Kudos to Vaikom Vijayalakshmi for marking her name in the book of world records by playing Gayathri Veena for five hours at a stretch. This is a great achievement for the singer and the people of Kerala. Her record emphasises the saying: "The rose and the thorn, and sorrow and gladness are linked together". She has every reason to forget the recent worries.
K A Solaman
Notriety is the present day impetus of youth. Since channels are springing behind all hard core criminals more youngsters resort to crime. Pulsar Suni abducted the actress, Pulsar molested actress, Pulsar abandoned the phone, Pulsar questioned police, Pulsar taken to Coimbatore etc shouting in news channels prompt other youths to steal a JCB and known as JCB man like Pulsar . When channels continue glorifying criminals it sends wrong message to innocent children. So it would be good on the part of news channels not to glorify criminals. Instead restrict such news as minimum. No sensible people need elaborate discussion about the wrongs of a criminal.
Political interference should also be avoided. Who convinced CM about no conspiracy behind the abduction, the actress or prominent actress's ex-husband? Fantastic enough!
K. A Solaman
Unlike our youngsters think, everything is not fine with the tinsel world. There is vengence, deception, kidnapping, molestation and what else. But these stories were confined within in the four walls of cinema till date. Now it has come out in open. The abduction and molestation of noted Malayalam actress Bhavana is a case in this direction.
Attacks on women are rampant in the state and should be condemned. A very strong action against the culprits is required. The government will seriously consider the matter and take action against the criminals, it is hoped.
K A Solaman
Kannur is a battle field for brutal killing of political opponents. The CPM and the RSS are always fascinated at increasing their score. Occasionally the other parties too participate in the killing sport
The main reason for this rivalry is the provocative talks of leaders of rival groups. So in order to end the violence the leaders should stop their hate speak and goverment should take criminal cases against those indulging in violence. The police force should be given a free hand to arrest the criminals.
The gladiatorial game of 'man killing man' in Kannur is a blot on Kerala psyche. It will take more time to end sadism in the minds of a few party men in Kannur. However, the all party peace meet headed by Kerala Chief Miniser will certainly reduce the tension. The peace talk should be continued at intervals in order to avoid replication of threats.
K A Solaman
Jaya memorial in Marina Beach is a place of solace and enlightenment for both corrupt and uncorrupt. As the Supreme Court refused to entertain Sasikala's plea seeking more time to surrender for undergoing jail term she straightaway went to Jaya memorial and took fuel for Bengaluru journey. The acting CM Paneer Selvam frequently meditates at the memorial and gets revelation for smooth rule ofTN. This and the other rather indicate god is worshipped by both the sinner and the innocent.
Whether the SC can be congratulated or not for issuing its bulky judgement which removed all the rumbles in the TN rule is a point to ponder. The trial court imposition of fine of Rs 100 crore now reduced to ten crore is a positive gesture for Sasikala and company.
K A Solaman
It is interesting to see that Kerala lottery tickets are set to get a number of security features akin to bank notes. This means the government has no plan to ban all forms of lotteries including channel quiz based on SMS. Let the people contnue to beg and play spolidport, that is the approach of the government towards fraud. Except a few differently abled people live by selling, lottery has no other good features to say. Instead it makes people lazy and tempts them to earn easy money .
For instance, on my way to Sunday church there is a small bridge and passerbys are only a few. On and near the bridge I could count five lottery vendors, two men, two women and another person on a wheel chair. Except the one on the wheel chair all others are healthy and capable of doing manual work. But they will not. They need more money in an easy way. Selling lottery tickets is the easy way for them
The poor and uneducated people are the victims of lottery and that is why sale of state lottery in Kerala is a big hit. Mobile users too lose money by sending SMS to on-line channel quiz.
Buying lottery tickets and liquor consumption are death traps for poor and ignorant people in Kerala and the Government that is bound to restrict it acts as s sponsor. Common man is falling prey to this social evil and is spending all hard earned money without caring children and the ailing old ones in the family. It is not campaigns and awareness programmes that are needed to check the danger but strict law enforcement. By no means lotteries be allowed in the state. If a few people are not able to sustain without lottery, take measures to protect them in old age homes and shelters.
