a finalist in the prestigious Stockholm
Challenge – an award programme for
pioneering IT projects world wide. This
ICT intervention, designed to reach out
to the remotest location and the most
underprivileged citizen, competed with
900 similar projects from more than 100
different countries, to acquire this
qualification. The international jury, a
group of senior experts, has selected
103 finalists and Akshaya is one of
them.
The Stockholm Challenge was initiated
in 1994 by the City of Stockholm, with
the aim of diminishing the digital divide
and creating an information technology
savy society for all.
Technology itself is not the issue;
the focus is on how IT can benefit
people and society. Projects compete in
six different categories; e-government,
culture, health, education, e-business
and environment.
The winners will be announced in
the Stockholm City Hall on May 13.
The programme during the week at the
Stockholm Challenge Final Events
include networking activities, seminars,
exhibition and technical visits, enabling
Akshaya to showcase its benefits to a
global audience, highly receptive to
initiatives on supporting ICT
penetration among the masses along
with the opportunity to win one of the
prestigious international awards.
The project was presented to the
Contd. on page-5

2
Kerala
Interface
Editor-in-chief
Editor
www.prd.kerala.gov.in
www.kerala.gov.in
April 2004
Fragility of the perch
The fragility of the perch of
life on earth comes alive even in
a simple vagary of nature. The
present drought that sweeps the
state causing unimaginable
damage and suffering to the
people, exposes our total
helplessness in spite of all the
technologies and facilities that are
available.
The smallness of human
capabilities against the forces of
nature, is a lesson that has to be
learnt well. Water could be
transported to the drought hit
areas in tanker lorries, only
because the life supporting
precious drop is available
elsewhere. It is not an
impossibility that this thin film
also gets dried up wiping off lives,
in a matter of minutes.
The World Earth Day passes by
trying to sound an alarm. The cry
is feeble against the arrogance of
the human mind. We have been
tinkering with nature dangerously
too long and the damage caused,
needs nursing. The balance has to
be restored. The line has to be
drawn and needs to be drawn now.
Mother Nature is gracious. It
is not late to lose hope; the rains
will not be far behind.
- Editor-in-Chief
:G. Rajasekharan, IAS
:Xavier Primus Rajan
Assistant
information officer : K. Mohanan
Circulation
Lay out
Type setting
:K. Radhakrishnan
:M. Deepak
:B. Harikumar
Kerala Interface,
Publication Wing, Department of
Information and Public Relations,
1 st Floor, Secretariat Annexe,
Thiruvananthapuram - 695 001
Phone : 0471 - 2518868,
E-mail : contact@prd.kerala.gov.in
Budget flights to the Gulf a reality?
Air India has decided in
principle to start ‘Budget’ flight
services to the Gulf countries
from the State. This decision has
been taken by Air India in the
wake of long standing demands
and protests from Gulf
Air India Chairman and Managing Director Mr. V. Tulasidas and
Thiruvananthapuram manager Mr. Rathan Ghosh, discusses matters Malayalees, on the exorbitant
regarding the Air travel problems faced by the gulf Malayalies with the fares realised by the airline from
Minister for Norka Mr. M. M. Hassan, in his chamber.
the passengers in this sector.
Though a Gulf airline company came forward to run such a service on the efforts of
Mr.M.M. Hassan, Minister for Non Resident Keralites Affairs (NoRKA), this had been cowed
down by the joint efforts of all airlines that operated in this sector.
Pleas and efforts of the Chief Minister Mr. A.K. Antony in this regard were also brushed
aside by the Union Aviation Ministry on the ground that the very existence of Air India and
Indian Airlines would be in jeopardy if the proposed budget air services were started.
This welcome break which brings in much relief for the haggard and squeezed gulf job
seeker and the poorly paid gulf Malayalee lot, is expected to come through, thanks to the
pressures exerted by the State government and various Gulf Malayalees, on the Air India
Management.
LSGD – IKM initiative under MGP
Birth/death certification gets streamlined
A computerised system of issuing birth
and death certificates within 24 hours of
occurrence is being implemented in the
State from June, this year.
As per this system, hospitals
interconnected with the respective local
bodies by computer, will pass on detailed
information of births and deaths that
occur in the hospital, as per an unified
format, to the respective local body. This
information will be
processed and made
into certificates the
same day by the
local authorities
which will be
collected by the
respective
hospitals and
handed over to the
concerned persons. All this
happen within the limit of a day’s time.
