Thiruvananthapuram, May 20: CPI(M) Veteran Pinarayi Vijayan was sworn-in as Chief Minister of Kerala for the second time along with 20 ministers here on Thursday.
Mr Vijayan led the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) to the consecutive victory in the April 6 Assembly election.
Governor Arif Mohammed Khan administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mr Vijayan and the new ministers in the presence of 500 people, amid COVID protocol, at the Central Stadium at 1530 hours.
Mr Pinarayi Vijayan, CPI(M) politburo member had won from the Dharmadam seat in North Kerala’s Kannur district with a margin of 50,123 votes.
Earlier, he had been elected to the assembly in 1970, 1977, 1991 and 1996.
This time, the LDF won 99 seats out of the 140 Assembly seats compared to 91 seats in the 2016 Assembly election, paving way for a second consecutive term for Mr Pinarayi Vijayan, altering the four-decades-long electoral tradition in Kerala where there was alternative shift of power between the LDF and United Democratic Front (UDF)
Those who took oath as ministers are K Krishnankutty, JD(S), AK Saseendran, NCP, K Radhakrishnan, CPI-M, J Chinchurani, CPI, Roshy Augustine, KC(M), P Rajeev, CPI-M, K Rajan, CPI, Veena George, CPI-M, Prof R Bindu, CPI-M, MV Govindan Master, CPI-M, PA Mohamed Riyas, CPI-M, Ahamed Devarkovil, INL, V Abdurahiman, National Secular Conference, V Sivankutty, CPI-M, Antony Raju, Democratic Kerala Congress, GR Anil, CPI, KN Balagopal, CPI-M, Saji Cheriyan, CPI-M, P Prasad, CP and VN Vasavan, CPI-M,
Except Chief Minister, A K Saseendran and K Krishnankutty , all other ministers are fresh faces.
Ahead of the ceremony, a virtual music programme of 54 singers aired at the venue.
CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury among others also attended the oath-taking ceremony.
Thiruvananthapuram, May 19: The swearing-in ceremony of the 21-member Cabinet led by Pinarayi Vijayan will be held at the Central Stadium here on Thursday at 1530 hrs amid COVID protocol.
Earlier, CPI(M) state committee has selected Pinarayi Vijayan as parliamentary party leader paving the way for making him the Chief Minister for a second consecutive term. Following which Pinarayi Vijayan called on Governor Arif Mohammed Khan staking claim to form the Government.
Ahead of the Government formation, CPI(M), CPI and other allies in Left Democratic Front (LDF) have decided their ministers for the CPI(M)-led Government.
The CPI(M) has released a list of ministers. MV Govindan, K Radhakrishnan, Saji Cheriyan, KN Balagopal, P Rajeev, VN Vasavan, V Sivankutty, Muhammed Riyas, Dr R Bindhu, Veena George and Abdul Rahman will be the ministers from the CPM.
This is also to be noted that Vijayan has decided to drop all the sitting ministers including health minister KK Shailaja and Excise Minister TP Ramakrishnan.
The CPI(M) has also selected MB Rajesh as Speaker of the Kerala Assembly and KK Shailaja as Party Whip. TP Ramakrishnan has been appointed as the Parliamentary Party Secretary.
The swearing-in ceremony will be held at the central stadium in the presence of 500 people. Though Vijayan will be sworn in as the Chief Minister, the portfolio for the rest of the ministers has not been made public yet.
Notably, Muhammed Riyas, who is the son-in-law of Vijayan and is the national president of DYFI, has also been included in the list of Ministers.
The CPI-M led Left Democratic Front won 99 seats in the 140-member assembly.
Meanwhile, the CPI also announced its list of ministers. K Rajan, P Prasad, J Chinchu Rani and GR Anil will represent CPI in the new cabinet. Chinchu Rani will be the first woman from CPI to become a minister after 1964.
CPI has also elected E Chandrasekharan as legislature party leader and PS Supal as legislature party secretary.
Meanwhile, Kerala Congress (M) named Roshy Augustine as leader of their party’s parliamentary party committee and N Jayaraj deputy leader and chief whip. Roshy Augustine will be the minister representing Kerala Congress (M) in the Pinarayi cabinet.
