The district-level Keralolsavam, organized by the State Youth Welfare Board in association with local self-government institutions, will be held from January 20 to 25 at various venues across the district. The festival will witness the participation of around 5,000 artistic talents representing municipalities, Kochi Corporation and panchayats in the district.

The Agriculture Department, with support from the World Bank, has invited applications from rubber farmers for financial assistance under the KERA scheme for replanting rubber. Farmers from Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Malappuram and Kannur districts are eligible for assistance of ₹75,000 per hectare.

Farmers having rubber cultivation ranging from 25 cents to 5 hectares can avail financial support for replanting up to a maximum of 2 hectares. In addition, a subsidy of up to ₹6 lakh will be provided to 30 nurseries in these districts for producing quality rubber seedlings.

Interested farmers and nurseries can apply online through the portal https://www.keraplantation.kerala.gov.in. Required documents include identity proof, photograph, bank passbook, possession certificate, land sketch, and bills for planting materials purchased from approved nurseries.

For further details, applicants may contact KERA regional offices at Kottayam, Thrissur or Kannur, or call 9037824036, 9037824049, or 9037824047.

As part of the Natural Resource Conservation Awareness Programme “Thalir 2025–26” organized by the Land Use Department, a drawing competition will be held for school students. The competition is scheduled for January 24, 2026, from 10 am, at Radio Park, Thiruvananthapuram Museum Compound.

School students from LP, UP and High School (HS) categories in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Alappuzha districts are eligible to participate. Interested students must register online through www.kslub.kerala.gov.in on or before 5 pm on January 21.

For more details, contact: Land Use Department, Vikas Bhavan, Thiruvananthapuram–33, Phone: 0471-2302231, E-mail: luc.kslub@kerala.gov.in.

The Kerala State Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation, in association with Milma, invites applications for a self-employment scheme for unemployed persons belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

Applicants must belong to the Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes, possess entrepreneurial aptitude, and be between 18 and 60 years of age. Selected candidates will be given the opportunity to establish a Milma Shopee or Milma Parlour at suitable locations with good marketing potential for milk and milk products.

Loans required for the venture will be sanctioned in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Corporation, with a repayment period of five years. Permission to start the unit will be granted at locations jointly identified by the Corporation and Milma authorities.

Interested candidates may contact the Thiruvananthapuram District Office of the Corporation for application forms and further details. Phone: 0471-2723155, 9400068501

Applications have been invited from differently-abled sportspersons in the district to participate in the Bhinnasheshi Sargotsavam, a carnival for the differently-abled, to be held in Thiruvananthapuram from January 19 to 21.

Eligible candidates include those who have secured first, second or third place in district-level differently-abled sports competitions organized by the state government during the past 15 years, as well as those who have participated in state, national or international-level competitions. Participants in the athletics category are permitted to compete in a maximum of two events.

For candidates with intellectual disabilities, participation is limited to the 400-metre run, long jump and shot put events. Those in the dwarf category are eligible to participate only in the shot put event.

Interested candidates should submit the duly filled application form in the prescribed format to the Alappuzha District Social Justice Office on or before January 14. Applications may also be sent via email to dsjoalpy@gmail.com. For further information, contact 9447141676 or 0477 2253870.