Latest news with #Riyas
The Hindu
14-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Kerala safe for independent journalism, says Riyas
Kerala continues to be one of the safest places for independent journalism at a time when many other States are trying to restrict media freedom with their reactive approach to criticism, Minister for Public Works P.A. Mohamed Riyas has said. He was speaking after presenting the Theruvath Raman Memorial Journalism Excellence Award instituted by the Calicut Press Club for the best editorial to senior journalist V.M. Ibrahim here on Monday. Mr. Riyas said the country was currently witnessing a strange situation where even the National Investigation Agency was found to have been a weapon in the hands of a few to suppress media freedom and advocacy. He pointed out that Kerala, however, had emerged as a model with its proactive approach to constructive criticism by the media. Mr. Riyas also distributed the newly designed identity cards prepared by the press club for journalists. Press Club president E.P. Mohammed and secretary P.K. Sajith were present.
Time of India
08-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Gender audit at 16 tourist destinations in Kerala by year-end: Minister
T'puram: The state govt will conduct gender audits at 16 destinations by the end of the year as part of making the state a women-friendly destination, said tourism minister P A Mohamed Riyas. Speaking after inaugurating a state-level consultation workshop on Tuesday to bring out a Gender Inclusive and Women-Friendly Tourism Policy, Riyas said gender audits were already done in six places and safety audits were done in 64 places. "The next step is to make these destinations women-friendly by looking at the findings of the audits," he added. The gender audit identifies gender gaps and inequalities and is aimed at promoting equitable opportunities for men and women in the tourism sector. The state govt has already allocated funds to give subsidies for women entrepreneurs in tourism, he said, adding that the efforts of Responsible Tourism Mission Society to aid the affected in Mundakkai and Chooralmala was an example. He said that around 17,631 women have registered as entrepreneurs in Responsible Tourism Mission Society. "Some of them are doing exclusive women tours, running women homestays and are women drivers. There is a need to train these people in a professional manner. That is going to be the next step. UN Women has helped the tourism department technically and has also approved our plan," he said. He said this was the first time a state was planning women-friendly tourism with the aim of opening women-friendly destinations and creating a network of women entrepreneurs in tourism. The move comes because the state govt realised the increasing trend of women travelling alone and in groups post-Covid, he added. The state has been witnessing an increase in domestic and foreign tourist arrivals after Covid. "Our tourist arrival numbers are above the average of the numbers of other states. Munnar got the most number of tourists last year. We are competing with countries," Riyas said. Shikha Surendran, MD, Kerala tourism development corporation, said safety studies and Posh training were given and women committees were formed as part of making destinations women-friendly. The aim of the consultation meet is to frame a draft policy. Later, Riyas told reporters that an empanelled agency was in charge of inviting influencers as part of tourism promotion and the state govt has no role in who is invited. "At that time, we did not know about the activities of Jyothi Malhotra, who was later arrested for alleged spying. She was part of a group that arrived in the state. She went to BJP-ruled states too. Such needless negative publicity may impact tourist arrivals and can be avoided," he said.
The Print
08-07-2025
- Politics
- The Print
‘Invited as vlogger, not spy'—Congress-led UDF backs Kerala govt amid row over Jyoti Malhotra's visit
Jyoti Malhotra, known for her YouTube channel Travel with Jo, was arrested in Hisar, Haryana, in May 2025 on charges of espionage under the Official Secrets Act. She allegedly passed on sensitive information to the Pakistani spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in the aftermath of the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack. As the BJP unit in Kerala continues to clamour over the issue, demanding a probe into the state visit by the vlogger, the ruling Left Democratic Front has found support from unexpected quarters. The Opposition in the state, the Congress-led United Democratic Front, has come forward to defend the Pinarayi Vijayan-led state government and Riyas. Thiruvananthapuram: Facing political heat over the visit of influencer Jyoti Malhotra to Kerala in 2024-25, the state's Tourism Minister P.A. Mohammed Riyas clarified Tuesday that she was part of a routine Kerala tourism campaign handled by external agencies in the absence of any oversight by his department or by the state government. Kerala assembly Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan, however, said he does not blame the tourism department or Riyas for her visit, asking whether anyone could have known she was a spy when she came to the state in 2024-25, months before her arrest. The Kerala government would not have invited her if it had known that she was a spy, he added. 'When she came, she was invited as a vlogger, not as a spy. Who could have known then that she was a spy?' Satheesan asked. When ThePrint approached the tourism department, it shared a video from a social media account held by Jyoti Malhotra. The video shows her speaking to the BJP leader and former Union minister, V. Muraleedharan, following the inauguration of the second Vande Bharat train in Kerala in September 2023. She visited Kerala to participate in a promotional video during the launch of the train connecting Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram. Then, in 2024 and January 2025, she revisited Kerala. 'How were we supposed to know in January that an issue would arise in May? The central agencies that should inform states about such matters also did not alert us,' said Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Mohammed Riyas. Calling the controversy created by the BJP unnecessary and driven by its desire to gain political mileage in Kerala, Mohammed Riyas said Jyoti Malhotra might have visited many other states, including those ruled by the BJP, at the time. 'The practice of bringing influencers from outside for tourism promotion is not new. Empanelled agencies manage the entire programme. The minister or department does not interfere with who the agencies invite, or what they do,' Riyas told reporters Tuesday. On Monday, ANI published an RTI reply, revealing Jyoti Malhotra as among 41 influencers who visited Kerala earlier this year as part of a tourism promotion initiative. Soon after, BJP leaders at the state and national levels began using the information to attack the Kerala government. BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla has accused the Left government of blocking 'Bharat Mata' while giving 'red carpet' treatment to 'Pakistani spies', demanding that Mohammed Riyas resign and face an investigation over the issue. State BJP leader and advocate B. Gopalakrishnan has alleged that there must be some mystery behind Jyoti Malhotra's 'Kerala visit'. 