The State government has urged the MPs from the State to mount pressure on the Centre for raising the foodgrain quota to meet the increasing demand following the implementation of the National Food Security Act.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan addressed a meeting here on Friday prior to the budget session of Parliament. The meeting, attended by Ministers and officials, apprised the MPs that the 14.25 lakh tonnes of rice and wheat being allotted by the Centre was insufficient to meet the demand.
At present, only 154.8 lakh people on the priority list alone were eligible for foodgrain from the sanctioned quota. The requirement for this section alone was 10.25 lakh tonnes. It was difficult to meet the needs of the remaining population with four lakh tonnes, especially in a State reliant on the public distribution system. Hence, there was an urgent need to raise the foodgrain quota.
The government also wanted the Centre to raise the sugar quota. The 3,600 tonnes of sugar being provided at present was insufficient to meet the demand. It should be enhanced to 8,600 tonnes, the meeting felt.
As directed by the Centre, the State government had identified 200 acres at Kinaloor in Kozhikode for setting up an all India institute of medical sciences. The MPs were requested to persuade the Centre to set up the institute.
The government also wanted them to raise the need for setting up a tertiary cancer care centre at the Malabar Cancer Centre.
Once the State GST and Inter-State GST Bills come up for discussion in Parliament, the MPs should press for the State’s demand that tax collection from traders with an annual turnover below ₹1.5 crore should be vested with the State government and also adequate powers on cross empowerment too should be delegated to it.
The government wanted the Centre to provide 60 per cent funds for the insurance scheme envisaged for migrant labour. The meeting also discussed the need for launching the proposed industrial corridor linking Kochi and Palakkad. This needed to be expedited in the wake of the formation of the National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust, the meeting felt.
