China has expressed its readiness to provide technical assistance to Kerala in the fields of housing, public transport, construction of check-dam, and agriculture.
A preliminary agreement to this effect was reached during the talks Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had with the Chinese Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui in the Secretariat here on Friday. The Chief Minister will hold discussions with the Chinese officials in New Delhi after submitting the details sought by the Ambassador.
The Chief Minister also agreed to the suggestion put forward by Mr. Luo to sent a delegation from the State to China to finalise the agreement. The delegation would proceed to China on completion of the preliminary talks, a communication from the Chief Minister’s office said.
The Chinese Ambassador extended an invitation to the Chief Minister to visit the country. Mr. Vijayan visited China in 1997 when he was Electricity Minister.
The Chief Minister also sought the assistance of China for converting the diesel-powered buses of the KSRTC fleet into electric buses. The government is considering converting the 6,000 buses into electric in a phased manner to reduce operating cost of the transport utility.
Rubber for check-dams
The State has expressed its keenness to adopt the technology of using rubber by China to construct check- dams. The Chief Minister also informed the Ambassador that the State looks forward to the use of pre-fabricated methods used in China for the construction of houses for the five lakh families in the State in five years.
Mr. Luo was also told by Mr. Vijayan that the State was interested in the highly successful methods adopted by China in the agricultural sector and the inroads made by it. The Chief Minister informed him about the steps to promote organic farming in the State.
Chief Secretary Nalini Netto, Secretary to the Chief Minister and Additional Chief Secretary, Planning, V.S. Senthil, OSD to the Chief Minister and IT Secretary M. Shivsankar and Private Secretary to the Chief Secretary M. V. Jayarajan participated in the talks.
