K. Stalin had decided not to allow any hydrocarbon projects in the State in view of the potential damage to the environment and agriculture.
Former Finance Minister and DMK leader Thangam Thennarasu, on Monday, said the State government should not grant approval for the four hydrocarbon exploration wells proposed by Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) at Parankipettai in Cuddalore district.“The DMK government headed by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had decided not to allow any hydrocarbon projects in the State in view of the potential damage to the environment and agriculture. When the ONGC submitted an application to study the availability of hydrocarbons in Ramanathapuram, the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority was advised not to grant permission,” he said in a social media post.Mr. Thennarasu said the State government should oppose the projects in Parankipettai as they would affect natural resources and the livelihoods of fishermen. He also urged the Tamil Nadu State Coastal Zone Management Authority not to grant clearance for the projects. Published - June 15, 2026 11:53 pm IST
BJP State president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, MLA | Sugathan, who was arrested under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA) two days ago.Addressing a press conference here, Mr. Chandrasekhar said that the arrest was “politically motivated.”“The BJP will do everything it has to do to protect Sugathan. If someone wants to play politics using the police, we also know how to respond politically. But unlike the CPI(M), which vandalised vehicles in response to an Enforcement Directorate (ED) raid, we will take this on legally. Let no SHO, comrade or the Home Minister have any doubt regarding that,” he said.Mr. Sugathan, who represents the Vazhottukonam ward in the City Corporation, was taken into custody during a dramatic late-night police operation on Tuesday in an attempt to murder case. The arrest has triggered a political confrontation within the city Corporation, with both the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) demanding Mr. Sugathan’s removal from the council.Speaking on the completion of 12 years of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre, he said that Mr.Modi’s politics of performance is a contrast to Kerala’s economic struggles under successive LDF and UDF governments.“During the election campaign, the current Chief Minister made a slew of promises, but now he is talking about the fiscal situation. Wasn’t he aware of this when he was in the Opposition for 10 years? The Congress gave such huge promises despite having a knowledge of the State’s fiscal situation. They have now offered free travel for women in KSRTC buses, but even they know that they cannot implement this. Our State is struggling because of its weak economy, price rise and joblessness. Whatever be the ideology, the job of the government should be to strengthen the economy and solve people’s issues. The Modi government at the Centre has been doing this for twelve years,” he said.He said that the Modi government was able to uplift 25 crore people from multidimensional poverty. The country managed to have considerable economic growth during this period despite challenges including COVID-19, Chinese aggression and major global wards, he said.Mr. Chandrasekhar also felicitated six former Communist Party of India (CPI) members from Thiruvananthapuram who joined the BJP. Published - June 12, 2026 02:06 pm IST
11th Meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog in New Delhi on Thursday, June 11, 2026, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They were speaking at the 11th Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog held under the theme ‘Inclusive human development for Viksit Bharat’, chaired by the Prime Minister in New Delhi.Key concernsMr. Sukhu said the financial impact arose from several key concerns, including the discontinuation of the Revenue Deficit Grant (RDG, i.e. statutory financial transfers provided by the Centre to specific States to bridge the gap between their assessed revenue and expenditure), losses caused by natural disasters, inadequate compensation from hydropower projects in terms of free power and revenue shortfalls resulting from the Goods and Services Tax framework.He said Himachal is contributing towards the growth of the country despite these limitations and sought a detailed report by a high-level committee to the Government of India so that the State may get its “due share”.‘Major blow’“The discontinuation of RDG posed a major blow to the economy of the State and the ₹25,000 crore provided to the State is insufficient to compensate the loss. It should be increased to ₹50,000 crore so that development activities can be carried out in a smooth manner,” he said.“Himachal Pradesh provides ₹90,000 crore ecological services to the country as per a study conducted by the Indian Institute of Forest Management. However, the State is not being compensated accordingly against its contribution towards preserving ecology. The State was being deprived of fair amount of free power on 13,000 MW power being produced in the State. The State has still not received arrears amounting to ₹7,000 crore from the Bhakra Beas Management Board. It bore the brunt of natural disasters and still awaits the announced ₹1,500 crore special assistance,” Mr. Sukhu added.90:10 funding: MannMr. Mann sought a special package for the revitalisation of border areas and demanded that Punjab be accorded SCS with 90:10 funding under all Centrally-sponsored schemes on the lines of hill States, north-eastern States and Jammu & Kashmir.“Punjab is a frontline State sharing a 553-km border with Pakistan. It faces a deep and multidimensional crisis that includes persistent cross-border terrorism, drone-based smuggling of heroin and weapons. This has resulted in a drug addiction epidemic among youth, organised crime and daily hardship for farmers cultivating land between the security fence and the International Border under Border Security Force escort,” he said.“Although Punjab acts as a buffer for the country against repeated hostilities from our neighbour, support from the Government of India has been grossly inadequate for the State and its border areas,” Mr. Mann added. Published - June 12, 2026 04:22 am IST
