The Kerala Government has decided to constitute two new districts and to integrate the taluks and the community development blocks as units of administration, said the Governor, Mr. V. Viswanathan in his address to the Assembly to-day [January 3, Trivandrum]. The decisions were aimed at improving administrative efficiency and giving attention to backward areas. (The two new districts contemplated are Malappuram which will have a Muslim majority and Malnad comprising taluks in the high ranges). It was a matter of regret that the States’ plea for a revision of the existing financial set-up had been rejected by the Finance Commission. “This has its implications on the finances of our State also,” he said. Referring to the law and order position in the State, the Governor said: “A careful comparison of the relevant statistics and figures would show that the over-all situation in this State is no worse than in the rest of the country.”
