The government will launch M-Kerala App, a unified mobile application, next month to provide services of various departments to the public.
Initially, 50 services of 13 departments will be available.
The works, including payment integration for various services, are in the final phase, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan informed the Assembly on Wednesday.
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The aim is to cover all services provided by government departments, Mr. Vijayan said. The various services provided through e-district project will be included in the app.
Internet connectivity will be provided in rural areas, government offices, and educational institutions through the Kerala Fibre Optic Network (KFON), the Chief Minister said.
At present, e-services of the Revenue, Social Justice, Cooperation, Commercial Tax, Registration, Animal Husbandry, and SC/ST Department are available to citizens.
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Medical fees
Replying to a query, Health Minister K.K. Shylaja said the fees for post-graduate medical seats in self-financing colleges were fixed in proportionate to the fees the previous year.
“With NEET, there is no differentiation such as government quota and management quota and there is no cross subsidy. The fees, ranging from ₹14 lakh to 35 lakh, was fixed by the Fee Regulatory Committee, a quasi-judicial body, and the government does not have a say in fixing the fees and insisting on giving merit scholarship.”
The Health Minister, in reply to another question, said 4% of children in Attappady suffered from severe acute malnutrition (SAM). Three nutrition rehabilitation centres had been set up with child tracking system to monitor the nutrition level.
The health of the people in the coastal and adivasi belts in the State was a concern.
Rubber ryots’ interest
The Assembly on Wednesday adopted a resolution urging the Central government to take steps to safeguard rubber farmers in Kerala from the threat posed by liberalised imports and ensure fair price for domestic produce.
The resolution moved by Agriculture Minister V.S. Sunil Kumar called for financial assistance from the Centre for the Rubber Production Incentive Scheme to ensure a minimum support price of ₹200 a kg of natural rubber.
It called for enhancing the import duty on rubber and including it in the livelihood security box of the WTO agreement on agriculture.
Negative list
The resolution wanted the government to impose safeguard duty on natural rubber and include it on the negative list of the proposed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in which India is set to become a member. It also highlighted the need for a national policy on rubber.
The resolution urged the Centre to drop the move to shift the headquarters of the Rubber Board outside Kerala and restore the regional offices that were closed down.
Moving the resolution, the Minister said the India- ASEAN free trade agreement posed the greatest threat to the domestic rubber sector.