KOLLAM: Wooing more private capital not just into the higher education sector but to various other sectors such as tourism and industrial development in order to boost the state’s overall development forms the essence of the New Kerala document presented by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at the CPM state conference in Kollam on Thursday.
A slew of new initiatives including resource mobilisation from NRKs to transform the higher education sector, ensuring international standards in higher education institutions, setting up of research facilities with public-private partnerships are some of the major initiatives that the New Kerala document promises to bring in this sector.
Ensuring social justice in higher education sector, setting up of centres of excellence, provision of scholarships and financial assistance to backward students are also part of the proposed initiatives.
‘The Novel Ways for New Kerala’ report presented at the conference laid special focus on welfare measures too. “The protection of the elderly who constitute around 18 per cent of the state’s population should be taken up as an important agenda.
A working plan for the same needs to be formulated. Elderly neighbourhood groups and clubs should be strengthened,” stated the document.
Hiking welfare pensions and their timely distribution, providing pension to housewives too are part of the proposed measures to be undertaken in the welfare sector.