Ruling CPI(M) accuses Centre of imposing economic sanctions on Kerala; announces protest from Sep 11
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): The ruling CPI(M) in Kerala on Monday accused the Centre of imposing economic sanctions on the state and announced a massive public protest against the BJP-led Union government from September 11.
Amidst the campaigning for the Puthuppally assembly bypoll, CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan also targeted the Congress-led UDF in the state, accusing the opposition parties of not opposing the Centre's economic sanctions on the state.
Addressing a press conference after a CPI(M) state committee meeting here, Govindan said the party will carry out massive public protests across Kerala from September 11 onwards against the Centre's financial policies and the stand taken by it and the Congress-led UDF on the issues of price rise and unemployment.
The CPI(M) state secretary contended that both the BJP-ruled central government and the UDF opposition in Kerala were not taking steps to address the problems faced by the people.
"Instead, they are blaming the Left government here for everything. It is a political strategy. They are trying to find the means to push the state into a financial crisis," he alleged.
He said that the Centre's various measures -- including stopping of GST compensation, reducing the state's share in central taxes, cutting down the borrowing limits of Kerala and adding to its debt the loans taken by PSUs like KIIFB -- were pushing the state into financial problems.
The CPI(M) leader also said that while it was trying to address the issue of price rise -- by intervening in the market -- and unemployment, by creating more jobs, neither the Centre nor the UDF were helping in any manner and were only blaming the Left front administration.
Govindan said that the UDF MLAs had agreed to meet Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on a specific date to hold discussions on finding a solution for the financial crisis the state was being pushed into due to certain policies of the Centre.
"However, on the appointed date, they (UDF MLAs) never showed up. Despite that, the LDF MLAs met the Union Finance Minister and placed before her the memorandum prepared by the Kerala government," he said.
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Two women died, 6 taken ill after ‘consuming’ mango kernel gruel in Odisha
Bhubaneswar/Berhampur/Phulbani, Nov 1: At least two tribal women died and six others fell ill after allegedly consuming mango kernel gruel in Odisha's Kandhamal district, police said on Friday.
Consumption of mango kernel, prepared by boiling the seeds in water, was reported from Mandipanka village in the district's Daringbadi block, an officer said.
While one of the two women (Rasmita Pattamajhi aged 22) died on Thursday night at Mohana community health centre in Gajapati district where she was undergoing treatment after "consuming the gruel", another woman (Runu Majhi aged 29) breathed her last while being taken to MKCG Medical College Hospital in Berhampur, Gadapur sarpanch Kumari Mallick said.
Six others, who fell ill after allegedly consuming the gruel, were admitted to a hospital and their condition was critical, said Dr Subrat Das, a medical officer of the health facility.
"All the six have been admitted to the hospital in a serious condition. We suspected that they fell sick due to food poisoning. The exact cause of the illness will be ascertained after completion of the investigation," he added.
The six were identified as Pravati Patmajhi, Dranglu Patmajhi, Tuni Majhi, Susama Patmajhi, Jita Majhi and Jibanti Majhi, Daringbadi BDO Pritiranjan Ratha said.
Meanwhile, the Odisha government has rejected allegations that tribal people have been consuming mango kernel gruel due to a lack of access to rice under the Public Distribution System (PDS).
Rasmita's husband Anil Pattamajhi alleged that they were denied rice under PDS for the last three months because of which his wife consumed mango kernel.
However, Kandhamal district magistrate-cum-collector Amrit Ruturaj dismissed the allegations, saying the family received rice according to PDS norms. "We are awaiting the postmortem report to determine the facts," the collector added.
Deputy chief minister Pravati Parida, who is also in-charge of the women and child development department said, "It is not a case of malnutrition. Mango kernel is part of their (tribal) regular diet. Sometime, the mango kernels get contaminated and lead to such unfortunate incidents. We have been actively spreading awareness about the risks of food contamination."
Health and family welfare minister Mukesh Mahaling, who ordered a departmental inquiry into the death of two tribal women, said a team from the district headquarters hospital and another local team are at the spot to assess the situation and conduct a detailed probe into the incident.
Mahaling said that the government was waiting for the postmortem report for a confirmation on the cause of the deaths. "People in Kandhamal consume mango kernel. It is common in that region and there also have been reports of health complications linked to it in the past," he said.
The Kandhmal incident reminds a similar tragedy involving mango kernel deaths in Kashipur block of Rayagada district, where at least 20 people died in 2001, and two more succumbed to mango kernel consumption in 2016. Additionally, mango kernel has claimed lives in Laxmipur in Koraput district in 2012 and 2013, as well as in Jharigaon in Nabarangpur district in 2018.
