New Special Cover..

 

Kerala Postal Circle of India Post released a special cover (KL-5/203) on 09-07-2013 on the auspicious Golden Jubilee Celebration Central Tuber Crops Research Institute at Thiruvananthapuram.

The Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (CTCRI), a constituent Institute under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) established in 1963 is the only research organization in the world dedicated to the research on topical tuber crops.  Over the past 50 years, the Institute has released 47 improved verities of tuber crops, standardized agro-techniques including viable multiple cropping system, eco-friendly protection packages, value added products and post harvesting machinery.  They have been successfully transferred to farmers through front line extension efforts.  The special cover commemorates the Golden Jubilee (1963-2013) of this institution.

- Sreejesh Krishnan – Trivandrum

New stamp from India to be released on 7 August

 

KERALA LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY

India Post will release a commemorative stamp on Kerala Legislative Assembly on August 2013.

 

The evolution of Kerala Legislative Assembly begins with the formation of a Legislative Council in the princely state of Travancore in 1888. This was the first Native Legislature in Indian sub continent, outside British India. The Legislative Council of Travancore had undergone many changes by years. By the meantime people’s participation in the Assembly was widely sought. All those efforts led to the formation of one more representative body, namely the Sri Moolam Popular Assembly of Travancore. This Assembly of the representatives of the landholders and merchants, aimed at giving the people an opportunity of bringing to the notice of Government their requirements, wishes or grievances on the one hand, and on the other, to make the policy and measures of Government better known to the people so that all possible grounds of misconception may be removed. That was on October 1, 1904. Though the popular assembly contained representatives of tax- payers, it finally became a people’s representatives body. Political awareness and people agitations were aggressive and the authorities were forced to include peoples representatives into the popular assembly.

On May 1, 1905, a regulation was issued to grant to the people the privilege of electing members to the Assembly. Of the 100 members, 77 were to be elected and 23 nominated, for a tenure of 1 year. The right to vote was given to persons who paid on their account an annual land revenue of not less than Rs. 50 or whose net income was not less than Rs. 2000 and to graduates of a recognized University, with not less than 10 years standing and having their residence in the taluk. The membership of the popular assembly increased year by year and finally in 1921 elected representatives gained the majority. By that time the house had 50 members of which 28 were elected and the rest nominated. By this time the princely stated of Cochin also formed a Legislative Council(1925), with 30 elected and 15 nominated representatives. Malabar District of Madras Province under the British rule, had representatives in Madras Legislative Assembly from 1920's.

After India’s independence responsible governments were formed in Travancore and Cochin. In 1949 the merger of Travancore and Cochin as Travancore-Cochin, formed the first Legislative Assembly, the Travancore-Cochin Legislative Assembly composed of 178 members of the Legislative bodies of Travancore and Cochin. The Malabar region had representatives in the Madras Legislative Assembly.

: Sreejesh Krishnan : email :  sreejesh.nt@gmail.com

Special Cover on AIR Chennai

India Radio (AIR) Chennai, which was inaugurated by the then Chief Minister of composite Madras State C. Rajagopalachary on 16th June 1938, has completed 75 years of existence. It is one of the oldest radio stations in the country. AIR Chennai celebrated its platinum jubilee this year. To mark the occasion, a special cover was released on 23rd July 2013 at Chennai. Release of the special cover coincide with the celebration of 86 years since electricity crackled through the capacitors and amplifiers of the Indian Broadcasting Company’s Bombay transmitter station on July 23, 1927, bringing to life the first radio station in Bombay.

Courtesy : Indian Philately Digest , CG Bhaskar – SIPA, Chennai