Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 12: Kerala Chief Minister, Shri Pinarayi Vijayan today announced that innovative methods for the prevention of Covid are being devised under the leadership of the District Police Chiefs. The defence measures prepared by the Police Chiefs in different districts will be shared mutually and will be implemented after making necessary changes for adaption.
Janamaithri police officers will be given online behavioural training. Awareness campaigns against Coronavirus were organised with the participation of the public under the leadership of senior officers. The assistance of women is being taken to ensure the safety of their family members.
The Chief Minister also informed that various technologies and scientific methods are being used by the Police for contact tracing. “As part of this effort, the State Police Chief had given instruction to collect the call details records (CDR) of Covid patients. The law enforcement agencies are allowed to collect this type of information. In Kerala too, CDRs are used to collect patient information for the sake of public health and safety. This is the most effective way for contact tracing and we have been using this method for a few months. The information thus collected will not be passed on to anyone else or used for any other purpose.” He also clarified that there will be no intrusion in the patient’s privacy.
Rajamala landslide update:
The Chief Minister has informed that three more bodies were recovered today from the Rajamala landslide disaster site at Munnar in Idukki district. One of them was identified as that of a 12-year-old girl. The death toll in the Pettimudi tragedy has risen to 55.
As part of the Covid preventive measures, sanitizers, masks and gloves are being distributed to those involved in the search operations at the disaster area.
Karipur air crash update:
The CM also informed that 83 survivors of the Karipur plane crash are being treated at various hospitals in Kozhikode and Malappuram districts. While 61 passengers are recovering fast, 22 people are still in serious condition.
Kerala cuts tax on aviation turbine fuel to 1% for 10 years
In a bid to encourage domestic air travel in the State, the Kerala Government has been decided to reduce the tax rate on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) from 5% to 1% for all domestic flights from the Kochi International Airport at Nedumbassery and the Kozhikode International Airport at Karipur for a period of 10 years. The Cabinet meeting held today approved this decision.