KL This Week: Catholic Publication Criticises Clergy for Lenient Stance on 'Bunch of Thoughts’

NewsClick brings you a round-up of important happenings in Kerala during the past week including the handing over of 174 houses to people below the poverty line (BPL) through the Livelihood Inclusion and Financial Empowerment (LIFE) Mission, criticism by Sathyadeepam, the catholic publication, of the head of Syro-Malabar Church for downplaying the attacks on Christians, and protests demanding that the Union government hand over the HIL (India) Limited to the state government.

174 FLATS HANDED OVER UNDER LIFE MISSION 

CM Pinarayi Vijayan handed over 174 flats in four apartments to the beneficiaries under the LIFE Mission. The apartments were built in Kannur, Kollam, Kottayam, and Idukki districts. 

The beneficiaries are selected from a list of applicants who do not own land or house and live below the poverty line. The LIFE Mission, an ambitious project of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government was conceived to ensure housing and livelihood for all eligible citizens.

Under different phases of the Mission, a total of 3,40,040 houses have been completed during the financial year 2021-22. In 2022-23, the plan was to complete 1,06,000 houses, of which 54,430 houses have been completed and handed over to the beneficiaries. 

The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) continues to oppose the Mission and has even promised in its election manifesto in 2021 to abort the programme. But the programme has provided shelter for as many as 3.40 lakh landless and homeless people in the state. 

CATHOLIC PUBLICATION AGAINST CLERGY

Sathyadeepam, the weekly publication of the Catholics in the state, has come down heavily on the head of Syro Malabar Church, Mar George Alanchery for soft-pedalling the contents of ‘Bunch of Thoughts’, authored by M S Golwalkar, the prominent leader of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).   

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been making attempts to draw closer to the Christians to win the electoral battle in the state, by striking harmony with heads of archdioceses across the state. The BJP leaders even met several bishops on Easter day, but the church still remains divided over the attempts of the right-wing party.

The publication recalled the increasing number of attacks on churches across the country including Karnataka and Chhattisgarh. The arrest and death of Fr Stan Swamy and the brutal killing of Graham Stains and his family have been repeatedly cited by the LDF and UDF to prompt caution. 

‘HAND OVER HIL TO STATE GOVT’

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) has demanded that the Union government led by the BJP hand over the HIL unit in Kochi to the LDF-led state government. The CITU Ernakulam district committee passed a resolution against the closure of the plant. 

A protest was held in Kalamassery in the district against the decision of the BJP-led government to shut down the plant. T P Ramakrishnan, MLA and state vice president of the CITU, accused the Centre of destroying the public sector undertakings (PSU) and favouring the corporate companies. 

The proposals to revive the plant and restart the manufacturing of essential pesticides for agriculture have not been considered by the Centre.

It has decided to shut down the plant as per the recommendations of the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management. The HIL (India) Limited is the first central PSU in the state. 

FREE INTERNET FOR 7,000 HOUSES

The Kerala Fiber Optic Network (K-FON) Limited will provide free broadband internet connection to 7,000 BPL houses in the state in the first phase. The modems will be connected to the selected list of houses within a week,  as per the electoral promise of the LDF, while another 7,000 houses will be provided with the facility in the second phase. 

The K-FON project was launched in 2019 to provide free internet connections to households to fulfil the LDF government’s announcement making access to the internet a fundamental right. 

Around 16,000 government offices have been connected to the internet connection provided by K-FON, while another 12,000 will be connected to the service soon. 

STUDY BEGINS FOR SABARIMALA AIRPORT

The Union aviation ministry has granted site clearance for the airport for Sabarimala in Cheruvally estate in the Pathanamthitta district. The social and environmental impact studies are being held, while the land acquisition has to be completed to begin the works for the airport. 

The airport would facilitate the pilgrimage to Sabarimala, the hill shrine, and would help the expatriates in the central districts of the state. The airport is expected to come up on around 2,500 acres with a 3.5 km runway, the longest in the state.   

The government of Kerala has identified around 2,300 acres in the Cheruvally estate and 300 acres outside the acres, for which notifications have been published. Once the impact studies are completed, the Kerala Industrial Development Corporation will initiate the land acquisition process. 

ANOTHER SUSPECTED ELEPHANT ATTACK DEATH

A 21-year-old youth, Vipin from Cherupuzha in Kannur, has died of a suspected elephant attack. He was found injured near the forest area on the Karnataka- Kerala border. The efforts to save him failed as he succumbed to injuries on the way to the medical college in Kannur.