Puttur girl Anusha N bags 'IRIS -2018 Grand Award’; to participate in USA science fair

Kasaragod, June 2: As Kerala commenced fresh academic year with online classes from Monday, a ninth-standard student at Malappuram district in North Kerala ended life allegedly owing to lack of online study facilities like television connection and a smartphone at her house.

Devika, daughter of Balakrishnan, hailing from a Dalit community at Valancherry, about 25 kilometres from Malappuram town, ended her life.

Balakrishnan told the media that he could not recharge the television connection owing to financial crunches. He was working as a daily wage worker and owing to COVID-19 and lockdown, he was not having much work these days. 

The family also did not have a smartphone or computer. The family members alleged that Devika was quite upset as she could not attend the virtual class that began on Monday. She was a student of a nearby government school.

Local police said that Devika, who was the eldest among four children of Balakrishnan, was suspected to have self-immolated using kerosene at a premise close to her house on Monday evening. The cause and provocations were still being probed only. No suicide notes were recovered yet.

Bengaluru, Feb 19: A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Karnataka High Court, seeking a stay on Anand Singh functioning as Minister of Forests, Environment and Ecology contending that there are criminal cases filed against him by the Ministry.

"A stay be granted prohibiting Anand Singh from functioning as the Cabinet Minister for the Ministry of Forests, Environment and Ecology. Any other order that the Honourable Court may deem fit in the interest of justice and equity," the PIL prays.

The petition, filed by advocate Vijay Kumar, said that the Chief Minister has allocated the portfolio of the Ministry of Forests, Environment and Ecology to Singh without considering the fact that there are several criminal faces filed against him by the Ministry.

It said that the allocation of the Ministry of Forests, Environment and Ecology portfolio to Singh is in the conflict of interest.

"The holding of the post of Cabinet minister for the Ministry of Forests, Environment and Ecology is against public interest and completely in conflict of interest as he has business for which the subject Ministry is the overseeing authority and further he will also have access to the case files which again is in conflict of interest," the PIL said.

PIL adds that "it is pertinent and absolutely necessary" to deny the incumbent from accessing files related to his cases and from taking any decisions which may provide him with pecuniary benefits through his businesses.

Bengaluru, Feb 10: Former Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil Kumaraswamy today got engaged to Revathi, the grand-niece of Congress leader and realtor M Krishnappa.

On February 6, Mr Nikhil shared a picture with Ms Revathi on his official Facebook account.

Mr Nikhil's grandfather and former prime minister of India HD Deve Gowda attended the event along with several other politicians at the Taj West End.

BJP leaders including Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa former chief minister Jagadish Shetter were also present.

Mr Nikhil, 30, is a Kannada film actor who made his debut in the bilingual movie Jaguar in 2016. The actor will soon start shooting for his new movie Production No-1.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he lost to Sumalatha Ambareesh, widow of former Karnataka actor Ambareesh, in the Mandya constituency in Karnataka.