K A Solaman
Tamil Nadu politics entered into an unpredictable phase with caretaker Chief Minister O Panneerselvam demanding a judicial inquiry headed by a Supreme Court judge to probe into the death of his predecessor and AIADMK General Secretary J. Jayalalithaa. Obviously the target is V K Sasikala, the new incarnated general secretary of AIADMK and servant of Jayalalithaa.
It is true that not only the opposition party DMK but the people from all cross-sections of Tamil society smell foul in the hospitalisation and subsequent death of Jayalalithaa. Govt has responsibility to clear the doubts.
O.Panneerselvam's revolt against Sasikala has blocked her entry into Chief Minister's chair in St. George Fort. All of Sasikala's calculations spanning over for last few months have gone ashtray by half hour meditation by OPS in the Marina beach .
K A Solaman
It was in 2015 the Centre had announced that AIIMS would be established in Kerala. But that hope has been shattered by the Union Budget 2017. Finance Minister Jaitley's concern is about Jharkhand and Gujrat. As Centre did not make any announcement in this regard it is the time for an all party protest against Centre for AIIMS in Kerala. Instead, a nasty all party protest is going on in State's capital cornering a celebrity woman principal. All her crime was she tried to bring a little discipline in her college.
Running a college is a high risk job now a days as twenty percent of students are miscreants resorting to activities like streaking. Principal and teachers have little option to control these indisciplined and aggressive students. They could not beat students and the only option is to use harsh words. The present principal might have opted to this. And for this, hurling all the abuses on her by all party leaders and her students is unwarranted.
The slimmering exercise by K Muralidharan and others are intented to get media coverage. They should better immediately focus their agitation for AIIMS instead of targeting a hapless woman.
K A Solaman
Donald Trump has promised to make America great again. This lofty goal is difficult to achieve because it would require years of work and skillful diplomacy. Moreover, Trump is, perhaps, the most unpopular US president till date. The support he has from the Republican establishment is not enough to help him achieve his goals. One hopes that he manages to work through all the difficulties.
Trump has already signed an executive order to roll back the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. Most consider him ignorant and expect him to fail. But he has been known to defy expectations.
K.A. Solaman,
Alappuzha, Kerala
The Telegraph, Calcutta, Feb 1, 2017
It is highly appreciable to see that the Government of Kerala is going to raise the quality of school class rooms on a par with international standards in learning. The international school students read and write English well and are able to do mathematics with ease. But one of the recent surveys on school education in Kerala had revealed that many ot our school students are not able to write their names correctly and very weak in arithmetics.
The class rooms in developed countries are almost saturated with electronic gadgets and teacherà´Ÿ there now are dead against with further dumbing of e - waste into class rooms. Learning this, gadget makers all over the world have, therefore, decided to sell their products among third world countries. The term 'smart class room' has thus become a synonym for transforming third world schools into electronic waste dumbing yards. India is not an exception.
The electronic white board (EWB) or power point presentation is not a substitute for age old teaching practice with black board and chalk. Any hate speak against black board and chalk is a crafty way to destroy able teaching-learning process and thereby to find markets for electronic gadgets produced by multinational companies. Abandoning black board is a technological invasion, the net result of which is; inefficacy in teaching-learning process in our humble class rooms.
Many of our government hospitals are now dumbing yards of disinfuct CT scan machines , ultra sound scanners, computers, x-ray units and even ceiling fans just because poor maintenance. This sort of fate awaits our schools with smart class rooms.
K A Solaman
This year's Union Budget lacks lusture as it has not addressed unemployment problem and farmers' woes. The PM Narendra Modi had promised of creating two crore jobs, but last year only about 1.5 lakh jobs were created. The farmers are desperate as their crop loss has not been compensated. Cash donation limit of Rs. 2000 to political parties is a meaningless gesture as most of the donations go out as unaccounted money.
However, reduction in tax rates for individuals is a welcome move.
K A Solaman
For techies from India, Silicon Valley is a safe haven and most of them in their short visit to home land speaks mouthfully about US. Nevertheless, President Donald Trump’s clash with Silicon Valley over immigration would make every thing worse.Trump administration has drafted an order aimed at overhauling the work-visa for companies that hire employees from abroad.
If implemented, the reforms could shift the way American companies recruit work force. Indian companies in America such as Infosys, TCS, Wipro etc would have to hire Americans first resulting job loss for Indians in the US. If Trump's plan is to protect the interest of American work force, Indian techies would have to either leave the country or do job with lesser wage. And in both count Trump's priority is detrimental to present workers and job seekers from India.
