The Hindu : Front Page : Medical college planned in ESI sector

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Sunday, Jun 08, 2008
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Medical college planned in ESI sector

Special Correspondent

Gurudasan says ESI scheme will be extended to more areas

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Labour Minister P.K. Gurudasan said here on Saturday that a proposal to set up a medical college in the State under the Employees State Insurance Corporation was awaiting clearance of the Centre.

Addressing a press conference in connection with the second anniversary of the LDF government, the Minister said that it would be the first medical college in the country under the Corporation, if cleared. Mr. Guurdasan said the government was taking steps to extend the ESI scheme to more areas and set up better facilities.

The Centrally-sponsored Rastriya Swasthya Yojana for workers would be implemented in all the 14 districts, he said. He announced that the draft legislation for the welfare of non-resident Keralites (NoRKs) would come up for approval of the Cabinet next week. The government had strengthened the enforcement wing of the Labour Department as part of enforcing the Inter-State Migrant Workers Act and Rules in the State.

Measures had been taken to improve the quality of technical education through formation of centres of excellence and finishing schools. An institute of design will be opened in Kollam on June 13 to give a boost to traditional handicrafts. Job fairs and job clubs were being organised to help youth find employment.

The Minister said extortion and practices like ‘nokkukooli’ were not part of workers’ right. The Labour Department would intervene in complaints against such practices though the government was reluctant to use the police. The government had managed to end the anti-labour policies at the Cochin Port, he said.

He said the government had formulated a plan for reorganising the cashew industry.

A Rs.149-crore project had been submitted to the Union Ministry of Agriculture for promoting cashew cultivation. A special purpose tea fund could be formed for replanting of tea. Of the 22 tea estates that had been closed, 15 had been reopened with assistance from the Centre.

Mr. Gurudasan said that the government had achieved limited success in checking sale of spurious liquor. The Excise Department will be strengthened to achieve better investment. Facilities had been set up at the Chemical Examiner’s Laboratory to detect spurious liquor. A committee had been appointed to report on issues connected to detection of spurious liquor and legislation against their sale.

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