The Rise of Populism

A cloud of uncertainty hangs over India’s economic policy agenda. Two key concerns have emerged. First, whichever political party wins the Lok Sabha elections – on from 11 April to 19 May 2019 – one thing is certain: in the name of poverty reduction, public spending is set to increase on lazily-thought-out schemes.

Second, it is also widely expected that the new government will likely have a smaller majority in the Lok Sabha than the current government, and may, therefore, find it tough to garner support for difficult reforms on which the political consensus is weak. Except, these reforms can no longer be postponed without seriously damaging the economy’s underlying growth prospects.

Economy, Employment, Opinion, Politics

September 24, 2017

Youth’s apathy leaves Kuthampully’s handloom industry on the brink of closure

For each Malayalee, a traditional Kerala festival, may it be Onam, Vishu, temple festival or one’s own birthday, is incomplete without the traditional Kerala dhothis and sarees. Kuthampully, a village on the banks of Bharathappuzha is famous for its own hand-loomed Kerala style clothing. Around 600 families here in this village are engaged in the making of ‘kasavu’ sarees, veshti, dhoti and ‘settu mundu’ which are highly accepted not even in Kerala, but around the world and across the cultures.

Though the natives are proud of their products and the acceptance they receive across the borders, the handloom industry here is on the verge of closure owing to lack of interest among the new generation to stick to their traditional business and to get settled in the village itself. Besides, the Government’s financial policies and ignorance of the craftsmen also make them put an end to this age-old employment.

“It is said that our ancestors came from Mysore to weave clothing for the king of Kochi centuries ago. They got settled here and made this village their home. Eventually, they started to sell them to the public who are interested. Thus, our products became quite famous among the local people and the outsiders,” says Saravanan (name has been changed to protect identity). The village is situated at Thiruvilwamala panchayat of Thrissur district.

art, Culture, Economy, Life, People

September 22, 2017

Kannur Airport: Government’s ‘business’ with Yusuffali to induce Rs.26-crore loss

As Kannur International Airport is all set to be launched next year, attempts are made by the State Government to give out the shares worth Rs.152.09 each to Lulu Group’s Yusuffali M.A. at Rs.100 per share, causing a loss amounting to Rs.26 crore to the State exchequer. The share value of Kannur airport when calculated in March was Rs.152.09 and the Government has now decided to sell the shares to the businessman at Rs.100. Almost 50 lakh shares will be received by Yusuffali at this rate.

It is informed that the report which was published in connection with the 8^th annual meet of Kannur International Airport Ltd (KIAL) had mentioned about this change in value of the shares which will be sold to Yusuffali. Several shareholders had also stated that they did not receive the shares from KIAL when they applied for them.

However, officials at KIAL termed the allegations “baseless”. The officials justify their stand by saying that no other investor showed interest in investing such a huge amount of money as Lulu Group’s Yusuffali did.

Development, Economy, People, Politics

September 1, 2017

Online data entry system at Vallarpadam terminal out of whack again

Even though the electronic data interchange system of the customs department at Vallarpadam Transhipment Terminal, Kochi, has again met with a glitch, the exporters in Kerala seem to be not much affected.

It has not made a difference to several major products including seafood, rubber, coir and spices, according to the respective exporting company officials, though the reason for this vary from one company to the other.

It is the second time this month, the online data entry system which deals with filing of the shipping bills of the containers engaged in export and the bill of entry of the containers involved in import, stopped working. The IT department officials at the Vallarpadam container terminal declined to comment on the issue. It is informed that the system got damaged on Wednesday afternoon and has not been rectified yet. A couple of weeks ago, the system had stopped working for several days together.

Daily, Economy, People

August 18, 2017

Thomas Chandy’s resort: Congress to remain firm on Minister’s resignation

Even though Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has strongly defended Transport Minister Thomas Chandy in the allegations raised by the Opposition regarding the construction of road leading to the Lake Palace resort Chandy owns, the Congress party in Kerala is firm on its stand. The Congress leaders on Friday made it clear that they would strictly defend their stand demanding the resignation of Minister Thomas Chandy and immediate investigation into the issue.