Other than speed, this system, which
is an initiative of the Information Kerala
Mission, will also provide for improving
the efficiency and accuracy of the birth
and death registration system of the State,
falling in conformity with the 1969,
Registration of Birth and Death Act.
An elaborate citizen’s data base profiling
the disease patterns and such other
parametres and indices will be made possible
by the accurate information received through
this system, as 98 per cent of deliveries and
95 per cent deaths take place in hospitals.
Implemented by the Local Self
Government Department
under the ‘Modernising
Government
Programme’, this 3.5
crore project is headed
by the Census
Director for the State.
Though the project
envisages to provide
computer kiosks in all
hospitals of the state; both
government and private; the first phase will
connect 182 government and private
hospitals coming under Kozhikode, Trissur,
Ernakulam, Kollam and
Thiruvananthapuram city corporations.
April 2004

State Media awards announced
The State media awards for the year 2003 has been announced.
The award for general reporting goes for the serialised article
Kolayude Kuripadi (prescription for Plunder) in the Malayala
Manorama, contributed by Mr. Pradeep Pillai, Mr. H. Suresh, Mr.
Shenoy C. Karun and Mr. K. Tony Jose.
Reports about ‘Kudumbasree’, in the Malayala Manorama, won
the award for
developmental
reporting to Ms.
K. Nishima.
Mr. Razak
Media Awards being anounced by the Minister for
Information and Parlimentary Affairs Mr. M. M.
Hassan. The Director & Serectary, Information & Public
Relations Mr. G. Rajasekharan IAS and Kerala Press
Academy Chairman Mr. Thomas Jacob are by his side.
Thazhatangadi,
won the news
photography
award for his
photographs
titled “Niram Maratha Nimisham” (The moment which did not
change colour) which was published in Madhyamam daily.
Mr. C.J. Yesudasan won the award for cartoon for his lines
titled “Murali Das Karun Chand Gandhi” in the Malayala Manorama.
Mr. K. Ajith is the winner of the award for T.V. News –
Munnam Mura (third degree) in Asianet.
The awards comprise of Rs.10,000, a citation and a plaque.
Democracy safe
in today’s youth
“The future of democracy is safe in the hands of today’s
youth”, said Mr. M.M. Hassan, Minister for Information and
Parliamentary Affairs, speaking at the valedictory function of
the Model Parliament, organised by the Institute of Parliamentary
Affairs, for the benefit of college students.
This model parliament revealed that the youth are greatly
interested in imbibing the democratic culture and that the
model parliament, exuded the standards of today’s
parliamentarians, the minister pointed out.
The five winners selected from among the 42 students
who won the 1 st , 2 nd and 3 rd places in the district level ‘Student
Parliament Competitions’ will be provided with an opportunity to
visit South-East Asian Countries.
The model parliament as well as the two day orientation
class, were held at the old Assembly Hall of the Government
Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram.
Kerala
Interface 3
Representatives of BMW, the world famous German car company, holds
discussion with the Chief Minister Mr A. K. Antony and the Industries Minister
Mr. P. K. Kunhalikutty on the prospects of starting a BMW car manufacturing
unit at Kalamassery.
Recycle and Reuse
Waste paper puts light on dim eyes
Read newspapers have become a source for funding
cataract surgery for the poor. This waste paper collection
scheme is an invention of the Kollam District Collector, Dr.
Rajan Khobragade, to fund his ‘Drishya pathadi’ formulated
to clear the district off cataract patients.
About 70,000 kgs of newspaper has been collected so
far, and converted into about 6 lakh rupees!
Drishya Pathadhi identifies patients who need cataract
surgery, by house visits and by giving wide publicity to the
programme. The scheme is being implemented by the
Department of Health in association with the District
Blindness Control Society, local bodies and voluntary
organisations.
The scheme was first implemented at the Anchalumood
Block Panchayat where 136 people were cured of cataract,
absolutely free and this attracted a lot of public
attention. It was following this that the scheme
‘Recycle and Reuse’ for raising funds for ‘Drishya
Pathadhi’ by collecting waste papers, has been
launched by the Kollam District Collector.
As per the scheme, waste paper will
be collected through schools, local
bodies, voluntary organisations,
Kudumbashree units etc. and sent
to the newsprint factory at Vellur.
