District panchayat to focus on education, farming

Panchayat budget to be presented tomorrow

The Kozhikode District Panchayat has decided to provide solar lighting in 44 high schools in the district. The ₹3.5-crore project aims to install solar panels that will generate 48 kW of electricity annually. The schools would get free-power. The project would be executed in June, Babu Parassery, district panchayat president, told the media on Tuesday.

He said the budget of the district panchyat for 2018-19 would focus on education, apart from agriculture and health sectors. The ₹129.93-crore district panchayat budget would be presented on Thursday.

Solar lights on ghat road

Mr. Parassery said that the district panchayat had also planned to install 30 solar lights on the Wayanad ghat road linking Kozhikode and Wayanad districts. A sum of ₹14 lakh had been allotted for this purpose. CCTV cameras also would be installed on this highway stretch at a cost of ₹58 lakh, he said.

Each sector would be allocated sufficient funds to improve facilities. The education sector would be given ₹6.67 crore. Of this ₹4.40 crore is for carrying out repairs at 44 schools, he said.

A new scheme, Educare, aimed at improving the academic standards would be implemented in Vadakara, Kozhikode and Thamarassery education districts. About 150 students would be given coaching for Civil Services examinations at the newly started training centre.

Mobile app

A mobile app to provide information about their wards had been successfully launched. This service was made available to 39 schools. A mechanism would be developed to separate the high schools from the higher secondary schools. A new classroom would be constructed in all higher secondary school.

Elderly-friendly district

Kozhikode would be transformed into a elderly-friendly and children-friendly district.

Seven new Buds special schools for mentally challenged children would be started this year. A sum of ₹1.45 crore would be set aside for constructing an institute at a six-acre land at Kakkoor.

Mr. Parassery said that schemes would be planned to conserve land and water bodies. Projects to the tune of ₹4.68 crore would be allocated in this sector.

Focus on rivers

Local bodies would be made participants in the cultivation of paddy and other crops. Seventeen schemes would be envisaged to provide water for agriculture purposes. The focus would be on the Kuttiyadi River, Manjapuzha, Mampuzha, Ramanpuzha, and the Punoor River.

Rice cultivation

Four tractors and other harvesting equipment would be purchased. The priority would be given to increasing the rice cultivation, besides boosting the milk production. He said ₹12.76 crore would be earmarked for housing schemes and ₹4.45 crore would be allocated for Haritha Keralam project.