Rescue operation at Cheradu hill
An army operation to rescue a hiker trapped in a hollow on the overhang of a steep and barren rock formation in Malampuzha district has transfixed public attention. The youth, Babu, has clung to the narrow ledge hundreds of feet above sea level for the past 45 hours without water or nourishment.
In a Facebook post, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said two army teams were involved in the operation at Cheradu hill. One group is poised to rappel down the cliff face to reach the youth. Another squad planned to ascend the granite formation from below. An Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter will join the rescue operation. The NDRF is providing peripheral support.
Babu's mother is at the base of the hill watching the operation unfold, bringing an emotional dimension to the rescue operation.
Cabinet meeting
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will chair a cabinet meeting to draw up the timetable for the upcoming budget session of the Assembly. The meeting might also discuss the text of the Governor's address, among other administrative matters.
Dual-mode CBSE classes
Kerala CBSE School Managements' Association plans to take a call to adopt the dual-mode of offline and online learning for 1 to 9 classes instead of switching entirely to in-person learning from February 14 onward.
COVID infections diminish
Covid infections show signs of stabilising in Kozhikode. There is a significant drop in the number of new infections in a week, from 4,000 cases a day; it has come to less than 2,000. The active caseload has also come down to below 20,000 from over 30,000.
Pharmaceutical ethics
The Alliance of Doctors for Ethical Healthcare presses for a mandatory Uniform Code of Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices.
