On the occasion of "Thiru Onam", the most auspicious day of the 10-day-long festival, people visited temples in large numbers, cutting across villages and towns in the morning.
The enchanting festivities of Onam, a significant cultural celebration in the state of Kerala, have graced the calendar from August 20 to August 31 this year
A 90-foot-long snake-like installation made out of 20,000 plastic bottles by a team of imaginative young minds is one of the major attractions drawing curious crowds at the main venue of the Onam Week celebrations by Kerala Tourism in the state capital.
The state government on August 16 had said that it has decided to provide over six lakh free Onam kits to poor families and residents of welfare institutions in Kerala for the festival this year
As part of the Onam celebrations, cultural programmes are being organised at 31 places across the state capital. Numerous events and celebrations are happening across the state.
As part of the operation, extensive inspections are being carried out and strong measures have been taken to prevent cross-border drug trafficking from neighbouring states, the statement said.
The Centre has allocated an additional quota of 2 lakh tonnes of sugar for sale during this month, over and above 23.5 lakh tonnes already allotted to mills.
In the current fiscal, retail inflation has surpassed the Reserve Bank of India's comfort level of 6%, primarily due to higher prices of tomatoes, vegetables, and other food items.