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PROGRESS REPORT OF GOVERNMENT

May 2016-May 2019

Progress of Implementation of Programmes Promised by the Government

Information-Public Relations Department Government of English PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT (Progress of Implementation of Programmes Promised by the Government) Chief Editor: U.V. Jose IAS Director, I&PRD Coordinating Editor: K.Santhosh Kumar Additional Director, I&PRD Deputy Chief Editor: K.P. Saritha Deputy Director (Publications) Editor: C. Rajesh Assistant Editor: P.K. Velayudhan Assistant Information Offficer: A. Anchitha Cover: Godfrey's Graphics Layout & Design: Maya Santhosh Distribution: Unnikrishnan Kunnath Information Officer, (Circulation & Distribution) Printing: Government Press, Mannathala, Printer & Publisher: Director, I&PRD, Govt. of Kerala Copies: 500 For free distribution 2019 August 14 FOREWORD

he LDF Election Manifesto had given word to the people of Kerala that every year they would be provided an account of the extent to which the promises made during the time of elections have been kept. The publication of this TProgress Report seeks to fulfil that assurance. The Government has been publishing such Annual Progress Reports every year. People have the right to know how many of the election promises have been implemented. The Progress Report upholds and justifies such a democratic viewpoint. And with this act, the state of Kerala, which has served as a model to the rest of in several fields, has taken another step forward. The formulation of an Election Manifesto on the basis of opinions solicited from the people was itself a progressive initiative. Needless to say, it was influenced largely by the views and needs that had crystallized during those circumstances. With the passage of time, many new problems came up. As a result, some of the plans had to be changed or expanded according to necessity before they were implemented. The Government has had to face many unprecedented challenges during this span of time. The Ockhi disaster that decimated the coastal regions of Kerala and the outbreak of Nipah viral infection occurred last year. But it was during the third year that the state suffered the most devastating of the century. The same period witnessed the foisting of demonetization and GST, regressive acts that delivered a body blow to the process of resource-mobilization in the state. Even amidst these crises, the Government was involved in activities aimed towards fulfilling its promises to the people. An examination of this Progress Report will make it amply clear. The Election Manifesto contained a Plan of Action geared towards creating a secular, corruption-free and developed Kerala. The Government has taken sincere steps to implement it, made interventions to move forward by preserving the State’s Renaissance values and secular tradition, and attempted to enhance production and productivity by harnessing information from all around the world. It has also worked to improve the lives of people by ensuring a just distribution of resources. The Progress Report has evaluated the advancements made in the implementation of 600 promises spelt out in the Election Manifesto. Precisely for that reason, only those issues that have been included in the Election Manifesto have been broadly mentioned in this document. The Government has done much more. Mention has

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 3 been made of a few of those actions in the course of this report. This Government has two more years to complete its tenure. It is hopeful of fulfilling the promises made to the people within this span, and making further progress. Plans of Action have been prepared for the purpose, and nearly all the preparations are in place. The Progress Report is a document that the people of Kerala should read. For that reason, its online version will be published in the Government website. If opinions regarding the Progress Report are conveyed via email or post, it will be possible for the Government to examine and implement them also more effectively. I am hopeful of full co-operation in this regard. Affectionately yours

Pinarayi Vijayan Chief Minister

24.05.2019

4 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT CONTENTS Agriculture 7 Plantation crops 16 Animal husbandry 18 Fisheries 21 Environment 26 Traditional industries 33 Coir 33 Cashew 34 Handloom 36 Khadi and Village industries 38 Traditional industries 38 Modern industries 41 Construction sector 45 Commercial sector 46 Public Sector 47 Information Technology based Industries 48 Bio-technology related industries 53 Nanotechnology 54 Tourism 54 Development of Cities 58 Development of Malabar 59 Electricity 61 Transport 64 Irrigation 71 Drinking water 75 Waste disposal 78 Health 81 General education 94 Higher education 100 Social security 104 Child care 106 Housing 107 Public distribution 108 Immigrant labour 111 Senior citizens 112 Transgender Issue 113

