The Cabinet on Wednesday decided to take steps to rectify the deficiencies in the notified fair value of land within three months.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told presspersons after a Cabinet meeting that District Collectors would visit taluks to hear complaints of people and organisations on the determination of fair value and submit reports to the government. The government would take feasible decisions on the basis of the reports. This process would be completed in three months. Arrangements would be made after that to redress complaints of individuals on fair value of their land.
The Chief Minister said a package would be implemented for the betterment of the farmers of Thrissur and Palakkad districts and kole lands at Ponnani (Malappuram district). The District Collector of Thrissur had been designated as special officer to coordinate implementation of the package. The Cabinet had also cleared proposals for setting up infrastructure development authorities for Bharananganam and Perinthalmanna and surrounding panchayats.
The Cabinet sanctioned Rs.2.40 crore for voluntary shifting and rehabilitation of 25 families at Ottankara in the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary. Funds had been sanctioned earlier for shifting of 55 families out of the Sanctuary.
Mr. Chandy said the Central legislation on transplantation of human organs would be enforced in the State. This would simplify procedures for organ transplantations. The Asraya scheme would be expanded to cover more people. The term of the scheme (three years) would be extended.
He said the State government would restore the four per cent incentive and 1.25 per cent bonus that were available to Mahila Pradhan agents of the National Savings Scheme after using their services in the Social Welfare and Health Services. The Centre was paying them commissions for deposits mobilised by them but had ordered the discontinuation of incentive and bonus paid by State governments. Though the State had represented the matter to the Union Finance Ministry, a favourable response was not received. So, the government had taken the decision to restore their benefits after utilising their services in other sectors as the agents were women who had no other prospects of employment.
The Cabinet, he said, decided to increase the number of workers of the Aralam farm. The Agriculture Minister had been asked to take steps to streamline procurement of coconut. Though the Centre was procuring copra through Nafed, the farmers of the State could not benefit from the scheme considerably for want of facilities to making copra from coconuts. (The government has decided to provide 50 per cent subsidy for dryers and increase the money paid to cooperatives to buy sacks for packing copra.)
The Cabinet decided to give additional charge of Director of Civil Supplies to Rural Development Commissioner M. Nandakumar. It also decided to entrust additional charge of Director Industries and Land Revenue Commissioner to Director of Urban Affairs B. Asok and Secretary (Youth Affairs) T.O. Sooraj respectively.