Waste paper fetches Rs.8.50 per kilo
and about Rs.6 lakh has been made
out of this scheme already.
- S. Nazar, District Information Officer,
Kollam
Minister for Information and Parlimentary Affairs Mr. M. M. Hassan, in
disscussion with film personalities, trying to sort out their problems.
April 2004

4
Kerala
Interface
When Minister Mr. M.V. Raghavan and officials
reached the new bridge to assess the garbage
slump in Parvathiputhenar
Unprecedented Drought - Contd. from Page-1
have been frozen for six months. Free ration is being given to the farmers and
agricultural labourers of Wynad district and closed down plantations.Compensation
is being given for agricultural loses and the amount has recently been doubled.
The ceiling limit of Rs.25,000 annual income for compensation eligibility has also
been waived. Rain water harvesting projects are being implemented in selected
government schools and offices before the coming monsoon. District collectors have
been empowered to sanction upto Rs.15 lakhs for individual works.
The Minister for Water Resources and Irrigation, Mr. T.M. Jacob issued directions
to make all water sources available to the people. Paucity of funds and official redtapism
where set aside for meeting this objective. Directions where issued to dig 100 tube
wells in each district. Measures were taken to make water available for agricultural
purposes from irrigation projects. Tanker lorries were pressed into service to reach
drinking water to areas of water scarcity. All water sources have been taped and pumps
Parvathi Puthanar
to be dredged
and made to flow
The 1.14 crore scheme to dredge
Parvathy Puthanar in Thiruvananthapuram
for a distance of 14 kms
from Chacka to Poonthura, will be
implemented immediately, said Mr. M.V.
Raghavan, Minister for Co-operation
and Ports. As a part of the efforts to
address the pollution issues raised by
the garbage slump in the Parvathy
Puthanar, blocking its flow, the minister
visited the area with the heads of
various departments and had a first hand
assessment.
Necessary instructions for the
upkeep of the area with emphasis on
public health, will be given to the Health
Department, the minister said.
Asia Week Milan 2004
Italians eye State’s Agro-food industry
“Kerala will benefit greatly from The Asia
Week Milan 2004, a business meet to be held
in Milan, Italy, in September this year”, said
Dr Andrea Bonardi, Secretary General of
the Indo-Italian Chamber of Commerce and
Industry, at the interactive session organised
by Kerala Industrial Infrastructure
Development Corporation (KINFRA).
Interacting with the Industrialists, he said that
Kerala tourism has great potential to attract
tourism from Italy. “Though Italians know
about Kathakali and Ayurveda, they are not
A visual of the all party meeting convened by the Chief Minister to discuss the drought problems
have been repaired. The working of lift irrigation schemes have been ensured.
Minister for Local Self Government Mr. Cherkalam Abdullah, sanctioned Local
bodies to utilise the plan funds for finding solutions to the drinking water problems,
disregarding the plan objectives initiated by the Local Self Government Department.
The meeting of state co-operative and dist. co-operative presidents, chaired by the
Minister for co-operation Mr. M.V. Raghavan, decided to convert all short term loans
into long term ones and to lower the interest rates on loans. New loans are being
sanctioned without hassles. The term of long term loans from Agricultural Devlopment
Banks has been extended for one more year without levying any interest on this extended
term.
Digging new wells and deepening the existing ones, renovating/cleaning of ponds
and public tanks, repairing/ extending water pipes, laying of new pipe lines, construction
of check dams across rivers and rain water storage facilities etc. where the measures in
the agenda of Revenue, Water Resources and Local Self Government Departments,
which have brought in great relief to the hapless farmers who had the misfortune of
seeing their crops dry up in the scorching sun and feel their debts tighten its noose
round their neck.
familiar with
Kerala. But
now that they
are looking
Dr. G C Gopala Pillai, MD, KINFRA, Mr. P H Kurian IAS,
MD, KSIDC Ltd, Mr. R Harikumar, Member Secretary,
KEREXIL and Ms. D Sreevidya, Regional Representative of
The Indo-Italian chamber of Commerce at the session.
for new
destinations, Kerala can get noticed through
the Asia Week Milan 2004, of which, Kerala
is participating as a partner state”.
Dr. Andrea Bonardi said that the agrofood
industry in the state has great
potential to attract investment from Italy.
The fruits as well as coffee and tea
produced from
the state could
very well attract
the Italian
market.