K A Solaman
The Law Academy Law College, Trivandrum is in the news for the last few weeks where all party students and their leaders are in war path against the management. The main demand of agitators is the removal of the Principal Lakshmi Nair, who is described as the embodiment of all vices. The management is unwilling to remove her as she is also a part of the management. The agitation is unlikely to subside until Lakshmi Nair is removed from the post of principal.
So, as a wayout from the present tumult the management can think of replacing her temporarily but with all powers of a super principal. There are numerous private institutions in the state run with paper tigers as principals and management agents as super principals. Lakshmi Nair could continue to take lead role even if she is renamed as Academy Administrator!
K A Solaman
Defending demonetisation Finance Minister Arun Jaitley puttingup that it would ensure better tax compliance, may be right but it still remains as a nightmare for the poor secton of the society. For instance look at the plight of workers in the construction scenario. Since all works in the construction section had stopped because of darth of money almost all workers lost job. As the work has not been resumed workers find it extreme difficulty to meet their both ends.
Demonetisation revenues are for the government and not for the common man. Tax evaders are still remaining as tax evaders as demonenetisation is only a skin treatment for a major disease.
To rescue people from present crisis the government should release more currencies and lift the upper limit of withdrawal from bank account.
K A Solaman
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan saying that his government would not water down the Right to Information act, is highly welcome. However, for quite long it is the experience in Kerala that RTI is toothless.
In Kerala RTI petitions are not settled in the stipulated time frame. No fine is imposed on offenders of RTI Act. The commissioners are appointed on political basis and in most cases they take a partisan approach. Some cases are attended irrationally and some others set aside for silly reasons. Time frame, the most significant aspect of RTI, is often ignored. Since this and last governments are in a don' t care attitude many dissatisfied activists abandoned RTI.
Unless some stern steps are taken by the government to strengthen the State Information Commission it would turn out into a damp squib.
K A Solaman
After facing much music, Donald Trump finally sworn in as the 45th President of United States. It is a turning point in the history of America and it has left many Americans unhappy and disappointed.
Keep America the world number one, is the priority of President Trump. And for this he has to win over people in his country and abroad. Although it will take time, it is hoped that things will turn out in his favour. However, regarding policy matters like outsourcing and others people from other countries working in US should be more cautious and ready to meet surprises.
Trump's first action to disallow Obamacare and put the statue of Winston Churchil replacing Martin Luther King Jr has drawn flak. And some even think that Trump is an ignorant, and bigoted buffoon. He will fail miserably as President and America will come to its sense and vote every Republican out of power for the next 20 years.
K A Solaman
Unwarranted protest .
Protest in Tamil Nadu in support of Jallikattu is unwarranted. As Jallikkattu is a coarse sport cruel to animal and man, thousands of young people, who demand an end to the ban on Jallikattu, are misinformed and misguided. The Supreme Court in its May 2014 order had banned Jallikattu, saying that bulls cannot be used as performing animals including bullock-cart races.
The common complaint among the protest leaders that the Supreme Court had insulted the Tamil culture by disallowing the sport, is not standing. The ban is equivalent to ban of of 'Sati ' in which a hapless widow has to give up her life. Here in this cruel sport also many human lives along with that of animals are lost. The support on Jallikkattu by Actor Kamal Hasan and music director A R Rehman, is based on vested interests.
K A Solaman
The two major institutions of democracy, Supreme Court and Election Commission, have given their ruling against religion and caste based poll campaigning in the country. But when comes to the implementation stage it utterly fails.
When BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj or BJP leader AN Radhakrishnan have invoked religion in their public addresses no institution has interfered. There are many leaders from other parties too speaking publicly invoking religion but chances of filing FIR against them are remote.
So more stringent measures are needed to stop political leaders from invoking religion and castes to be the centerpiece of pre-poll campaigning.
India is a highly conservative society wherev religion and castes are deeply embedded in the psyche of people. They play a vital role in promoting and consolidating group consciousness . So chances of hate speech are more and hence a hard line approach is to be opted to curb the menace of religion entering into politics.
K A Solaman
Cow is equal or more equal than man in India. This is evident when states like Haryana are on the way to issue adhaar card to cows. Cows need not queue like men to register for adhaar.
They could register for it at their place.
