THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a major shake-up of the bureaucracy's top echelons, the Cabinet on Wednesday gave PWD Principal Secretary G Kamala Vardhana Rao additional charge of Department of Administrative Reforms. Similarly, KFC managing director Sanjeev Kaushik will hold additional charge of Finance Secretary (Expenditure) in place of incumbent Dr Sharmila Mary Joseph who will function as KSIDC MD when the present incumbent and Industries Secretary Sanjay M Kaul leaves for training. Sharmila will also hold the additional charge of Industries Secretary during Kaul's absence.
In Wednesday's other decisions, KSTP project director Anand Singh has been given additional charge of CEO of Road Fund Board. Rathan U Kelkar was made Special Secretary, Agriculture and he will hold additional charge of Food Safety Commissioner.
Kottayam Collector B S Thirumeni will be the new Higher Secondary director in place of P K Sudheer Babu who will take over as Kottayam Collector. B S Thirumeni will hold additional charge of Entrance Examination Commissioner. The Cabinet gave its nod permission for organising a Professional Students' Summit which will be attended by 2,000 top-performing professional college students from the state at the Cusat campus on February 17.
Kerala University (alternative arrangement temporarily of the Senate and the Syndicate) Ordinance which was given the Cabinet nod will be forwarded to the Governor for promulgating an ordinance. Further, four existing ordinances which couldn't be passed as Bills in the last Assembly session will be forwarded to Governor for re-promulgation.
The Kerala Madrasa Teachers' Welfare Fund Ordinance, 2018, The Kerala Public Service Commission (Additional Functions as respects the Services under the Waqf Board) Bill, 2018, the Kerala Co-operative Hospital Complex and the Academy of Medical Sciences (Taking over the Management and Administration) Bill, 2018, the Madras Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (Second Amendment) Bill 2018 are the four ordinances to be forwarded to the Governor for re-promulgation.
The cost of airlifting Swathi Shah, a young biker who met with an accident in Madhya Pradesh during the all-India solo expedition for supporting flood-hit Kerala, which will come to around `9.6 lakh, will be borne by the government.
Other decisions
● An ITI at Pilicode in Kasargod
● The Cabinet also decided to create 11 posts for the ITI
● Four full-time sweeper posts will be created at the Government Medical College Hospital, Kollam, as part of making the mortuary operational
● Continuity for 49 posts in Kayamkulam, Pala, Kottayam, land acquisition units
● A senior superintendent's post at Residential School under the Scheduled Castes Department at Chelakkara
● Cancelled the previous Cabinet decision of creating 10 posts after changing the status of unaided M Ed course at Karmela Rani Training College as aided.