Apart from
India, Asian
countries like
C h i n a ,
Singapore, Thailand and HongKong are
also participating in the Expo.
The Interactive session with Dr
Andrea Bonardi, was organized by Kerala
Industrial Infrastructure Development
Corporation (KINFRA) in association
with KSIDC and KEREXIL.
April 2004

Stockholm Challenge - Contd. from Page-1
international delegates by Smt. Aruna Sundararajan, Secretary,
Information Technology, Government of Kerala, at the “World
Summit on the Information Society’” organised by the UN
General Assembly in Sweden in December 2003. Pursuing a
larger e-governance vision, encompassing the setting-up of
citizen-friendly services, the Information Technology
Department of the Government of Kerala, pioneered the project
‘Akshaya’ in the State.The initiative seeks to make at least one
person in each of the 6.5 million families in the State IT-literate.
Being a finalist in the Stockholm Challenge is a victory in itself,
says Dr. Alfonso Molina, professor at the University of Edinburgh
and Chairman of the jury.
April 2004
Kerala
Interface 5
Pristine Vagamon
Asan’s verses vibrate with national ethos
The verses of Kumaran Asan vibrates
with national ethos, said Prof. B.
Hridayakumari, inaugurating the literary
meet at the National Asan Cultural
Festival, Commemorating the 131 st
Anniversary of Kumaran Asan, one of the
poetic trinity of Malayalam verse.
The festival organised from 9 th to 13 th
April was inaugurated by the veteran singer
Padmashree Dr. K.J. Jesudas and
Devaswom Board president Dr. N. Babu
presided over the function. Dr. M.G.
Sasibhooshan, Dr. Jancy James and
Vilakkudy Rajendran spoke. Dr. M.R.
Thampan, scholar and President of the
The Information &
Public Relations
Secretary Mr. G.
Rajasekharan releases
the Loksaba Elections-
2004, brought out by the
Information & Public
Relations Department,
by handing over the first
copy to the press club
president Mr. J. Ajith
Kumar
Padmashree Dr. K.J. Jesudas inaugurates the Asan National
Cultural festival, by lighting the lamp. Trust Chairman Dr. M.A.
Thampan, Vice Chairman Mr. M.A. Vaheed MLA, Secretary
Mr. G. Gopala Krishnan, Dr. N. Babu, Dr. N.G. Sashibhooshan
and Mrs. Jansy James stand around.
Kumaranasan National
Institute of Culture,
welcomed the gathering and
Mr. A.A. Jaleel proposed the
vote of thanks.
The literary session was
inaugurated by Prof. B.
Hridayakumari. Dr. K.
Ayyappa Panicker
inaugurated the National
poetic session which was
presided over by Mr.
K.Sachidanandan. Poets
from across the country, participated in
this session.
The Kavyarchana was initiated by Prof.
Kilimanoor Remakandan and about 150
poets recited their poems.
The cultural session was inaugurated
by a C. V. Ananda Bose IAS and Ms. Lalitha
Lenin presided over the function.
The second literary session was
inaugurated by Prof. Vishnu Narayanan
Namboothiri and was presided over by Dr.
D. Benjamin.
Sufi music & dance performances were
presented by the world famous Mamgniyars
from Rajasthan. Folk arts, dances,
The lush green valleys of Vagamon nestled on the
cool mountain ranges of the Western Ghats in Idukki
district, is a new found heaven for tourists, holiday seekers
and the dwellers of the plains who seek a respite from
the grilling summer heat.
News that this pristine treat for the eyes, mind and
body, is being overrun by the cruellest of nature’s
instruments -‘Man’, has been ordered a probe by the
Minister for Tourism, Mr. P. Sankaran. The probe is on
“too many tyre marks and levelling of land” reported
from the area.
music, gananjali, literary competitions
and variety entertainments were the
other attractions of the festival.
Prizes were distributed to the
winners of various competitions by Dr.
M. R. Thampan during the concluding
session.
The National Asan Cultural Festival is
an annual event organised by the
Kumaranasan National Institute of
Culture, which functions under the
Department of Cultural Affairs , Govt. of
Minister for Cultural Affairs Mr. G. Karthikeyan,
releases the M.P. Appan issue of ‘Vivekodayam’,
the Asan Cultural Institute’s house journal by
presenting it to Mrs. P. Sumathi, the late
Mahakavi M.P. Appan’s wife.
Kerala. The institute is governed by a
body comprising of Dr. M. R.