Till now people of India have heard about Aadhar card of humans only. Aadhar card of cow, buffalo, sheep, goat and pig will also be made soon. For their Aadhar card, photographs, race, complexion, body structure and age will be recorded in the database.
Cattle adhaar is yet another crafty way to siphon out public money and in this foolish act lesser animals dogs, cats, rabbits and others are really discriminated.
K A Solaman
Report that unable to get a few junked currency notes exchanged, a frustrated poor woman became topless in front of RBI regional office New Delhi, is curious. Though this sort of protest is unwarranted the action of the woman is a pointer to the thoughtless acton of RBI. The RBI, which is issuing circulars day by day since demonetisation, has stepped back from their earlier stance. PM Modi in his November 8 address to nation had promised that old notes could be exchanged at select branches of RBI after December. If NewDelhi office is not a select branchh, RBI should have told the woman about this instead of forcefully pushing her out.
People are of firm fix that government should not go back on the promise made by Prime Minister. It is, in fact, the RBI and other bank branches are worsening the crisis
K A Solaman
People having interest in stamps, coins, currency notes etc collect them and use for antique purpose.
In that case jail term or penalty in keeping demonetised notes in possession is out of the ordinary. So, there should not be jail term or penalty for holding demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes and the ordinance approved by the Union Cabinet in this regard should be immediately withdrawn.
Day after day the Union Cabinet and RBI are issuing contradictory orders denying the fundamental rights of citizens. What is the harm if a person holds a few demonetised notes? Will the government stop the stupidity of penalising them?
It is admitted by all that the current demonetisation was a thoughtless act. The black money seized is only about 4200 crores. On the other hand money eroded from Indian banks alone is more that one lakh crore. The loss to Indian companies augments to several lakh crores. The wage loss for workers is more than this. It is better for the government to admit the failure and stop further harassment.
K A Solaman
Janathipathiya Samrakshana Samithi (JSS) rebels clamouring for the resignation of party leader K R Gowri Amma is interesting.
JSS activists secretary B Gopan asking Gowri Amma to resign from the party is ridiculous.
JSS , in fact, is Gowri Amma and that party is known by her name and not by the name of any other leader. Many fortune seekers had come and left, still the party exists because of Gowri Amma. The rebels' claim that 90 per cent of party members are with them, will not annoy Gowri Amma as she has seen many ups
and downs
Gowri Amma is an icon and her image could not be tampered by silly people.
K A Solaman
Kulapulli trust dissolved.
With the sudden demise of Cheria Achan (Jagannatha Varma) the sarcastic three member Kulappalli trust of 1997 block buster film Araam Thampuraan has been dissolved. He was the only surviving member of the trust since other members Kulappulli Appan Thampuraan(Narendra Prasad) and Subhadra Thampuraatti (Sreevidya) had left the scene quite early. The three were ace actors of their time and will be remembered by all cine goers.
Varma had acted in a number of Malayalam movies performing roles of a senior police officer, judge, bishop etc. He was a good Kathakali artist and also a percussionist. His demise is a great loss for Kerala artistic scene.
K A Solaman
Most people are comfortable with currency transaction. This country continues printing currency notes. Then what is the fun in going cashless? All propaganda about cashless transaction is intended to hide the folly made by Modi Inc with demonetisation by withdrawing 86 percent of the total currency.
Though cashless transaction has some advantages its disadvantages outweigh. The first one is higher risk of identity theft. With the rising incidence of online fraud, the risk of hacking will only grow. Secondly redressal mechanism in the country is inadequate.With the poor grievance redressal, people will have no easy recourse if they lose money online. There is no stringent legal process to deal with this kind of fraud. Add to it the mass identity theft from banks' databases can turn into a financial nightmare.
Thirdly, since the customer is dependent on smart phone for all transactions on the move, losing it can prove to be harmful.. It can not only make one susceptible to identity theft, but could also be rendered helpless in the absence of physical cash or any other payment option. Another drawback is that even a poor man should buy a high end phone and it is to be kept constantly charged. If the phone dies no money, no transaction until it is charged.The digital medium may prove a challenge for the tech unfriendly, aged, and illiterate who will need time to adapt. And the most dangerous demerit is it could open a spending trap. According to behavioural finance theorists, the pain of parting with money is felt more acutely if one uses physical cash.