K Krishnankutty of Janata Dal (S), Indian National League (INL) legislator Ahammad Devarkovil, Democratic Congress Kerala (DCK) leader Antony Raju and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader AK Saseendran will also be Ministers in the new cabinet.
Meanwhile, Opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) has announced that their MLAs and MPs will not attend the swearing-in ceremony alleging COVID protocol violation in the oath-taking ceremony organised by the state administration by inviting 500 people during the triple lockdown in Thiruvananthapuram due to surge in COVID-19 cases.
UDF convener MM Hassan said Congress workers, MPs and MLAs will witness the ceremony virtually considering the COVID-19 situation in the state. However, he made it clear that the ceremony will not be boycotted by the UDF.
All of them will see the function virtually for avoiding physical presence at the stadium, he clarified. He also suggested a simple ceremony for the oath-taking due to the lockdown.
New Delhi, May 18: Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday said that the cyclonic storm Tauktae is getting weaker and lay centred over Saurashtra, about 160 km southwest of Ahmedabad, 75 km south of Surendranagar and 45 km Northeast of Amreli in Gujarat.
According to IMD’s latest update at 1330 hrs, it would move north-northeastwards and to weaken gradually into a deep depression during next six hours, bringing light to moderate rainfall at many places with heavy to very heavy falls at isolated places over Gujarat region, including Saurashtra today.
Gale wind speed reaching 80-90 kmph gusting to 100 Kmph is likely to prevail over Gulf of Khambat and adjoining northeast Arabian Sea during next six hours. It is likely to reduce gradually thereafter whereas squally wind speed reaching 40-50 gusting to 60 kmph along and off extreme north Maharashtra coast during next six hours.
Gale winds speed reaching 80-90 kmph gusting to 100Kmph likely to prevail over Amreli, Bhavnagar, Botad, 70-80 kmph gusting to 90 kmph over Surendranagar, Rajkot, Anand, South Ahmedabad, 55-65 kmph gusting to 75 kmph over Diu, Gir Somnath,Junagarh, Kheda, Bharuch, Jamnagar, Porbandar &Morbi during next six hours and gradually decrease thereafter.
Squally wind speed reaching 45-55 kmph gusting to 65kmph likely to prevail along and off Dadra, NagarHaveli, Daman, Valsad, Navsari, Surat districts and 35-45 kmph gusting to 55 kmph over Devbhoomi Dwarka & Kutch during next six hours and gradually to decrease thereafter.
Squally wind speed reaching 45-55 kmph gusting to 65 Kmph is likely to prevail over South Rajasthan from the evening of May 18 to 19th early morning.
The national weather department also forecast that the tidal wave above astronomical tide is likely to inundate coastal areas during next three hours wherein about 1-2 meter high over Anand, Amreli, Gir Somnath, Diu & Bhavnagar, Bharuch, southern parts of Ahmedabad.
Kolkata, May 17: West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee on Monday started a sit-in demonstration in front of CBI office at Nizam Palace here, protesting against the arrest of two of her cabinet colleagues Subrata Mukherjee, Firhad Hakim and MLA Madan Mitra along with ex-Kolkata mayor Sovan Chatterjee.
Earlier, the four were arrested by CBI in connection with the Narada scam. The Narada tapes were released in 2016.
The chief minister demanded that she too be arrested as she protested at Nizam Palace.
The Trinamool Congress supporters staged a protest against the arrests in front of Nizam Palace. The party supporters demanded the release of the Trinamool leaders. They shouted slogans against BJP and Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar.
TMC has appealed to Kolkata Police to taken action against CBI officials who have arrested the Bengal ministers.
The party has written to the Kolkata police commissioner and accused CBI of working at the behest of BJP and Bengal governor.
The CBI has asked for additional central forces for deployment as the agitators are trying to break the barricade in front of the Nizam Palace.
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Biman Banerjee claimed that the arrest process was illegal.
He said that to arrest the MLA, it is necessary to get the permission of the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. In this case, it was not taken.
The governor’s approval of the charge sheet is illegal.
TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee in a tweet said, “I urge everyone to abide by the law and refrain from any activity that violates lockdown norms for the sake of the larger interest of Bengal and its people. We have utmost faith in the judiciary & the battle will be fought legally.”
Minister of State for health Chandrima Bhattacharya claimed that this was a political ploy of the BJP.
TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh asked, “Why was an FIR not lodged against Mukul Roy who is now the national vice-president of the BJP? Roy had taken money from former IPS officer Mirza. Also, why has Suvendu Adhikari, who is now the leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly, not been arrested? He was also seen taking money in the tapes.”
Mr Ghosh said, “That’s because they have joined the BJP and got protection. This is nothing but a revenge tactic by the BJP as they lost the Assembly polls.”
However, State Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar tweeted, “Concerned at alarming situation. Call upon Mamata Banerjee to follow constitutional norms & rule of law. Police must take all steps to maintain law & order. Sad- situation is being allowed to drift with no
tangible action by authorities.”
Earlier in the day Mr Hakim, Mr Mukherjee, Mr Mitra and Mr Chatterjee were arrested by the CBI from their homes and taken to the Central agency’s office in the state capital.
Mr Hakim said that he has been arrested by the CBI concerning the Narada sting operation case.
While he was being taken to the CBI office, Hakim said, “I have been arrested by the CBI in the Narada case.”
He alleged that he was arrested without any prior notice.
Beijing, May 15: China on Saturday successfully landed a spacecraft containing a rover on Mars, the state media announced quoting China National Space Administration (CNSA).
The rover — Tianwen-1 — touched down at its pre-selected landing area in the southern part of Utopia Planitia, a vast plain on the northern hemisphere of Mars, at 7:18 a.m. (Beijing Time), the CNSA announced.
China is now the second nation to successfully land a Mars rover after United States’ NASA. Interestingly, apart from China and NASA, the Soviet Union had also landed a probe on Mars, however it ended prematurely as the spacecraft failed only a few minutes after it landed.
It took ground controllers more than an hour to establish the success of the pre-programmed landing. They had to wait for the rover to autonomously unfold its solar panels and antenna to send the signals after landing, and there was a time delay of more than 17 minutes due to the 320-million-km distance between Earth and Mars.
The vehicle used a combination of a protective capsule, a parachute and a rocket platform to make the descent. The successful touchdown is a remarkable achievement, given the difficult nature of the task.
The successful orbit insertion of the Tianwen-1 mission in February made China the sixth entity to do so, following NASA, the Soviet Union, the European Space Agency (ESA), India and the United Arab Emirates.
According to Chinese media, CNSA Head Zhang Kejian said the Mars exploration mission has been a total success.
Tianwen 1, the country’s first independent Mars mission, was launched by a Long March 5 heavy-lift carrier rocket on July 23 from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province, kicking off the nation’s planetary exploration program.
The 5-metric ton probe, which consists of two major parts – the orbiter and the landing capsule- has flown for 215 days and about 475 million km on its journey to Mars. The average flight speed was about 100,000 km per hour.
Tianwen 1 is the world’s 46th Mars exploration mission since October 1960, when the former Soviet Union launched the first Mars-bound spacecraft. Only 18 of those missions were successful.
On behalf of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, the State Council and the Central Military Commission (CMC), Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the CMC, extended warm congratulations and sincere greetings to all members who have participated in the Mars exploration mission, Tianwen-1, in a congratulatory message.
Meanwhile, a senior NASA official also congratulated China. “Congratulations to CNSA’s #Tianwen1 team for the successful landing of China’s first Mars exploration rover, #Zhurong! Together with the global science community, I look forward to the important contributions this mission will make to humanity’s understanding of the Red Planet,” Associate Administrator for the NASA Science Mission Directorate Thomas Zurbuchen said.
Russia’s Roscosmos Chief Dmitry Rogozin welcomed the revival of exploration of the solar system planets by the leading space powers. “The successful landing of China’s spacecraft on the surface of Mars is a great success of the PRC’s fundamental space research program,” Rogozin wrote on Telegram.
Roscosmos chief added that the Russian-European mission ExoMars is scheduled for Mars next year and affirmed Russia’s commitment to strengthening international cooperation “for the joint promotion of research into the Universe.”