Home News India The Meteorological Centre issued an orange alert for hailstorm, lightning and gusty winds in parts of Himachal Pradesh on June 11 and 12 Updated - June 11, 2026 03:29 pm IST Heavy rain in Vijayawada on Thursday (June 11, 2026). | N. Rao The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert warning of very heavy rains for Idukki and Ernakulam on Friday (June 12, 2026), while Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Thrissur, Kannur and Kasaragod districts have been put on yellow alert, where isolated heavy rain is likely.Also Read : Missed call: On India and the southwest monsoonSimilarly, very heavy rain has been forecast for Ernakulam and Thrissur districts on Thursday (June 11, 2026) and isolated heavy rains for Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam, Idukki, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod districts on the day. Isolated heavy rains will continue in parts of the State powered by the cyclonic circulations over the Bay of Bengal.The IMD forecast heavy rainfall in Kerala till June 14 and advised against fishing activities along the Kerala-Karnataka-Lakshdweep coast for the next couple of days due to strong winds and bad weather conditions. The department said that strong winds with speeds of 40 to 60 kilometres per hour and bad weather were likely along the Kerala-Karnataka-Lakshadweep coasts from June 1 to 12 and advised against fishing activities in the region during that time.Follow LIVE updates hereJune 11, 2026 15:22 Kerala | Orange alert for two districtsThe India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert warning of very heavy rains for Idukki and Ernakulam for tomorrow, while Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Thrissur, Kannur and Kasaragod districts have been put on yellow alert, where isolated heavy rain is likely.Similarly, very heavy rain has been forecast for Ernakulam and Thrissur districts for today and isolated heavy rains for Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam, Idukki, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod districts on the day. Isolated heavy rains will continue in parts of the State powered by the cyclonic circulations over the Bay of Bengal.Read the story here...June 11, 2026 14:52 Telangana | KTR accuses government of failing to prepare for monsoonBharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K. T. Rama Rao yesterday criticised the Congress government over the disruption caused by the season’s first major spell of rain in Hyderabad, alleging inadequate pre-monsoon preparedness and neglect of precautionary measures usually undertaken ahead of the monsoon.Read the story here...June 11, 2026 14:14 Kerala | Aquaplaning hotspots on NH 66 pose a safety threat to motoristsSeveral aquaplaning hotspots on the newly widened National Highway-66 between Kozhikode and Malappuram districts have emerged as a major safety concern, with motorists warning that the condition could lead to serious accidents during the monsoon season.Aquaplaning hotspots on NH 66 pose a safety threat to motoristsAt least six locations on the highway turn into danger zones during moderate to heavy rainfall, with water accumulation on the road surface causing vehicles to lose traction, say driversJune 11, 2026 13:39 Kerala | Trawling ban forces fisherfolk to search for alternate streams of livelihood5dacd161-f528-476c-af94-6cefa4a16e0e.jpgJune 11, 2026 13:00 Tamil Nadu | Mettur dam will not be opened for delta irrigation tomorrowDue to the lack of availability of water in the Stanley Reservoir in Mettur, the dam will not be opened tomorrow, which was the scheduled date of opening of the dam for delta irrigation.Officials attached to the Water Resources Department (WRD) in Mettur Dam said that as the water level is below 80 feet and since there is no heavy rain in the catchment area, the dam cannot be opened as per schedule. If the monsoon rains pour heavily in the coming days and the dam receives more water, the government will decide on opening the dam for delta irrigation, officials add
The coastal areas of Kerala are likely to experience the ‘kallakkadal’ phenomenon – the sudden swell of the seas causing rough waves – from Thursday 8.30 p.m. to Friday 11.30 p.m., according to a bulletin issued by INCOIS. | VIBHU The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert warning of very heavy rains for Idukki and Ernakulam on Friday (June 12, 2026), while Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Thrissur, Kannur and Kasaragod districts have been put on yellow alert, where isolated heavy rain is likely.Monsoon 2026 tracker LIVESimilarly, very heavy rain has been forecast for Ernakulam and Thrissur districts on Thursday (June 11, 2026) and isolated heavy rains for Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam, Idukki, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod districts on the day. Isolated heavy rains will continue in parts of the State powered by the cyclonic circulations over the Bay of Bengal.Kallakkadal phenomenonFurther, the coastal areas of Kerala are likely to experience the ‘kallakkadal’ phenomenon – the sudden swell of the seas causing rough waves – from Thursday 8.30 p.m. to Friday 11.30 p.m., according to a bulletin issued by the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), the central agency that issues weather warnings for fishermen in the country.“There is a possibility of rough seas due to high waves of 0.8 to 1.4 metres along the coast of Kerala during this period,” according to INCOIS. Published - June 11, 2026 03:24 pm IST
The Kerala High Court on Wednesday ordered the State government to take necessary steps to finalise the draft of the Kerala Prohibition of Ragging (Amendment) Bill, 2025.The Division Bench of Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice C. Jayachandran asked the government pleader to peruse the orders that had been issued in the matter so far and remarked that the Bill had reached this stage after considerable effort.The State had sought more time to consider details of the Amendment Bill owing to the change in government after the Assembly elections.The court had observed earlier that there was “no impediment for the Cabinet to meet and finalise the draft” of the Bill before the elections. On Wednesday, the State submitted that the new government had taken charge, and that the newly formed Cabinet would have to consider the matter afresh since it was not privy to the proceedings.The petition was filed by the Kerala State Legal Services Authority for stronger laws to tackle the menace of ragging, after a spree of related incidents in the State which peaked in 2024 with the death of J.S. Sidharth, a junior veterinary student of the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Wayanad. Published - June 10, 2026 10:23 pm IST
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