K A Solaman
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remark that demonetisation and cashless transactions will make the country corruption-free is never going to work. The remark is bound to make people uncomfortable as it is said that each electronic transaction will result in a user bearing an additional service tax of Rs.25 depending on whether it is under National Electronic Fund Transfer or Real Time Gross Settlement. It is also estimated that only 2 per cent of the population is truly interested in a cashless economy despite innumerable advertisements that are attempting to promote it. Mr Modi needs to understand the country’s needs and wishes. His comment is insensitive.
K.A. Solaman,
Alappuzha, Kerala
The Hindu Business Line, Dec 19, 2016
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi 's remark that the present demonetisation and cashless transaction can make the country corruption free is never going to work. The remark is bound to make the people uncomfortable, because each transaction causes an additional service tax of Rs 25. Moreover, so long as currency notes are printed and distributed and only two percent of the Indian population are interested in cashless economy despite innumerable advertisements it would take decades for the country to fulfill Modi's dream. Mr Modi needs to be educated to understand which way the country lopes. The Prime Minister’s comment is insensitive and indeed a cruel joke on the poor.
K.A. Solaman
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Disease of excess freedom
The formal rendition of Indian National Anthem takes only fifty-two seconds and any delegate from abroad visiting India is bound to honour it by standing up 52 seconds while it is sung. And in that case International Films Festival of Kerala (IFFK), Director and Kerala State Chalachitra Academy Chairman Kamal saying that it is unfortunate for the viewers to stand before every show, is unwarranted. He is, therefore, unfit for the post he occupies and should relinquish it.
National Anthem should be respected by all and people must stand up when it is played. The police action against those viewers of IFFK who refused to stand up while rendering national anthem, is in the right direction. It is the responsibility of the police to ensure law and order.
The very appearance of seven arrested at IFFK, Thiruvananthapuram tells that they are not bound by any law. However, their behaviour would be entirely different if they were in Saudi Arabia, where the law enforcement is a little more tough. These youths suffer from the disease excessive freedom.
K A Solaman
The PM Modi speak in 'jan sabha' that he was not permitted to speak in Parliament by Opposition, is a direct slap on the face of Indian democracy. Soon he is likely to speak that he is not allowed to enter into the Parliament. If PM is not permitted to speak in or enter the Parliament there is something very undesirable happening in the country. And it is the President, PM and Speaker to take collective action to put an end to this imbroglio.
It is true that the thoughtless action of quick demonetisation of currency has disturbed the economic growth of the country and innumerable workers went jobless. The protest in and outside the Parliament, therefore, is quite natural.
K A Solaman
Which is more corrupt - public sector banks or cooperative banks? Enforcement Department enquiry at public sector banks across country answers this question. There are reported financial crimes post demonetisation and hence the ED launched the enquiry operation at over 50 bank branches across the country. The enquiry is to detect money laundering and hawala dealing instances of public sector and new gen banks. However no cooperative bank is involved in this corruption as coop banks are denied exchange of demonetised currency.
All bank branches in India are now seemingly busy with demanding KYC from clients. Does it mean that bank did business all these time with out knowing the customer? What the banks actually needed is the PAN number of the customer. So the present impetus in KYC drive may be conveniently changed to GYP- Give Your PAN.
K A Solaman
Apart from usual scolding aired at Kejriwal and others the Hindu Mahasabha has realised the fact and come against Modi saying that Centre’s demonetisation move would be the beginning of the end of Modi rule. The saffron organisation alleged that the policy introduced Prime Minister Narendra Modi is anti-Hindu.
In fact Modi's demonetisation move without proper homework is anti-people. The purpose of the scheme is yet not known and is changing day by day. Initially, it was against black money and later turned to total digitalisation and cashless economy. The cashless economy is a crafty idea to woo multi- national companies making smart phones and thereby to get hefty commission
Poor people, who earn Rs 200-300 every day or those who live on paltry government pensions need not require costly cell-phones and the service of high- tech banks. Their bank is a bit of ditty cotton cloth kept below the carpet they sleep. Most of them are uneducated or undereducated and have no expertise in handling a smart phone even if it is available free of cost. It is also reported that demonetisation has made no impact on the rich as certain weddings are performed spending several crores.
