THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Civil Supplies Corporation will distribute 20 lakh Onam kits to BPL families during Onam. To ensure effective market intervention during Onam, the state Cabinet has sanctioned Rs 64 crore to the Civil Supplies Corporation. In addition, Rs 25 crore has been given to Consumerfed and Rs 7 crore has been sanctioned to Horticorp. Chief Minister Chandy said that all the three agencies had taken elaborate measures for Onam market intervention. Tenders had been invited for the purchase of supplies. The funds allocated to the three agencies was what they had asked for, he added.
The Chief Minister said that the Civil Supplies Corporation would distribute 20 lakh Onam kits to BPL families. Also, all the families, irrespective of APL/BPL category, would be given 1 kg of sugar at subsidised rate, which was expected to benefit 83 lakh ration card holders, he said, adding that as many as 25 lakh students would be given 5 kg rice free of cost. Also, Onam kits would be given to ST families, as distributed during the previous years.
As part of the decisions, ST families would be given Onam kits with 15 kg of rice along with eight other items, free of cost. The kits would be given to 1.5 lakh families, with each kit costing around Rs 687.43 to the government. The Cabinet decided to sanction Rs 10.41 crore to Supplyco for the purpose.
Major Cabinet Decisions
■The annual income limit for job appointments under compassionate category raised from Rs 4.5 lakh to Rs 6 lakh.
■The annual income ceiling for availing of agriculture labour pension upped from Rs 11,000 to Rs 1 lakh.
■ For all other pensions where the income ceiling is below Rs 1 lakh, in-principle approval given for raising it to Rs 1 lakh. Chief Secretary entrusted to examine the matter and report to the Cabinet.
■The ayurveda dispensary at Kooroppada in Kottayam to be elevated to ayurveda hospital.
■Necessary staff and facilities to be ensured for the smooth functioning of Thaliparambu MACT College.
■ The families of labourers residing on the premises of Sitaram Mills in Thrissur for more than 50 years to be given four cents of land where they are currently living. They will be exempted from paying the fee for stamp paper and registration.
■ If there’s any delay in the distribution of textbooks in schools, it would be examined as there could be lapses on the part of schools.
Police Station for Dam Safety
T’Puram: The new police station, to be set up for the security of Mullaperiyar, would come up at Thekkady. Modern equipment worth Rs 65 lakh would be purchased for the station, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said on Thursday. The new station will have Mullaperiyar dam, the reservoir area and the forest area adjacent to the region under its jurisdiction. As many as 196 posts will be created for the station which will have an Assistant Commandment/DySP heading the team.