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 5 Differently-abled 113 Welfare of the Scheduled Caste 115 Welfare of the Scheduled Tribe 118 Converted Christian 122 Welfare of Backward classes 122 Welfare of the minorities 122 Forward communities development corporation 123 Women’s status and development 123 Kudumbasree 127 Co-operative sector 129 Welfare of youth 131 Democratic Decentralization 132 Welfare of expatriates 136 Arts, Culture, Media 140 and language terminology 144 Sports 146 Corruption-free Kerala 150 Police & maintenance of law and order 151 Abkari policy 154 Finance 156 Labour policy 161 Reservation policy 161 Administrative reforms 162 The policies proclaimed by the Government 165 Beyond the promises Post-flood rescue operations and rebuild 166 Emergency Assistance 166 Rebuild Kerala World Reconstruction Conference – Chief Minister’s Speech 171 KIIFB for resource mobilization 174 Firm steps 175 Other major projects, activities 175 Awards and accolades 177 Epilogue 178

6 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT PROGRESS REPORT OF THE PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT

AGRICULTURE

Special agricultural regions were set apart in 1 A. Attainment of self-sufficiency in veg- etable production. Launch of People’s Kanthalloor and Vattavada, the major vegetable campaign with focus on organic vegeta- producing centres of the state. Incentives were bles. devised to encourage production. A Kerala Gramin Bank branch was opened at Vattava- The Department of Agriculture and Green Ker- da. “Harita Card” was instituted to make loans ala Mission are conducting a People’s Campaign available to farmers at low interest rates. In in a bid to encourage organic farming. Success 2018-’19, two crore seed packets and vegetable has been achieved in introducing vegetable saplings were distributed. farming in barren lands, and implementing spe- cial projects to make organic vegetables avail- B. Introduction of Organic Vegetable able during festival seasons. Vegetable markets Farming in 50,000 hectares. Assurance named “Onathinu Oru Muram Pachakkari” [A of Floor Price for Vegetables procured Winnowful of Vegetables for ] and “Vi- through Farmers’ Producer Company shukkani” [ Spectacle] were organized ex- and Horticulture Corporation. tensively. Vegetable production increased from Cultivation of vegetables and bananas is flour- 6.5 lakh metric tonnes to 10.12 lakh metric ishing in more than 50,000 hectares, following tonnes. In comparison with 2015-’16, farming organic farming principles and the best agri- was extended to 22,500 acres, recording an in- cultural protocols. More than 460 eco-shops crease of 3.5 lakh tonnes of vegetables. were opened for encouraging organic farming.