Selling the country to mobile manufacturers and network providers in the name of demonetisation would mark the beginning of the end of Modi rule
K A Solaman
Protest against the perils of demonetisation on the cooperative sector is admissible, however government sponsored hartal in Kerala is incomprehensible. No other state like Kerala is in India where a government calls hartal to put its people in trouble.. No buses operated, no factories opened,
all passengers stranded at various bus stands, all shops and establishment closed, all fish and vegetable merchants with no work, all schools and colleges not working, all daily wage workers with no money, the hartal brought immense difficulty to common man while political bosses remained happy in their glass houses with snacks and drinks. Common man's plight is not a concern for ruling and the opposition leaders.
One interesting matter is; exemption of tourism sector from hartal keeping in mind of the peak tourist season. Is tourism a matter of top priority when even cancer patients are denied transportation to hospitals? The central government's thoughtless act of paralysing cooperative sector was certainly a misery, nevertheless it was augmented with the hartal call by state government.
K A Solaman
Today's India population exceeds 125 crores and that more than 90 percent of the Indian population are ignorant of English. It would require decades for English knowing population to increase significantly. Furthermore, about ten percent of the population are sixty five plus people who are unable handle a communication gadget like smart phone or computer. As cashless transaction can be done only with electronic gadget and knowledge of English, the Modi Inc. proposal for only online transaction is a difficult task for majority Indians. PM Modi, therefore, needs more experts and good economists in his company in order to avoid further embarrassment.
Fish vendor Mariyamma of Cherthala market swiping a debit card in her machine kept in the fish basket and selling sardine for rupees fifty is of course a utopian dream.
K A Solaman
Demonetisation is a historic event that would check the black money menace. But denial of currency exchange by co-operative banks has put Kerala into a real financial crisis. The cooperative banking system in Kerala holds more than ₹60,000 crore in deposits and has disbursed more than ₹30,000 crore in loans.
This sector has been paralysed because both the Reserve Bank of India and the Finance Ministry are suspicious of its dealings. Unlike in the case of nationalised and private banks, it’s not a question of long queues, but a total collapse.
The politics played by the CPM, Congress and BJP should not damage the co- operative sector in Kerala.
KA Solaman
Kerala
The Hindu Business Line
Nov 18, 2016
O Rajagopal, the lone BJP member of Kerala Assembly speaking that the co-operative banks in the state have become a safe haven to convert black money into white, is rubbish. In Kerala no banks other than cooperative banks cater the need of people of low income group. No other bank could claim such a popular support. If any person has back money in co-operative bank it could be investigated and action could be taken. Interestingly, it is hi-tech banks whom the RBI had given permission to exchange currency, are involved in most of black money deals .
Demonetisation move of the Centre is a novel attempt to curb the use of black money but it should not be by putting poor man into utter difficulty. Co-operative institutions are the back bone of majority country men and hence any attempt to paralyse its function, is intolerable.
K A Solaman
Law degree for journalists is a must.
It is unwise to permit all and sundry to report about court proceedings and in that case the Kerala High Court issuing new norms for accreditation of the journalists covering court proceedings is in the right direction. If any journalist or reporter covering the High Court proceedings, possesses a degree in law he will never indulge in reporting silly matters and will keep dignity of the court.
The court saying that journalist should have five years of court reporting experience is certainly an added attraction for such reporting. The channel friendly politicians like V D Satheesan or advocate of the rebel group A P Udayabhanu coming against HC decision is unwarranted.
The news channels should stop airing abusive remarks against lawyers because they did not own a channel to convey their experience to the general public. Reporting should not be one-sided.
K A Solaman
Demonetisation is a historic event that would of course check the black money menace. But denial of currency exchange by co-operative banks took Kerala into a real financial crisis. The cooperative banking system that holds more than Rs 60,000 crore in deposits and has disbursed more than Rs 30,000 crore in loans has been paralysed because both the Reserve Bank of India and the Finance Ministry are suspicious of its dealings. Unlike in the case of nationalised and private banks, it's not a question of long queues, but a total collapse.
So what is needed is an immediate verification of shady deposits, if any, in co-op banks by RBI or IT department and give permission to operate them normally. The politics played by CPM, Congress and BJP should not damage the co- operative sector in Kerala.