Thampan, advocate M. A. Vaheed MLA
and Mr. G. Gopalakrishnan.

6
Kerala
Interface
Kerala tourism steals ITB 2004
Kerala established itself as the strongest Indian destination
at the ITB Berlin 2004. Apart from being the biggest participant
from India, (occupying 60 sq. mt. space and fielding 13 trade
partners from the State) Kerala also received the maximum
number of visitors in the India pavilion.
Beautiful images of the State
displayed in the Kerala pavilion,
generated a lot of interest among
the trade and the public. Visitors
were bowled over by the newly
introduced promotional kit titled –
Life in New Light, a collection of
brochures portraying the
destination experience. A fresh taste
of the state was presented with
Ms. Rathi Vijay Jha, Secretary - India Tourism handing over the candle
to Adv. P. Sankaran, Minister - Tourism Kerala at the inauguration of
the India Pavilion at ITB 2004
traditional items like coconut shell products, bee wax candles
and the such.
Minister for Tourism Mr. P. Sankaran, Secretary Tourism Mr.
T. Balakrishnan and Director Tourism Mr. Alkesh Kumar Sharma,
led the 25 strong Kerala contingent, which included the two
leading hotel chains; Le Meridian and KTDC, along with Kadavu
Resorts, Kadappuram Beach Resort, Isolo de Coco, Coconut Bay Beach
Resort, Kairali Ayurvedic Resort, Poovar Island Resort, Travancore Heritage
Resort, Vagamon Hide Out, and tour operators like Jayasree Travels,
Great India Tour Company and Kerala Travels Interserve Ltd.
Kerala Tourism conducted a road show at the Grand Hyatt,
Berlin, which was attended by 50 leading tour operators and travel
writers from the German market.
Presence of the Indian Ambassador
to Germany, Mr. T.C.A. Rangachari and
heavy weights of India Tourism like its
Secretary Ms. Rathi Vinay Jha, Joint
Secretary Mr. Amithabh Kant, and
Additional Director General Ms. Rashmi
Varma at the show, underlined the
premium status of God’s Own Country,
within India.
The State Minister for Tourism, Mr.
P. Sankaran, introduced the destination to the audience in his
address and spoke about Germany’s contributions to Kerala and
the ties that both the cultures share.
Participation of hotels and resorts like Casino CGH, Thapovan
Heritage and Somatheeram at the ITB on their own, the extension
of the tourist season in the state by a month this year and the
share of the State in the Incredible India Campaign, are indicators
of the success of the State’s Tourism promotion initiatives.
An Padmanabhan
elephant jewel
Elephants have always been a source of wonder and
amazement all over the world. In India, they are respected and
given the pride of place in religious rituals and temple pageantry.
The legendary tusker ‘Guruvayoor Kesavan’ of Guruvayoor
devaswom was honoured with the title of Gajarajan (King of
Elephants) and recently, his successor Guruvayoor Padmanabhan
has been bestowed with the title, Gajarathnam (elephant jewel),
Guruvayoor Padmanabhan, the majestic tusker, has been
presented to the Guruvayoor Sree Krishna Swami Temple in
1954 by the EP brothers of Ottappalam. Padmanabhan
earned a whopping Rs.4.5 lakh within three months, for his
service in other temples. He has a record of earning two
lakh twenty two thousand two hundred and twenty two rupees
(Rs.2,22,222) in a day. This is for participating at Vallangi
Vela in Palakkad District.
His size composture, demeanor, poise, proportion and
gait is a splendour to behold. Caparisoned, he is stunningly
handsome and becomes the epitome of grace
divine.
on the occasion of
his completing 50
years of dedicated
service to
Guruvayoor temple.
Tears of ecstasy
filled the eyes of
thousands, when this
grand and gentle
tusker, revered for
his noble qualities
was lead in a
procession followed
The title of Gaja Rathnam being bestowed on
Padmanabhan by Minister for Cultural Affairs,
Mr. G. Karthikeyan
by about fifty tuskers from Mammiyoor temple to Guruvayoor
temple. Hundreds of receptions were held and offerings were
made all along the way.
After paying obeisance to the statue
of his illustrious predecessor, the
renowned Gaja Rajan, Guruvayoor
Kesavan, Padmanabhan reached the
municipal ground and stood in a special
dais where the minister for Devaswom,
Mr. G. Karthikeyan bestowed on him the
title of ‘Gajarathnam’. The functions were
held as a part of the Golden Jubilee
celebrations of Padmanabhan completing
50 years of dedicated service to the
Guruvayoor temple.
