As part of a move to augment the academic performance of students in the SC/ST category, the government would implement a scheme called ‘Learning Room’ this year itself, SC/ST Development Minister A.K. Balan told the Assembly on Friday while participating in the question hour.
The room would be built near habitable homes of these students and would measure 120 sq.ft. The room would have a concrete roof, cupboards to keep books, light, a fan, study table and computer.
Labour Minister T.P. Ramakrishnan told the Assembly that the government would put in place a scheme called ‘Avas’ wherein migrant labourers would be given treatment assistance of up to Rs.10,000 and an accident insurance of Rs.2 lakh. Under the ‘Ápna Ghar’ scheme, a hostel for migrant labourers has been readied at Kanjikode, Palakkad.
The facility has 64 rooms and can house 640 labourers. The government has decided to put up such hostels in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, and Kozhikode. Serious health disorders have been detected in migrant labourers in medical camps set up for them. However, it would not be practical to screen such labourers as and when they come to the State.
The government did not believe that the crime rate had gone up due to the presence of migrant labourers in the State. It was important that family dwelling units were readied for labourers who came to the State with their families. This was for the first time that a State government was readying projects for migrant labourers. Though there had not been an official estimate of migrant labourers, it was believed that there were at least 25 lakh such labourers in the State.
In reply to a question, Mr. Balan said the government would appoint 246 teachers to teach the ‘Gothra’ language students in the Scheduled Caste category. Steps would be taken to appoint on permanent basis, teachers in the residential schools of Scheduled Tribe students. Vacancies would be reported to the PSC.
In reply to a question, Mr. Balan said there were 12,435 landless Adivasi people in the State. Steps had been initiated to give land to 5,000 of them. Before this government demitted office, all landless Adivasi people would be given land, Mr. Balan said.
Forest Minister K. Raju said border fencing was yet to be done in 2,300 hectares of forest land across 29 forest divisions. A scheme for reaching food and water, inside forest land, to prevent wild animals from coming down to populated areas would be considered.