K A Solaman
The bank employees had a tough time with exchange of demonetized currencies across the length and breadth of the country. Many staff spent extra hours in banks after their scheduled duty time in support of government's firm action to contain black money. However, a few employees had turned their back to the endeavor. The 12th state Conference of Bank Employees Federation of India(BEFI) was on these days compelling a few staff to keep away from bank. About 450 bank employees from across the state who are supposed to work in their respective banks to mitigate the problems relating demonetization drive were away for the meet. The currency boxes and ten rupee coin containers issued by RBI to bank branches still remain unopened. What the available staff done was issue of 2000 rupee notes.
The turmoil in banks was thus a planned service dereliction of some staff and they are to be be blamed for the trouble caused to the people. The argument that BEFI conference did not affect the functioning of the banks, is is not correct.
The extra ordinary difficult situation in bank branches was thus a planned action created by some unscrupulous bank staff.
K A Solaman
Abuses shocking
The demonetization move by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been hailed by most of the financial experts and common man. Experts have opined that scrapping high denomination notes will help in the fight against terrorism and the black money menace. The corruption will also decline due to this bold measure.
However, the Finance Minister of Kerala and a few CPM cadres are seemingly annoyed with Government decision, their Facebook posts tell in that direction. The words used by some Facebook writers against the Prime Minister are really shocking and do not suit the stature of any civilized Indian citizen.
It may be true that there is temporary difficulty for common man by the decision of demonetizing but it is a decision taken in better interest of the country. After a few days of inconvenience everything will come to normalcy. It is not about how much cash a common man had stashed in his home, but its about underworld, Pakistan Terrorism, Dawood Ibrahim, Naxalites, Communal outfits, Corporate foul players, mischievous co-operative bank holdings and many anti social elements.
As demonetizing decision is a collective one by the government higher-ups, hurling all abuses on PM alone is unwarranted. The abusers including certain channels should be severely dealt with. Could all and sundry abuse the honourable PM of India?
K A Solaman
The traders' decision to shut down shops indefinitely from Tuesday in the wake of the currency shortage will not make any impact. Traders are a class that find joy in fishing in troubled waters. And it is the practice of them to open shops just after one day, if closed.
It is some unscrupulous traders, business men and bank managers who are responsible for the extraordinary outflow of fake currency in the country. The present demonetisation of Rs 1000 and Rs 500 notes will give real value for hard earned money and boost our economy.
Meanwhile the government can make more arrangements to reduce the shortage Rs 100 and Rs 50 notes. Like commercial banks the co-operative banks and societies also should be permitted to deal with currency collection and distribution.
K A Solaman
Kerala Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan's regret to Governor P Sathasivam for not inviting him to the diamond jubilee celebrations of the Kerala formation day seems curious. If the regret is to become genuine the Speaker has to explain the technical issues behind the denial of invitation. As Governor did not express in open his displeasure the Speaker seeking the co-operation of the Governor for all its future programmes and also for the functioning of legislature, is out of the ordinary.
Besides Governor, three former Chief Ministers V S Achuthanandan, A K Antony and Oommen Chandy were also not invited to the function.The technical snag behind their exclusion also need clarification.
K A Solaman
There is no wonder to see why Governor Justice Sadasivam did not attend the function in which Kerala had been declared open defecation free state. Governor is aware of actual situation of the state that there are lakhs of homes with out toilets.
The announcement of the sort is intended make people aware of the need for toilet. However, this awareness can be done in a meaningful way without hiding facts. No wonder Kerala is becoming a fools' own country day by day.
-K A Solaman
Policemen participating in the cleaning up of Kozhikode Medical College is a novel gesture.
Standing in hideouts and jumping upon helmet less bikers has brought no less notoriety to Kerala police. Repeated lock up killing also invited wrath of people against police.
However policemen in their uniforms removing plastic waste and garbage heaps from a public place is praiseworthy and should be appreciated. If such events are replicated in other parts of the state the lost image of the police can be regained. The people will start to think police as their friends.
K A Solaman
The consumption of liquor and the mania for the lotteries are death traps for poor and ignorant people of Kerala and the Government that is bound to restrict it stand as a mute spectator. Common man is falling prey to this social evil and is spending all hard earned money without caring children and the ailing old ones in home It is not campaigns and awareness programmes that are needed to check the danger but strict law enforcement. If a few people are not able to sustain without lottery, make alternative arrangement for re - habilitation.