April 2004

Whirlwind itinerary - Contd.from Page-1
this visit.
Discussions, debates, interactions, official meetings, family
get togethers and direct observation of the problems that
piqued the Malayalee community, packed the entire 14 days
of the itinerary.
Mr. Hassan had lengthy discussions with Bahrin State
Minister Mr. Abdul Hussain Al Mirsa, Labour Minister Dr.
Majeed Al Alavi and Indian Ambassador Mr. Bhaskar Kumar
Mitra on the deplorable conditions prevailing in Labour Camps.
Dr. Majeed Al Alavi assured him of proper and regular
inspection, initiating a system of confidential filing of petitions
and prompt action against sponsors who violate labour rules
in labour camps.
Leaders of Indian Social organisations interact with Mr. M. M. Hassan
at a meeting organised at the Indian Embassy at Kuwait. The Indian
Ambassador Mr. Swaghpal Singh is also seen.
In Qatar, Mr. Hassan called on the Labour Minister Sheik
Phala Bin Jasim Bin Jaber and discussed various issues affecting
the NRIs.
In Kuwait, the minister had discussions with Indian
Ambassador Mr. Swaghpal Singh and Indian community
leaders. A press conference was also arranged. Later, the
Minister, together with the Governor of Al-Farvania and the
Indian Ambassador, visited Abbasia, a trouble torn residential
area of Malayalees where excesses were committed against
Keralites by miscreants and anti-social elements.
In UAE, Mr. Hassan met Higher Education Minister Sheik
Nahian Bin Mubarak Al Nahian. Later, the Minister inaugurated
the Silver Jubilee celebrations of the Sharjah Indian
Association, where he had a discussions with the Ajman ruler
Sheik Humaid Bin Reshid Al Nuyami, Fujaira ruler Sheik
Hamad Bin Rashid Al Sharbi, Labour Minister Sheik Mathar
Humaid Al Thayar and Dubai Consul General Mr. Y.K. Sinha.
The meeting with the Founder of Modern Dubai and UAE
defence minister Sheik Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Makhthum
was most remarkable. His excellency consented to conduct
‘Samavayam 2004’ – World Malayalee Conference, at Dubai.
Ernakulam – Thiruvananthapuram railway electrification by May
The Thiruvananthapuram Ernakulam railway lines through
both Alapuzha and Kottayam will be ready for electrification
by May this year. As per the railway notification, the last of
the five reaches
will be charged
through the
traction lines on
30 th May.
Kerala
Interface
Justice Sandeep Kumar Sodhi, being sworn in as the Cheif Justice of the
Kerala High Court, by the State’s Governer Mr. T. N. Chaturvedi
Port Development:
Seven Projects on the anvil
The State Government aims at developing seven ports
and each of these are at varying stages of development.
Eleven companies, including three foreign entities, have
submitted their expressions of interest for the international
container trans-shipment terminal at Vizhinjam, on build-owntransfer
basis.
The foreign companies are; Dubai Ports International,
National Port Authority of South Africa and Beckett Rankine
and Company, London.
Others expressing interest in the project are Larsen &
Toubro Ltd, Chennai, Afcons Infrastructure Ltd, Mumbai,
ABG Heavy Industries Ltd, Mumbai, IL&FS and Hilico
consortium, Mumbai, Hili Company, Malta and Punj Lloyd
consortium Delhi, Adani Exports, Ahmedabad, East West
Airlines, Mumbai and Gammon India Ltd, Mumbai.
Mr. M.V. Raghavan, Minister for Ports, said that the
companies would be asked to submit their technical and
financial proposals and the final selection of the developer is
likely to be made before July-end.
The Mumbai based Eeco Company along with a Belgium
group has expressed interest in establishing a Mariana in
Alapuzha. A memorandum of understanding with the
company is likely to be signed shortly.
A MoU has been signed with the Parissons Group for
developing Beypore Port. The technical and final proposal
submitted by the group is currently under evaluation and it is
hoped that a BOT agreement could be signed shortly.
Universal Petrolium of Sharjah, has submitted its
expression of interest for developing Azhikkal Port. A detailed
proposal is being awaited from the company.