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 7 Vegetables, cultivated exclusively along organic and 1.5 crore seed packets were distributed in farming lines in the state, were procured at high 2018-’19. prices and distributed under the “Kerala Or- B. Encouragement of Urban Farming. ganic” brand. As part of that scheme, four lakh metric tonnes of vegetables were additionally “Harita Nagari” [Green City] Project was im- produced. Under the Comprehensive Vegeta- plemented in cities. Terrace gardens were en- ble Farming Development Project, a field sur- couraged and popularized. A total of 74 “Har- vey was undertaken and a Preliminary Proposal ita Groups” were formed among residential drafted in order to establish vegetable produc- associations, and 4859 domestic waste disposal tion companies. units installed. As part of this project, 63 lakh families were given vegetable packets, and 1, 20, A project named “Onasamrdhi” [Onam Pros- 918 grow bag units (one unit = 25 grow bags) perity] was launched during Onam season in the distributed at subsidized rates. Seeds, saplings past three years, under the joint auspices of the and production facilities were offered so that 1, Department of Agriculture, Horticorp and V. F. 12, 271 grow bag units distributed in the pre- P. C. K., to ensure just price for vegetables. Be- vious years could be used to restart cultivation. sides this, fruit and vegetable markets under the A project was implemented for treating of waste label “Vishukkani’ [Vishu Spectacle] was orga- water (Rs 10 lakhs) for vegetable farming in nized during Vishu season. Farmers were paid apartment blocks and houses. 10 % and 20 % more than prevailing rates for procuring native vegetables and organic vegeta- 3 A. Increase of area of paddy fields to 3 bles respectively. In a bid to control high pric- lakh hectares, Enhancement of Produc- ing, vegetables are being procured from public tion to 10 lakh tonnes, Granting of Au- markets and distributed among customers at thority to Panchayats to take over lands, prices that are 30 % lesser than prevailing rates. bought and left fallow by Realtors, so C. Supply of Chiller Storage Units at as to undertake Farming through the Vegetable Production Centres. Agency of Farmer-groups. Under the Comprehensive Vegetable Farming Steps have already been taken to bring more Development Project, financial aid was provid- land area under paddy cultivation – to the tune ed to procure 1736 non-electric chiller storage of 3 lakh hectares by the end of the current five- units for storage of vegetables, at the rate of upto year-plan. More land has been successfully Rs 15,000 per unit. Air-conditioned vegetable brought under paddy cultivation through im- stalls were opened at Vattavada, and air-condi- plementation of Comprehensive Paddy Farm- tioned vans bought for collecting vegetables. A ing Development Project. This has ensured centralized paying system was put in place. sustainable agricultural development, diffusion of special varieties of grain, paddy cultivation, cultivation of barren land that yields produce for 2 A. More Effectiveness in Activities like Creation of Neighbourhood Clusters a continuous period of three years, financial aid for Integrated Multi-crop Garden Land for enhancement of single crop to two crops a Cultivation, Distribution of Production year, and of two crops to three a year, cultiva- Facilities, Small-scale Mechanization tion of urban land (including school premises), and Plant Conservation. implementation of new agricultural methods, co-ordination of activities at the block level, Under projects meant for diffusion and fortifica- improvement of prices, setting up of mills, en- tion of agricultural know-how, 2300 integrated couragement of group farming, financial help model farmlands were set up on the basis of the to paddy cultivation development agencies, and land area available to farmers. A total of 5330 so on. Awards have also been instituted to en- plant conservation equipment were distributed courage cultivation in barren lands. With the among farmers. Two crore vegetable saplings help of farmer-groups, uncultivated lands at

8 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT regions like , Methrankayal, Avalapa- 4 Steps for ensuring sale of agricultur- ndi, Kayal Punja, Keezhal farmlands, al products at profitable margins. En- Rani-Chithira Kayal were brought under paddy hancement of Procurement rates of rice cultivation. Although tens of thousands of hect- grains in consonance with production ares of paddy fields were destroyed due to severe costs. Farmers to be integrated with Ag- , paddy was cultivated in 1,71,398 hect- ricultural Co-operative Associations so ares of land in 2016-’17; and in 2,20,449 hectares as to ensure payment to them within a in 2017-’18. More than 6 lakh metric tonnes of week. rice was produced with this effort. Although tens of thousands of hectares of paddy fields Steps are being taken to ensure that agricultur- were destroyed in the worst ever of this al products are sold at profitable rates. In a bid century in the state, concerted efforts suc- to achieve self-sufficiency in vegetable farming, ceeded in bring 2 lakh hectares of land under people’s campaign for organic farming has been paddy cultivation. As a result, this year wit- extended to more areas. Creative interventions nessed a considerable increase in productivi- are being made to procure excess produce from ty. Panchayats have been given the authority farmers at fair prices and sell them at reasonable to seek the help of farmer-groups to adopt rates to consumers in markets, and this system is being implemented in more regions. Farmers fallow farmlands. To make the system more are being paid through Civil Supplies Corpora- effective, necessary amendments have been tion for the procured rice grains. In the event brought about in the Wetland Protection Act. A of delay in payment through this means, P. R. total of 16,000 hectares of barren land have since S. loan systems introduced in banks ensure that become fertile. farmers get their due immediately. The interest B. Encouragement for Group Farming. on these loans will be paid by the government. Implementation of Multi-level Partic- When this Government came to power the pro- ipatory Farming in Paddy Cultivation. curement rate of rice grain was Rs 22.50. It has Establishment of Rice Bio-Park. since been increased to Rs 26.30. Sustainable agricultural development project to A. Payment of Royalty to Owners of encourage group farming through the interven- 5 Paddy fields, on the basis of area of tion of farmland committees has been imple- their land holdings, in order to protect mented, special varieties of seeds distributed, the Natural Water Reservoirs of Paddy and paddy cultivation stepped up. Financial Fields and preserve the Natural Ecosys- aid was granted to group farming committees tem. and paddy cultivation development agencies in order to co-ordinate activities in large tracts of The issue of granting royalty to owners of paddy paddy fields. Preparations to set up a Rice Agro- fields had been included in the Plan Proposal of Park are nearing completion. 2018-’19. But as the Central Government with- drew itself from the existing subsidy scheme (R. Under the G. A. P. project, designed K. V. Y) for paddy cultivation, the state Govern- to implement the best agricultural practices ment was under duress to set apart the entire in paddy cultivation in Kuttanad, steps have amount from its coffers for the purpose. Un- been taken to control Varinellu [natural paddy der such circumstances, the Government was sprouts], conserve black soil of the region, create constrained to temporarily remove the idea of organic farming systems, remove weeds, ensure granting royalty from last year’s budget. The market intervention and practise other organic idea is currently under the Government’s active agricultural protocols. This year’s Annual Bud- consideration. get has already announced the setting up of an Integrated Rice Park. Steps have been initiated B. Protection of Owners’ Rights to bring it to fruition. and Declaration of Paddy Fields as

