Kerala CM unhappy after meeting PM Modi
New Delhi, July 19 : Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday expressed unhappiness after he led a 22-member delegation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to seek help on various issues concerning the state.
Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, the Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, agreed with Vijayan's assessment and said it was "a disappointing meeting and Kerala has nothing to look forward to from his (Modi's) response".
"The outcome was not a favourable one," Vijayan told the media after the meeting with Modi at Parliament complex.
"One of the issues we raised was the increase in the allocation of foodgrains and it should be on par with what we used to get prior to the implementation of the Food Security Act. But the Prime Minister said ... nothing else can be done," said Vijayan.
The Chief Minister added that when they left Kerala on Wednesday, the general impression was that there was hope for a Palakkad Coach Factory. But it was clear the Centre had no such plans.
Vijayan said they also raised the issue of the widespread damage caused by the ongoing heavy rains and floods in Kerala.
"We requested that a central team be sent and he said it will be done. With regards to the decision of the proposed sale of (public sector) HNL Factory (near Kottayam), our demand was that it should be retained by the Centre or transferred to the Kerala government.
"We also wanted the Centre to allow wide-bodied aircraft to land at Kozhikode. Overall it was not a favourable response from the Prime Minister," said Vijayan.
Chennithala said: "When we spoke about the proposed sale of HNL, the response was that the Kerala government also can bid for it. The visit has been a disappointing one."
The delegation also included state Congress chief M.M. Hassan, Kerala Ministers K. Ramachandran and G. Sudhakaran, former state BJP chief P.K. Krishnadas, E.T. Mohammed Basheer (IUML) and Rajya Sabha member Jose K. Mani (Kerala Congress-Mani).
During the meeting, Modi handed over a list of projects for which the Centre had allocated funds but which had not been used.
He also expressed his unhappiness that the lone Keralite Union Minister, K.J. Alphons, was not included in the delegation.
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Sculptor Ram Sutar, designer of Statue of Unity, passes away
New Delhi (PTI): Noted sculptor Ram Sutar, known for designing the world's tallest statue — Statue of Unity — in Gujarat, passed away late on Wednesday night at his Noida residence, his son said.
He was 100 and ailing with age-related illnesses.
"It is with profound grief that we inform you of the passing of my father Shri Ram Vanji Sutar on 17th December midnight at our residence," his son Anil Sutar said in a note shared with the press on Thursday.
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Born in a humble family in Gondur village under the Dhule district of present-day Maharashtra on February 19, 1925, Sutar is known to have been drawn to sculpting from his childhood.
A gold medallist from JJ School of Art and Architecture, Mumbai, Sutar, has to his credit a long list of achievements.
The iconic statues of Mahatma Gandhi seated in a meditating pose and of Chhatrapati Shivaji riding a horse on the Parliament premises rank among his finest creations.
The Statue of Unity honours Sardar Patel, country's first deputy prime minister and home minister.
Sutar was honoured with the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in 2016.
Recently, Sutar was conferred with the Maharashtra Bhushan Puraskar, the state's highest award.