The resort is situated near Punnamada Lake in Alappuzha. Pinarayi Vijayan, while responding to the adjournment motion held by Congress MLA V. T. Balram in the Assembly last day, had said that Chandy had already given an explanation and the Government did not find anything serious to be investigated in the matter. Balram while speaking to The Kochi Post said that his party would never allow a large-scale scandal to go unnoticed.

“We have made our stand clear on the issue. As long as Chandy continues to hold the Minister’s office, he will do whatever to cover up the issue. Incidents like intimidating public officials who look into the matter will continue. Files will continue go missing. If an influential figure like him continue to hold the Minister’s office, the evidence destruction process will be easier. That is why myself as well as the Opposition leader demanded his resignation,” Balram said.

Economy, Law, People, Politics

July 12, 2017

SBI account holder incurs loss of INR 50,000 in multiple fraudulent transactions

In an unprecedented and stunning case of e-transaction fraud, a State Bank of India (SBI) account holder lost money amounting to around Rs 50,000 in multiple transactions. Jayakrishnan S, an advocate practising in the Kerala High Court, owns an account at the Kaloor branch of SBI.

The complainer received a message from the bank’s SMS alert system indicating his balance from which he came to know that a huge amount of money had been lost from the account without his knowledge. Jayakrishnan blocked the debit card immediately and filed a formal complaint with the bank on Monday morning. A police complaint has also been lodged on the same day against the fraudulent transactions believed to have taken place on Friday and Saturday last week.

“On Friday night, I received some messages on my mobile in Hindi from some unknown site. It was not mentioned that a particular amount have been deducted from my account. On Saturday night I received an SMS alert from SBI showing my balance and when I crosschecked it was noted that Rs.49,909 has been deducted from the account through multiple transactions (around 800 transactions). It was also noticed that in each of these transactions, an amount of Rs 64.95 was deducted,” Jayakrishnan said.

Economy, Law, Life, Technology

May 31, 2017

Kerala State Beverages Corporation to go Cashless

Kerala State Beverages Corporation (KSBC) is set to install card swiping machines in their Foreign Liquor shops throughout Kerala. They have published the tender notice on all major newspapers on 25^th May, 2017, inviting Banks to supply card swiping machines for all 271 FL-1 category Liquor shops spread throughout Kerala.

According to the tender notice by the State Beverages Corporation, introduction of swiping machines will provide better facilities to the customers of KSBC retail shops. It has also been said that, initially KSBC’s self help premium counters will be the set of retail shops to avail this service.

“This move by the KSBC could be a stepping stone for Kerala government to go cashless. If you ask me this idea should’ve been implemented at the time of demonetization. A lot of people that I knew just couldn’t spend the little amount of cash that they had to buy alcohol and there was no way for us to use our Debit cards in KSBC outlets,” says Jacob Anthony, who is resident of Thodupuzha. During that time, people had to resort to Beer and Wine parlors where drinks were sold at a marginally higher price.

Economy, Health, Life

May 25, 2017

SpiceJet’s Hand Baggage only Policy forces Customers to Check-In Baggage

In June 2015, SpiceJet had announced its hand baggage only fares, which gave discount for passengers travelling with hand baggage alone for domestic flights. It was meant to encourage travelers to travel light so that it will reduce fuel consumption, emission and thus helping the environment.

According to the SpiceJet guidelines, Cabin baggage of maximum 7 kg (which would include laptop and duty free shopping bags) having maximum overall dimensions of 115 cms. (L+W+H) on Boeing flights and 108 cms. (L+W+H) on Bombardier flights, is allowed to be carried per passenger, free of cost. Passengers with infants are allowed to carry an additional piece of hand baggage of maximum 7 kg., not exceeding the size dimensions, due to airport security regulations.If the luggage exceeds this limit, and travellers will have to pay additional fines.