'There is a mystery… Many terrorist outfits have found roots in the state, and the administration has always supported them,' Gopalakrishnan told ThePrint. When asked about the video, Gopalakrishnan added that there was no proof that the BJP called upon Jyoti Malhotra to promote the Vande Bharat train in 2023. Riyas said that he initially felt the matter did not deserve a response, but changed his mind as it triggered 'unnecessary discussions and comments by some senior political leaders'. 'For them, it might suit their political agenda, but for society, it creates an unnecessary perception about Kerala's tourism sector,' he said. (Edited by Madhurita Goswami) Also Read: Congress alleges Centre & CPIM 'compromise' as RA Chandrasekhar takes charge as Kerala DGP
India Gazette
08-07-2025
- Business
- India Gazette
Kerala's gender-inclusive tourism policy will support new entrants: Tourism Minister Mohammed Riyas
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], July 8 (ANI): Kerala Tourism Minister PA Mohammed Riyas on Tuesday said the state government will go ahead with its action plan to support newcomers, especially women, to the tourism sector, aligning with the vision of inclusive and sustainable development of tourism. The Minister was delivering the inaugural address to the state-level consultation workshop to bring out a Gender Inclusive and Women-Friendly Tourism Policy as part of the women-friendly tourism initiative here. The workshop was organised by the Department of Tourism in collaboration with Kerala Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission Society and UN Women India. The two major objectives of the gender-inclusive project that took off in 2022 were to create women-friendly tourism centres and create a network of women enterprises in the tourism sector, the Minister said. 'It is vital to extend support to the newcomers to the tourism sector, especially women, to ensure that they flourish in the competitive ecosystem,' Riyas said. 'Initially, around 17,631 women had joined the project with diverse enterprises and services. These included exclusive women tour units, homestays, souvenir units and services like community tour leaders and tour operators. After imparting training to them, tourism activities are being conducted in a coordinated manner,' he said. The government also has allotted funds for the women's ventures through RT's subsidy scheme, Riyas said. The Minister said Kerala Tourism's women-inclusive project was greatly appreciated by the UN Women India, which also extended technical support in areas like destination safety, gender audit and training programmes. Riyas said Kerala was the first state to conduct a gender audit in the country. This has been completed in six centres and will be held in another 14 tourism centres this financial year. Also, a safety audit has been completed in 68 tourism spots, and activities are in full swing to implement women-friendly initiatives there. Holding that the women-friendly initiative will help overcome the challenges in the sector, Riyas said post-COVID-19, the state clocked a record in domestic tourists' arrival while outpacing other states in the national average of foreign tourists' arrival. In her opening remarks, Kerala Tourism Director Sikha Surendran said the women-friendly initiative of the state has become a global model for others to emulate it. 'Apart from firming up Kerala's position on the global tourism map as an all-season experiential destination, our RT initiative has brought significant benefits to the local communities, especially women as its major stakeholders,' she noted. S K Sajeesh, Chairman, Kerala Tourism Infrastructure Ltd (KTIL), presided over the function. A panel discussion followed the inaugural session. In her keynote address, Kanta Singh, Country Representative, UN Women, India, said Kerala has been showing the way for the country in many things, and it is a privilege to partner with the state government and the RT project to do more for women in the tourism sector. In his presentation of a framework for Gender Responsive Tourism Policy, K Rupeshkumar, CEO, Kerala RT Mission Society, said the upcoming policy will lay down guidelines for implementation, monitoring and evaluation of gender inclusive practices. 'The major objectives of the policy include fostering women's participation in the tourism industry, ensuring safety and security and women's empowerment,' he said. It will also address such issues as workplace practices, ensure safe work environments for employees and development of inclusive and accessible infrastructure and services in destinations. Rupeshkumar added an action plan for the implementation of each component of the policy will be worked out as a backup for the policy. The Gender Inclusive Tourism Policy will include stakeholders like tourism entrepreneurs, tour operators, hotels, local communities, tourists from diverse backgrounds, especially women. Mini Sukumar, Member, Kerala State Planning Board & Governing Body Member, The Gender Park, said a positive transformation has happened in the tourism sector after the implementation of a women-friendly initiative. S Swaminathan, Secretary, Kerala Travel Mart Society, and Jose Dominic, Founder, CGH Earth, also spoke. The speakers at the panel discussion included Veda Bharadwaja, Country Programme Manager, UN Women India and Dr Peeja Rajan, State Coordinator, UN Women India. (ANI)
The Hindu
18-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Administrative sanction accorded for reconstruction of KC bridge
The State government has accorded administrative sanction for the reconstruction of the KC bridge in Kuttanad. The bridge on the Kidangara-Kannadi road will be constructed at a cost of ₹42.32 crore in the EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) mode. Public Works Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas said the decision to reconstruct the KC bridge with increased height was taken because boats were unable to pass under it when the water level rises in the canal, which is part of the National Waterway. The new bridge has been designed in accordance with the standards of the National Waterway. Mr. Riyas said the bridge would be built at a height of six metres from the highest water level (HTL) in the canal. Land acquisition for the project has been completed at a cost of ₹2.65 crore, the Minister said. Officials said that tenders would be invited after receiving final nod from the Inland Waterways Authority.
