Government plans to fast-track growth

Special force to deal with extremist activities in State

Speaker G. Karthikeyan receiving Governor Nikhil Kumar at the Assembly in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday. Photo: C. Ratheesh Kumar

Governor Nikhil Kumar has highlighted the government’s plans to fast track industrial, irrigation and other infrastructure, widen e-governance, promote hi-tech farming, and achieve 7.5 per cent growth rate.

In his address to the Assembly on Friday. Mr. Kumar announced a special force to deal with increasing extremist activities in the State and establishment of a high-power committee to identify problems of most backward areas and to address them specifically.

Aadhaar linking

Mr. Kumar said that more than 500 services would be brought under the e-governance umbrella. The State Data Centre would be cloud-enabled. All beneficiary payments would be made directly to Aadhaar-linked bank accounts. End-to-end computerisation of public distribution system based on Aadhaar authentication, including direct transfer of cash subsidy for kerosene, would be implemented.

Referring to the misgivings over Gadgil and Kasturirangan reports on Western Ghats, the Governor said the government was determined to ensure protection of legitimate interests and legal rights of settlers. A Bill would be brought for converting National Institute of Speech and Hearing into a university. There were also plans for Community Skill Parks and National Skills University.

He said the government would spare no efforts in taking stringent action against illegal lotteries from outside the State. It would constitute Chief Minister’s Global Advisory Council of Non-Resident Keralites on the lines of Prime Minister’s Global Advisory Council to draw up the experience and knowledge of eminent Keralites in diverse fields across the world. New international markets would be tapped in tourism through the ‘Visa on arrival’ facility.

He said that resurvey would be resumed in the State this year. An action plan would be drawn up for preservation of the assets of temples. A master plan would be developed for Guruvayur temple. Women and youth would be trained for disaster management. An amount of Rs.100 crore would be allocated for roads to tribal areas.

Runoff River Mini Reservoirs would be set up in four rivers. The Ground Water Department would construct 40 artificial recharge structures for conservation of ground water this year. More than 200 lift irrigation schemes would be taken up under the Malabar Irrigation Package.

The State Planning Board, the Governor said, had prepared the first draft of the Perspective Plan 2030. This plan aimed at taking Kerala to the same level as more advanced Nordic countries by 2040, based on a planned growth of 7.5 per cent.