THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Assembly on Tuesday referred the Expatriates Keralites Welfare (Amendment) Bill, 2015 and the Hindu Succession (Kerala Amendment) Bill, 2015 for the consideration of the Subject Committee.
The proposed amendment to the Expatriate Bill is to provide pension to expatriates who have become members before completing age 60 and have remitted his or her share for at least five years.Replying to the discussion on the Bill, Expatriate Affairs Minister K C Joseph said the government had made an understanding with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia for exemption of emigration clearance for nurses seeking employment in those countries. Efforts were on to seek exemption in the GCC countries. Once the agreement was reached between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, the nurses would require to pay less than `20,000 as fee for being recruited.
Referring to K V Abdul Khadar’s criticism that even when Vayalar Ravi was holding the portfolios of Civil Aviation and Expatriate Affairs in the UPA Government, he had not tried to solve the issue of airlines companies charging exorbitant fares on expatriates returning to Kerala during festive seasons, the Minister said the government had formed a sub-committee comprising Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson, CIAL MD V J Kurien, and Kannur Airport MD Chandramouli to prepare the state government’s proposals to the draft amendment to the civil aviation policy released by the Centre. The government will also ask the Centre to include a provision to regulate the flight charges and operate more low-cost services. The government will ask the Centre to grant exemption to the proposed Air Kerala from the five-year mandatory domestic service and fleet of 20 aircraft.
Presenting the Hindu Succession (Amendment) Bill, 2015, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said there was no legal hurdle for the state to pass such a Bill. The state needs presidential assent only after passing the Bill. K Raju of the CPI moved the amendment that the Bill should be circulated for public opinion.As per Section 8 of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 (Central Act 30 of 1956), the property of a male Hindu dying intestate shall devolve firstly upon the heirs such as son, daughter, widow,and mother. If the mother upon whom the property of the pre deceased son devolved, dies intestate, the property will again devolve to the other heirs of the mother as specified in Section 15 and 16 of the Act apart from wife and children of the predeceased son.
The CM said the amendment was mooted to end the injustice shown to wife and children of such predeceased sons.
Opposition Stages Walkout over Bar Scam
T’Puram: The bar bribery scam continues to haunt the UDF Government in the Assembly with the Opposition staging a walkout on the second day of the session after Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala defended Excise Minister K Babu, stating that the Vigilance had not registered an FIR against the minister due to lack of evidence.