K A Solaman
I endorse Union Minister Maneka Gandhi's call that Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA) should be used against those who kill stray dogs. The two business men of Kerala are exploiting the situation created by stray dog menace for their personal gain and fame. As Meneka put, these business men are suffering from mental disorder which can be termed as ' killing syndrome'.
The business man Kochuouseph Chittilapally asking Maneka to worriy for her son is unwarranted. Like a few wood headed, Chittilapally has also believed the fake video about Varun Gandhi in social media. Chittilappally should bother about his son before putting nose to the personal life of others standing for a cause.
As no existing law permits business men to kill or export stray dogs what they are doing now is criminal offence and should arrested under KAAPA
K A Solaman
Many people are drug addicted and addiction has become chronic disease. The initial decision to take drugs is voluntary, just like smoking for most people, but repeated drug use leads to brain changes. Most drugs affect the brain by flooding it with the chemical messenger dopamine. This system controls the body's ability to feel pleasure and motivates a person to repeat behaviours. This overstimulation of the brain causes people to take drug again and again. Despite being aware of these harmful outcomes, many people who use drugs continue to take them, which is the nature of addiction.
There are many factors that compel a person to get addicted to drugs.Gender, ethnicity, influence of drug makers, stress, early drug use. mental disorders etc, influence risk for drug use and addiction.
However, drug use and addiction are preventable. Prevention programmes involving families, schools, communities, and the media are effective for preventing or reducing drug use and addiction. Education and outreach are important in helping people understand the possible risks of drug use. Teachers, parents, and health workers have significant role in educating young people and preventing drug use and addiction.
K A Solaman
It was a hopeful act in October 2014 by the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi to stimulate all Indian sweepers to take up a scheme to clean the country. And with this the market has witnessed a huge price surge for broom sticks! Nevertheless, even after two years streets of India remains unclean. The fish vendors, hoteliers, and street dwellers have made streets unsuitable for an evening walk.
And in support to PM's gesture former minister and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor joined campaign in a cleaning program at Vishinjam. The ex-minister who opts to stay in luxury hotels and find time to ridicule cattle-class flight travellers really surprised many. Tharoor holding a dead rat in his hand was viewed as endorsement of Modi's 'Swachh Bharat' campaign.
Tharoor now went into oblivion and no one is talking about Swachh Bharat. All fish- meat vendors abandoned their original sell place and flocked on public roadsides making the street a filthy hell.
K A Solaman
'Did Nero really play fiddle while Rome was burning?', is a question still remains unanswered. However, similar incidents in history are not rare. For instance look at the present happenings in the little state of Kerala.
While its Industries Minister E P Jayarajan is on his way to resign amidst the raging row over nepotism, the Finance Minister Thomas Isaac is busy taking selfies with Guinness celebrity small cow at Mavelikkara. Jayarajan's refusal to talk to the media is meaningful but the channel friendly vociferous Isaac not uttering a single word to protect his central committee colleague, is conspicuous.
Fiddling in disaster is an all time phenomenon
-K A Solaman
The finding that the loud speakers transcend their traditional religious purpose in the mosques is not correct. No religion prescribes loudspeakers for religious ceremony as loudspeaker is a later invention than any religion. A Kerala HC order emphasises in this direction
Kerala is a land of series of festivals and festival season is the time where patients, senior citizens, infants, pregnant women etc go through the ill effects of excessive sound pollution. There are rules for festival organisers and temple- church-mosque runners to get a mike permission. It says 55 decibel sound at the maximum during day time and 45 decibels during night. This means the sound should not go beyond maximum distance 200 feet. Unfortunately, many agencies function with least regard to these rules.
So the police should come forward with calibrated sound meter equipment to measure the decibel levels. If anyone found violating rules he must be brought to book regardless of religious or political backing.
K A Solaman
The reports of recurring custodial deaths in Kerala are disturbing. The most recent case is that of Abdul Latheef. He died at the Wandoor police station. According to the police, Latheef was found hanging in the toilet. In 2010, an inmate named K. Nasar was also found hanging in the toilet of the Thalassery police station. It is appalling that such reports fail to evoke outrage among citizens. Human rights activists often find it difficult to frame charges against the culprits. The apathy of politicians has further worsened the situation. A thorough probe should be conducted into Latheef's death. The third-degree torture of prisoners must also be stopped.
K.A. Solaman,
Kerala
The Telegraph, Calcutta, Sept 21, 2016
