KSRTC to get Rs. 75 cr from government

Kerala Cabinet on Wednesday decided to provide Rs. 75 crore to the Kerala Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) which is facing financial crisis.

The assistance will be in the form of a loan, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told the media after the Cabinet meeting.

The KSRTC had been finding it difficult to maintain schedules and pay pensions for want of funds.

The Chief Minister said that the Cabinet had decided to take up construction of 310 km of roads under the Prime Minister’s Gram Sadak Yojana by allowing 20 per cent tender excess over estimates. This would involve additional expenditure of Rs. 95 crore.

The State would be getting Central assistance for 570 km of roads provided that the work sanctioned earlier are taken up. This was promised by the Union Minister Jairam Ramesh during a meeting with State Minister for Rural Development K. C. Joseph in Delhi early this week. Officials would reach here on Friday for finalising scheme, now that the Cabinet had facilitated starting of works on roads sanctioned earlier. The Union Minister had also promised a special package for Attappady and other areas covering 250 km of roads.

He said that the Cabinet had given permission to avail Rs. 135 crore from HUDCO for a housing scheme for homeless tribals. About 5000 houses were proposed to be built under the scheme.

The Sports Authority of India (SAI) would set up a Sports Training Centre in Calicut University campus at a cost of Rs. 35 crore. About 20 acres of the University would be given on lease to SAI for 30 years.

Mr. Chandy said that the Cabinet had decided to include Kunnavar Mannadi community in the Scheduled Tribes OEC (Other Eligible Communities) list for reservation. Thurkar or Thurkan community members of Kasaragod district would be included in the State OBC list, making them eligible for educational benefits.

The pension for former landlords would be raised from Rs. 1500 a month to Rs. 3000 a month. Now, 174 landlords were getting the pension. Observation of the Year of Official Language would continue up to October 31, 2014 (from November 1 this year).

The Cabinet had given permission for registration of a society, Kerala State Health Systems Resource Centre, under Societies Registration Act. Some Central schemes were to be carried out through this society. Rs. 1.85 crore more would be sanctioned for Pandit K. P. Karuppan Birth Centenary Memorial. Rs. 15 lakh had been sanctioned earlier.

The Cabinet had also sanctioned nine posts for the Justice Sivarajan Commission enquiring into the solar scam.