Rural Development Minister K.C. Joseph has said that his Ministry will give top priority to the development of hill areas in the State that account for major portion of the rural areas.
Speaking at a meet-the-press programme organised by the Press Club here on Friday, Mr. Joseph said that he would accelerate developmental activities in the hill areas of the State.
Though the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the Centre had earmarked thousands of crores of rupees for rural development, Kerala was the only State that had least utilised those funds. Stating that rural development could only be realised through Central schemes, the Minister said that North Indian States were making use of much of those Central schemes.
The United Democratic Front (UDF) government would exert pressure on the Central government if changes were required in the norms for availing itself of those funds for rural development, he said.
Referring to what he termed as ‘‘unhealthy statements' by Opposition parties about the thin margin of the UDF government in the Assembly, Mr. Joseph, who has been re-elected seventh time from the Irikkur constituency in the district, said the Oommen Chandy government was not the first government to have been elected in the State with a narrow margin.
The Opposition should be prepared to accept the fact that the UDF government had the support of 72 MLAs in the Assembly. Referring to the motor hartal supported by Left parties, he said the new government was not even shown the courtesy of having a ‘honeymoon period,' though the first decision of the new government was to give up the surcharge on hiked fuel prices.
The Minister said the UDF government would be accommodative and would exchange ideas with the Opposition. But it would not be coerced by intimidation from the Opposition, he said. The Chief Minister had instructed all Ministers to prepare 100-day programme for each government department.
Development of hill highways, establishment of a hill area development authority, and formation of hill area taluks would be among the priorities, he said. The government would not be controlled by caste and community organisations, he said. The UDF had always given importance to maintaining community and social balance in the State, the Minister said.
Dismissing as baseless the controversy over the trifurcation of the local self-government portfolio among three Ministries, Mr. Joseph said Urban Affairs, Panchayat Affairs, and Rural Development would have one Principal Secretary as was the case during the previous Left Democratic Front government.
Trifurcation in no way affects the decentralisation process, he said. The government had constituted a panel to find a solution to the problems, if any, due to the trifurcation.
To a question, the Minister, who holds the portfolios of Information and Public Relations Department, said the new government would not politicise akademies.
District Congress president and Peravur MLA-elect Sunny Joseph was present at the function.
