Daily News Dose: Renowned Malayalam screenwriter John Paul passes away | Apr 23, 2022

Hello, this is your daily dose of news from Onmanorama. I'm your host, Vishnu, and these are the major news stories of the day:

1. Renowned Malayalam screenwriter John Paul is no more

2. Centre pushes for round-the-clock power supply in towns

3. Union health ministry gives nod to set up AIIMS in Kerala

4. K-Rail spent Rs 81.60 lakh for stonelaying till February, reveals RTI reply

5. India records 2,527 new Covid cases, 33 deaths 

Let's get into the details:

1. Noted Malayalam screenwriter John Paul, known for his work in movies like 'Chamaram', 'Yathra' and 'Vida Parayum Munbe', passed away at a private hospital in Kochi today. He was 72 years old. He was unwell for the past several months. He has written over 100 screenplays and also produced a few movies. 

He played a pivotal role in streamlining parallel and commercial movies in the Malayalam film industry. An avid reader, he also shone outside the realm of films and made a mark as a writer and debater. His books on films, including 'M T Oru Anuyathra', which won the Kerala state award, have also drawn wide acclaim. He even proved his mettle as an actor with movies like 'Gangster' and 'C/O Saira Banu'. 

John Paul was the founder general secretary of the Malayalam Cine Technicians Association, popularly known as MACTA. He was involved actively in various film societies in Kerala. He penned his final script for director Kamal's 'Pranaya Meenukalude Kadal', which released in 2019. He was a recipient of several awards, including the best director award, national award for best film on environment conservation, film critics award for script and documentaries, a state television award and special jury award instituted by the International Federation of Film Critics (Fipresci). He produced the award-winning movie 'Oru Cherupunchiri', directed by writer M T Vasudevan Nair.

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2. The Central government has directed all power distribution companies to ensure 24-hour electricity supply in towns with more than 1 lakh population across the country. An important amendment has been notified in this regard. 

As per the Centre’s direction, the Kerala State Electricity Board will have to ensure uninterrupted power supply in almost all towns of Kerala. 

The Centre has also appealed to the people who use diesel generators for emergency requirement to shift to a new power system within five years. These measures are being taken to lay emphasis on the use of clean energy. The Centre has also asked to expedite the process of granting temporary connections. It is understood that the delay in granting temporary connections often leads to the use of diesel generators at construction sites.

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3. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has taken a favourable stand on establishing an All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, popularly known as AIIMS, in Kerala. It recommended giving registration of the institute in the State. The decision was passed on by Bharati Pawar, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare to K Muralidharan, MP, on Saturday. 

Pawar has urged the Kerala government to find suitable land for the construction of the institute. She added that the central government plans to establish AIIMS in all states in different phases and the decision to establish one in Kerala was part of this vision. 

Now, the Ministry of Finance has to authorise and allocate a budget for this initiative. The announcement to set up an AIIMS in Kerala was initially made in 2015 by the central government. The State had even suggested four locations to set up the institute. However, thereafter it evaded the specifics on the project even when MPs from Kerala queried about it in the Parliament.

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4. Kerala has been witnessing a spirited protest against the SilverLine semi high-speed rail project with protestors uprooting survey stones as soon as they are planted on identified plots across the state. K-Rail has spent Rs 81.60 lakh till February for laying these boundary stones. This includes the expenses of the officials and the cost of transporting and installing stones at each location. 

SilverLine is the proposed rail project to connect Thiruvananthapuram in the south to Kasaragod in the north across 11 stations that pass through 11 districts. 

A total of Rs 3.23 crore has been spent on various surveys so far. The total expenses for the LiDAR aerial surveys to determine the rail alignment was Rs 2.08 crore. Topographical surveys cost Rs 8.27 lakh and traffic and transportation related charges amounted to Rs 23.75 lakh. The details of the expenses were revealed by K-Rail in a reply to a Kochi-based RTI activist K Govindan Nampoothiry.

Meanwhile, K-Rail has called top SilverLine opponents for a technical debate on the project on April 28. Experts who support the project and those who oppose it on socio-economic, environmental, and technical grounds have been invited to air their views. The two-hour long panel discussion has been titled 'Vaadikaanum Jayikaanum Alla, Ariyaanum Ariyikaanum', which translates to 'Not to argue and win, but to know and inform'.

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5. With 2,527 coronavirus infections being reported in a day, India's total tally of cases rose to 4,30,54,952, while active cases have increased to 15,079, according to the Union health ministry's data updated on Saturday. The death toll has climbed to 5,22,149 with 33 fatalities. The active cases comprise 0.04 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has been recorded at 98.75 per cent, as per the data. An increase of 838 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. The daily positivity rate has been recorded at 0.56 per cent and the weekly positivity rate at 0.50  per cent, according to the health ministry.

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That brings us to the end of this episode. Be sure to come back tomorrow. As always, thanks for listening to Daily News Dose.