Rains continue to lash Kerala; orange alert in four districts, trains delayed
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): After a brief lull in the morning, rains continued to lash Kerala on Monday, with the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing an orange alert in four districts of the state.
The IMD issued an orange alert in the districts of Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha and Idukki for the day. It also issued a yellow alert in eight districts of the state.
An orange alert means that very heavy rainfall of 11 cm to 20 cm is likely, and a yellow alert means there could be heavy rainfall of between 6 and 11 cm.
The IMD also predicted that thunderstorms with moderate rainfall and gusty winds are likely to occur at one or two places in Thiruvananthapuram, Idukki, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod districts of the state.
Earlier in the day, the IMD said there were cyclonic circulations over coastal Tamil Nadu and its neighbourhoods as well as over the Lakshadweep area, adjoining the Southeast Arabian sea and the Kerala coast.
Under their influence, light to moderate rainfall with isolated heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, gusty wind and lightning are likely at many places in Kerala on Monday and Tuesday, it said.
Meanwhile, state Health Minister Veena George advised extreme caution against spread of infectious diseases in areas flooded due to the rains.
Following a review meeting held here during the day, the minister said that as the water recedes from the flooded and waterlogged areas, there is a chance of spread of infectious diseases, such as leptospirosis -- which is caused by contact with water or soil contaminated with the urine of animals such as rats.
The minister, according to a statement issued by her office, said the health department is already on the alert for cases of dengue and leptospirosis.
Although the number of cases of fever are low, it is important to be careful during the rains, she said and advised against self medicating.
She directed that surveillance in the districts be strengthened and awareness activities be intensified, apart from ensuring availability of medicines, the statement said.
Residents of flooded areas and those involved in rescue operations should take doxycycline tablets as prescribed by health professionals for the prevention of leptospirosis infection, the minister said.
During the brief lull in rainfall in the morning, water receded from most of the areas which were flooded and waterlogged due to the heavy rainfall in the state in the last few days.
Many areas of the southernmost Kerala district of Thiruvananthapuram and the state capital were waterlogged and flooded on Sunday. However, water did not recede from some areas such as the Kochuveli pit line here, leading to rescheduling and delaying of trains.
A pit line is a track at a station where train coaches are inspected and where repairs and maintenance work is carried out before a journey.
The Thiruvananthapuram Central-New Delhi Kerala Express, which was scheduled to leave the state capital at 12.30 pm on Monday, was rescheduled to depart at 7.35 pm as water did not recede at the Kochuveli pit line after the heavy rains, the railways said.
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