Work on the fishing harbour at Ponnani is getting under
way. The harbour will be enabled with cargo handling
capabilities.
Proposals for developing Thangassery and Munambam
ports are on the anvil- a press release from the Ports
Department said.
7
April 2004

Kerala
Interface April 2004
The European Union is
holding its tenth film
festival in India this year.
Seventeen European
countries are participating
in the festival, which
represents an important
facet of the growing
cultural relations between
the EU and India.
The EU Film Festival
has been held biennially since 1986 in Delhi. The festival began
to be held in Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Kolkata also
from 1992. This is the first time that the festival is hosted in
Thiruvananthapuram, its sixth venue in India.
This certainly is an indicator of the high film literacy of
Keralites in general and the people of Thiruvananthapuram in
particular, made known to the outside world by the active film
society movement and the International Film Festival of Kerala
(IFFK).
Presented by the European Union member State Missions
and the Delegation of the European Commission in India in
association with the Directorate of Film Festivals, Ministry of
Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, the
festival is hosted at the Kalabhavan theatre in
Thiruvananthapuram from 26 th to 30 th April 2004, by the Kerala
State Film Development
Corporation.
The State TV Awards for the year
2003 has been announced. The best actor
is Mr. Ravi Vallathol and Ms. Sarika is
the best actress. ‘American Dreams’ (Asianet)
has been chosen as the best tele-serial and
‘Sree Narayana Guru’ (Asianet) has been
chosen as the second best tele-serial.
‘Antharangal’ (Surya TV) bags the award
for the best tele-film and ‘An unfinished
Movie’ bags the award for the next best.
Mr. Pramod Payyanur is adjudged as
Sarika
the best director for his tele-film
‘Devamanasam’. The award
for screen play goes to Mr.
Ranjith Shanker for his work
in ‘American Dreams’. Mr.
K.L. Mohana Varma is the
Ravi Vallathol
State TV Awards 2003
A sean from American Dreams
No.1 Story writer (tele-film
Parpidam).
Mr. Vaidhi is the best
photographer. Mr. K. Srinivas wins
the award for editing and Mr.
Madhu Dev for music direction.
Shankaran Embranthiri honoured
with Swathi Puraskaram
The Swathi Puraskaram for the
year 2003 will be bestowed on the
renowned Kathakali musician,
Kalamandalam Shankaran
Embranthiri. This puraskaram,
instituted by the State Government
for honouring maestros for their
over all contribution to music at
the national level, carries a purse
of Rs. 1 lakh, a plaque and a citation.
Kalamandalam Shankaran Embranthiri, honoured as an
exponent of Kathakali music, was born in 1944 at Vellayoor village
in Malappuram district. He graduated in Kathakali Music at the
age of 16 from Kalamandalam and made his mark as a Kathakali
Singer from 1970 onwards. He has been credited with the
exceptional ability of presenting the clarity of Kathakali abhinaya
in his singing, taking the art closer to the people.
Women’s
point
put on
view
A selection of films
made by women,
handpicked by the Mumbai
based non profit
organisation. Point of view
were screened in
Thiruvananthapuram in
association with Film Lovers
Cultural Association (FILCA).
This touring festival seeked to show the world through the
eyes of women, cutting across language, culture and
geographical barriers. This first travelling women’s international
festival, showcased the award winning works of four foreign
directors and Aparna Sen’s 36 Chowringhee Lane.
Apple by Samera Makhkalbaf (Iran), ‘Sweetie’ by Jane
Campian (Australia), Dasies, by Vera Chytilova (Czech Republic)
and La Cienaga (The Swamp) by Lucrecia Martel
(Argentina)were the four
foreign films screened.
The festival started at
Mumbai on International
Women’s Day and travelled to
Delhi, Kokata, Hyderabad and
Chennai before accepting the
hospitality of FILCA and
coming to Thiruvananthapuram. It
left for Bangalore from
Thiruvananthapuram, to end at
Pune, leaving behind women’s
images and their distinct perspectives
in the minds of Thiruvananthapuram
film buffs.
April 2004
Edited, Printed and Published by G. Rajasekharan IAS, on behalf of the Director, Department of Information & Public Relations, Government of Kerala.
Published from the Directorate of Information & Public Relations, Government of Kerala, Government Secretariat Thiruvananthapuram-695001
and Printed at Akshara Offset, T.C. 25/3231, Thoppil-3, Thiruvananthapuram - 695035
For free circulation