Nagaland CM distributes portfolios, keeps finance for self
Kohima (PTI): Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on Thursday allocated portfolios to his two deputy CMs and nine ministers.
Rio also appointed 24 MLAs as advisors' to various departments in his opposition less government.
Rio kept for himself the portfolios such as finance, personnel & administrative reforms and others not allocated to any minister.
Deputy Chief Minister Taditui Rangkau Zeliang was allocated the planning & transformation and national highway departments while the second Deputy CM Yanthungo Patton was given home and border affairs departments.
Salhoutuonuo Kruse, the first woman minister in the state, was allocated the women's resources development and horticulture departments.
While the parliamentary affairs department went to K G Kenye, the health & family welfare department was given to P Paiwang Konyak.
While the NDPP-BJP alliance returned to power for the second time in a row in the northeastern state, the NCP, NPP, Naga People's Front, RPI (A), LJP (Ram Vilas), JD(U) and Independent MLAs extended support to it for an opposition less government.
According to the rule, Nagaland with a 60-member assembly cannot have more than 12 ministers including the chief minister.
To accommodate all parties, Rio appointed 24 advisors' and allocated them various departments such as tribal affairs, agriculture, municipal affairs, labour, and industries & commerce.
Senior NDPP MLA Sharingain Longkumer was not given any portfolio and he is likely to be the Speaker which he was in the previous assembly.
The assembly election was held on February 27 while the results were declared on March 2.
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No unannounced load shedding in Kerala, outages due to overload, says Minister
Palakkad (PTI): Kerala Electricity Minister K Krishnankutty on Saturday said there was no unannounced load shedding in the state, attributing recent power interruptions to temporary overload caused by high consumption.
Clarifying concerns raised from various parts of the state, the minister said the disruptions are not deliberate but occur when demand peaks, particularly between 10 pm and 11 pm.
"It is not being done intentionally. Power consumption has risen sharply, and when there is excessive and indiscriminate usage, the system experiences overload, leading to natural supply interruptions," he told reporters here.
His remarks come amid complaints that several areas have been witnessing frequent power cuts, often lasting around 15 minutes and occurring multiple times during the night.
Krishnankutty said the state's power demand has crossed 6,195 MW, putting pressure on the supply system. He added that around 70 per cent of Kerala's electricity is procured from outside, and existing power banking arrangements have been exhausted.
"We have approached the Regulatory Commission seeking permission to purchase more power. However, this will come at a higher cost," he said.
The minister said the government is trying to avoid increasing electricity tariffs and urged consumers to exercise restraint in usage to help manage the situation.
Responding to opposition criticism over the ruling LDF's earlier claims of a decade without power cuts, he said the current situation is not unique to Kerala.
A power crisis is emerging across the country, he said, and sarcastically asked the Opposition to take note of the role of natural factors in this.
Krishnankutty expressed confidence that the situation would improve within two days, while cautioning that long-term energy security would depend on enhancing in-state power generation.
He also warned that future generations could face serious challenges if adequate electricity production capacity is not developed within Kerala.