This guideline was meant to help people but if you ask Shanmugham D. Jayan, Lawyer from Kochi, he’d say just the opposite. He was travelling from Kochi to Chennai on 24^th of May under ‘Friends and Family’ scheme with his family. It was a ‘Hand Baggage’ only ticket. It was mentioned in the ticket that, if there was check in baggage they will have to pay Rs.400 in addition to the ticket price.

Economy, People, Travel

April 20, 2017

Petrol Pumps to be Shut every Sunday, Tale of Two Arguments?

From the second week of May, you might need to fuel up your tanks on Saturdays if you live in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra and Haryana. Nearly 20000 fuel outlets in these States will remain closed for 24 hours on Sundays, starting from May 14^th.

This decision has been taken by the Consortium of Indian Petroleum dealers on the basis of two arguments. One being, fuel station owners adhering to PM’s ‘Man Ki Baat’ address where he urged the nation to use less fuel. And so, petrol pump owners decided to shut down once a week to reduce harm done to the environment. The second being that petrol pump owners want their dealer margins increased. According to them, the petrol and diesel business is not as profitable any more as it was in the past.

But these arguments don’t really make sense for a common man as any vehicle owner including a taxi driver would fill up their fuel tanks a day before if they know that petrol pumps will be shut the next day. When demonetisation was announced, the dealers protested because they did not want to be charged the merchant discount rate (MDR). But as the number of credit/ debit card users increased, the percent of MDR claimed was higher than the margins on fuel prices.

Economy, Politics

March 4, 2017

Will HC do away with Indian Coffee House’s Cooperation Board?

Offering a glimpse into nostalgia and simpler times, the Indian Coffee House has been a favourite pit stop for coffee and refreshments for those who have grown up in Kerala. The ever familiar menu offering omlettes, cutlets and porottas, never fail to satiate us. This autonomous institution run by a cooperation board faces involvement of a political party for the first time in its history of more than 50 years.

Government decision to dismiss the Indian Coffee Board Corporation that runs the Indian Coffee House was challenged via a plea. The High Court will announce its decision regarding the matter on Monday, 6th March. Allegedly the decision to dismiss the board is a move by CPM (Communist Party of India Marxist) to take over the reins of this institution.

The dismissal order has apparently come after a complaint filed by CITU (Center of India Trade Unions). CITU members allegedly tried to forcefully take over the administration which the Board members tried to prevent. They claim that they hadn’t received any prior notice regarding this decision of dismissing the Board.

Corruption, Economy

January 29, 2017

When a Convicted Businessman Attends a Presidential Banquet

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces as the honoured Chief Guest at India’s 68^th Republic Day celebrations has played a pivotal role in cementing friendly relations between India and UAE. This is the second successive State Visit by Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed to India. The first one was in February 2016. This is also a clear indication that he and the people of UAE have a special place for Indians in their heart.

As a part of the visit, President Shri Pranab Mukherjee had hosted a banquet dinner in honour of the Crown Prince, which was preceded by official discussions. The Prince also met Vice-President Shri Mohammed Hamid Ansari and had delegation-level discussions with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, who also hosted a banquet lunch in honour of the visiting dignitary. Many dignified personalities from various sectors like business, media, finance etc. were present at the dinner. The meet also included NRI businessman Galfar Muhammadali, who was sentenced to 15 years by an Omani court for bribing a government official to get an extension of a contract granted by Petroleum Development Oman (PDO). The criminal court in Muscat had in March 2014 sentenced him to 15 years in jail and slapped a fine of Rs 27 crore.

Controversial guest?

Corruption, Economy, Politics

January 23, 2017

Meet Lakshmi. The Nurse Who Has Become Kochi’s Saree Expert.

Saree is probably the most sought-after attire for Indian women. The intricate designs on the aanchal, the rich colours, and the many ways of draping it attracts thousands of people across the globe. Then again, have you ever met a person who gleams at the mere thought of sarees?

Meet Lakshmi. A native of Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu. She made Kochi her home and has been living here for over 17 years.

Family and the past

Economy, Fashion