THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: K Radhakrishnan, the minister for the Welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes, said in the assembly that the family of Viswanathan, the tribal who committed suicide on Kozhikode MCH premises, has been provided with Rs 2 lakh compensation from his department’s funding.
He assured the Sabha that punishment would be meted out to his perpetrators.
To a question posed in the assembly, Radhakrishnan said the state government would ensure protection to all the witnesses in the Madhu mob lynching case, and those officials who failed in discharging their duties will be dealt with.
Radhakrishnan informed that a scheme, ‘Jwala’, has been constituted to provide legal aid and awareness for the SC/ST. A legal counsellor has been appointed in each district and another legal cell under the aegis of the SC/ST welfare department.
“There are isolated instances of tribals being attacked, which show the instance of Viswanathan’s death. The LDF Government is committed to ensuring that stringent action is meted out to them. Kozhikode City Police Commissioner is probing Viswanathan’s death. Compared to other States, Kerala is not witnessing rampant attacks against the SC/ST people,” said Radhakrishnan.
The House also saw a question being raised on the drinking water scarcity in Kochi. K J Maxi, a CPM MLA from Kochi, asked Minister of Water Resources Roshy Augustine whether his department officials had taken adequate precautions to address the issue, which has drastically affected the city dwellers in Kochi.
Roshy Augustine replied that it’s the Kerala Water Authority that is currently providing drinking water supply in a timely manner.