Kerala: Personality

A man for all seasons

VS' image has been lily white so far, but things could change

SHANAVAS. S | New Delhi, November 11, 2011 22:06
http://thesundayindian.com/en/story/a-man-for-all-seasons/2/25651/

In Kerala's Byzantine politics, V.S Achuthanandan is the crown prince. His compelling power to draw crowds is legion. It was the VS factor which helped the CPI-M lead Left Democratic Front (LDF) to get 68 seats in the 140 member Kerala Assembly. Even arch rival Congress has publicly admitted so in as many words. As an opposition leader, his fight against corruption has strengthened his image as an indefatigable fighter.

Now suddenly in the wake of alleged violations in the promotion given to his son, V.A Arunkumar in a state-run institution, Institute of Human Resources Development (IHRD), the former CM's clean image has taken a blow. A recent accountant general report has pointed out irregularities in the appointment of Arunkumar in IHRD. It has concluded that the promotion given to Arunkumar was illegal. Arunkumar, who joined IHRD as assistant director in 1997 was promoted first as college principal, then as joint director and finally as additional director. All promotions were awarded to him without the desired experience, the report said. According to it, eligibility rules were scrapped to make him additional director in 2008, a position created without prior and proper approval from the finance department.

The report said Arunkumar was given additional charge of a finishing model school for engineering graduates, set up by the IT department and IHRD without any approval from school governing authority. They also found financial irregularities in the running of this school. All these irregularities reportedly took place when VS himself was handling the IT portfolio. Following the reports, Kerala's education department has recommended Arunkumar's suspension from the post of additional director. The government, however, delayed its decision because a state assembly panel, the vigilance and anti-corruption department are already investigating separate complaints of corruption against him. The vigilance department is probing allegations that Arunkumar took a bribe of Rs 7 lakh from the sandalwood mafia in 2004.

A new high in food habit

Kerala: Society

A new high in food habit

SHANAVAS. S | New Delhi, November 13, 2011 16:19

Mutton, chicken consumption in God’s Own Country goes up

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Kerala leads India on many indicators: from literacy to health programmes, from the consumption of hard liquor to crimes. The state is the country’s largest foreign exchange earner, thanks to remittances from the Gulf. Now add another one. According to a latest survey, Kerala has, in the last seven months, emerged as the largest meat consuming state. The report on Kerala’s meat consumption coincides with Onam, the state’s very own national festival celebrated with traditional vegetarian foods and sadya (feast).

According to media reports, Kerala’s daily requirement of meat has been pegged at 5000 tonnes where roughly 80 to 85 per cent of the population is reportedly non-vegetarians. Kerala’s animal husbandry department, however, plays down the figures. “It is true that 80 to 85 per cent of state’s population prefer non-vegetarian food as their diet. But the daily requirement of meat is 1000 to 1500 tonnes. Other reports are far from the truth and reality’’, states Dr. R. Vijayakumar, director, state animal husbandry department.

Vijaykumar agreed that meat consumption in Kerala has seen a huge increase in recent years with beef and chicken an important component of the common man’s diet. Onam is known for traditional feasts including varieties of vegetarian cuisines but government statistics reveal another story. Sample these. Keralites consumed 1,759 tonnes of meat during vegetarian Onam. Of them 45 per cent were beef eaters, 35 per cent chicken, 14 per cent mutton while the rest enjoyed pig, duck and others. According to the report, in the last five years or so, the eating profile of people has undergone a drastic change. The new pace and style, best epitomised in the fast food culture, has become wide ranging and has reached the villages. The rise in peoples’ revenues with a corresponding rise in literacy levels have helped people to adopt protein-rich non-vegetarian food. Contributing factors like high vegetable prices and increasing consumption of liquor have helped evolve the new food culture. Besides Kerala and West Bengal are two states where the slaughter of cattle is not prohibited or banned.

In 2009-10, the animal meat production from the organised sector was 1,02,026 metric tonnes. Poultry meat production for the same year stood at 15,482 metric tonnes and total meat production from the authorised sector was pegged at 1,17,508 metric tonnes. The total annual meat production, including the unauthorised sector, was 3, 21, 560 metric tonnes while the state’s requirement was 3,30,105 metric tonnes. No surprise then the likes of KFC, US Fried Chicken, and others have mushroomed in Kerala.

http://www.thesundayindian.com/article_print.php?article_id=25355