The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is to disburse one month’s pending pension to retirees in two days.
Announcing this while replying to a submission by P.T. Thomas in the Assembly on Thursday, Minister for Transport Thomas Chandy said the pension for the month of March was to be disbursed to retirees along with salary to the employees on the rolls.
The KSRTC management had approached financial institutions to secure loans to clear the pending pension for April and May. The Minister said the government was paying an equal amount of money contributed monthly by the KSRTC to the pension fund.
The State transport utility had started implementing the proposals mooted by Sushil Khanna committee in its preliminary report.
Mr. Chandy urged the government to take over the pension in KSRTC as promised in the LDF manifesto to end the misery of retirees.
Minister for Finance T.M. Thomas Isaac, while replying to a submission by P. Ubaidulla, informed the House that the issues arising out of levying purchase tax for gold ornaments would be taken up by the subject committee. “The earlier commitment given by me in the House stands,” he said.
On self-financing colleges
Minister for Education C. Ravindranath told the Assembly the LDF government will not sanction new self-financing colleges in the State.
The policy decision is part of the three-pronged strategy worked out by the government to save the sector and prevent the further mushrooming of self-financing educational institutions, Mr. Ravindranath said while replying to a calling attention by T.A. Ahammed Kabeer. The government is also muling steps to ensure that the self-financing institutions and universities adhere to UGC and AICTE norms.
