Muscat Malayali Commits suicide

One more young Malayali youth, Anoop from Panoor, Kannur has apparently committed suicided yesterday by hanging himself from the ceiling fan of a residential flat located near Al Khan Establishment in Darsait, Muscat. The local police have removed the deadbody from the room number 41, on the fourth floor flat near the Darsait Flyover . It is learned that Anoop's case appears to be a suicide case.

The deadbody was found by the inmates, who were staying in the flat, when they returned from job in the evening. Anoop was staying in a building opposite the Star theatre and he came to his friends room to commit suicide. It appears that he had some problems with his visa and job. According to friends, recently he lost his job in a Rusayl garment factory and Anoop was preparing to go to Kerala in March. Anoop has been working in the accounts department of a company in Rusayl. According to his friends, there was some problem with the accounts and there was a shortage of money. According to his friends, Anoop was not responsible for the problem, but lost his job. He used to work as a tution master in the Mattrah area. Anoop has been an active member of the Indian Social Club, Kerala Wing.

Even after the amnesty scheme through which about 7000 Indians, mostly Malayalis, left Oman. The Oman Government offered a chance for people residing there without proper visa and labour card to go back to India without paying any fees. However, some clever employers duped their employees by offering to issue new visa and labour card. Some of the potential beneficiaries of the amnesty scheme did not opt for the scheme because their employers promised to give labour card and visa soon. However, soon after the amnesty scheme is closed, the employers changed their tune and these employees continue to remain as illegal workers. Even now there are many people working without proper visa and labour card.

The relatives are trying to send the deadbody to Kerala. The Indian Embassy in Muscat is also cooperating with the Indian Social Club Kerala Wing to speed up the process.

Singaporean NRI to invest $250 million in Kerala Education Project

keralamonitor.com correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, February 2: The Non-Resident Keralites are planning to set up a Singapore $ 250-million Center of Excellence in Kerala. The Center, aimed at providing courses of University of London and London School of Economics in the state, would be set up in Thiruvananthapuram. The project, coming up at the initiative of George Abraham Executive President of Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and a member of the follow up committee set up by NORKA, has the Stan Field group of Singapore as chief promoters. The University will start management courses and the LSE courses in economics, the release said.

This is the first proposal among many received by the Non-Resident Keralites Affairs (NORKA) Department and Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation after ‘Samavayam’, the Global NRK meet held in August 2001 in Kochi, to be materialized, a NORKA newsletter said.

The Kerala Infrastructure Development Corporation (KINFRA)’s Apparel Park in Kazhakkoottam has been identified for the center. The entire Apparel Park established at a cost of Rs 150 million would be handed over to the Stan Field group for setting up the institute.

“After participating in Samavayam I was determined that some important investment is made in Kerala,” the release quoted Abraham as saying. “The initial investment would be to the tune of Singapore $ 250 million. The Center will be comparable to any such institution anywhere in the world. We are determined to make this happen in Kerala before August 2002.”

Kerala Employee Unions firm on Indefinite Strike, Chief Minister willing to negotiate

keralamonitor.com correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, February 2: Trade unions in Kerala today decided to go ahead with the proposed indefinite strike from Wednesday in protes against the withdrawal of employee benefits. Unions are going ahead despite a government ban on strike in 15 areas invoking the provisions of the Kerala Essential Services Maintenance Act (KESMA).

“The Chief Minister (AK Antony) does not know the history our struggles, through which we obtained these benefits. Let him invoke whatever draconian laws, but we would go ahead with the strike. That’s the unanimous resolve of over five million employees and teachers,” CH Ashokan, convener of the Action Council of State Employees and Teachers told media.

The government had banned the strike in 15 services listed as essential under the KESMA, vis-à-vis food and civil supplies, electricity, including generation, transmission and distribution, water supply, health services including medical education, ESI and paramedical services, transport including water transport, museum and zoo and their functioning and maintenance, courts, conduct of examinations, preparation of budget, public works, commercial taxes collection, works relating to revenue recovery and land revenue collection, ministerial staff services under the Police Department and Fire Services, security personnel services in the Secretariat and treasury services.

The joint action council of the employees and teachers activists burnt the copies of the government order invoking KESMO throughout the state and took out protest marches. A huge rally was held in front of the State Secretariat also this morning.

Chief Minister AK Antony, meanwhile, said the government would not hesitate to deal firmly with the striking employees. The chief minister said he was not averse to talks to avert the strike that would increase the hardships of the people at the fag end of the current fiscal. He, however, made it clear that there was no question of his Government going back on its decision on the curbs. The measures were taken to ensure the security of their service as well as the health of the State's economy.

Special cabinet meetings have been called for Monday and Tuesday to take stock of the situation even as the employees, belonging to the unions owing allegiance to both the ruling and opposition parties, are preparing for a long-drawn strike with a high-profile pre-strike campaign explaining their case.

With the KESMA in force, the police have the power to arrest striking employees without a court warrant.Separately, finance minister K Sankaranarayanan said he government was not averse to invoke KESMA in more areas. “The laws are to be used when in need,” he told journalists here.

Explaining the circumstances that forced the government to initiative reforms for augmenting revenue and reducing administrative expenses, Sankaranarayanan said the government has not touched the salary or other benefits of the employees. The only regulation is in the form of abolishing leave surrender and deferment of salary payment for next two months by 15 days, and changes in pension commutation, he said.