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 9 State-Protected Paddy Cultivation Re- Steps are being taken to establish 17 Agro Parks gions. for various crops in a bid to preserve the crops of the state, protect the farmers and create val- Clauses have been inserted in the Kerala Paddy ue-added products. A pre-feasibility study was Field-Wetland Protection Laws 2018 to preserve undertaken by an agency named NABCONS for paddy fields, and start cultivation in fallow lands setting up Agro Parks for paddy, , rub- while protecting the rights of their owners. ber, tea, spices, coffee, special varieties of paddy, C. Wetland Management is essential for vegetables, , mango and honey. Agricultural Progress, considering the The first Honey Park was opened at unique . This ne- aimed at enhancing the value addition and mar- cessitates creation and preservation of Natural Water Reservoirs, maintenance ketability of honey and honey products. Steps of Outflow Channels and Conservation have been taken to procure honey directly from of Soil. The Employment Guarantee bee keepers. There has been an increase in sale Scheme will be utilized in a major way of honey. to ensure it. This will ensure 100 days of “Vaiga,” an international workshop and exhibi- employment. tion on processing of agricultural products and Guidelines have been issued to reform the Wet- value addition, is underway. This has been con- land Master Plan step-by-step, on the basis of N. ducted for three years with focus on different E. T. Plan, in the Mountain regions, Midlands products, and they have inspired many young and Coastal Plains of Kerala. entrepreneurs into the field. B. Training and Encouragement to 6 Increase Investment in the Agriculture Young Agricultural Entrepreneurs. Sector. Government Expenditure on the Agriculture Sector in the last two Training is being imparted by the Department decades has been 35 % of Government of Agriculture through nine centres to improve Income. At the all India level, this the skills of young entrepreneurs in the fields of constitutes 6-10 %. Reinstatement of their choice. Clause to set apart Minimum for the agriculture Sector under the Scheme 8 A. Implementation of the Activities of for Local Self-government institutions. Farmers’ Welfare Board. Realization Enhancement of public investment to of the Concept of Farmers’ Provident 10 %. Total electrification of farms and Fund and ESI Model Treatment to be mechanization wherever necessary. given to Farmers who become its mem- bers. A step-by-step increase is being effected in in- vestment in the agriculture sector. Govern- The Farmers’ Welfare Fund Bill was presented in ment expenditure in the sector in 2018-’19 was the Assembly. 9.91 %. Measures have been taken to implement B. Special Scheme to be Launched to schemes in the agriculture sector through the local protect Families of Farmers who com- self-government institutions, and also ensure total mitted suicide. electrification and mechanization of farms. The Government had already taken steps to low- er interest rates on farmers’ loans. Special pack- 7 A. Establishment of Value-added Prod- uct of Kerala (Parks) for preserving the ages were announced for Idukki and Wayanad crops of the state and protecting the districts as well as for Kuttanad in a bid to solve farmers. Setting up of Companies for the problems of farmers. Interventions to help producing Value-added Products in ev- creation of value-added products among agri- ery possible sector. cultural produce are part of this scheme.

10 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT Decision has been taken to extend the mora- Equipment is being distributed and training im- torium announced earlier on mortgage notices parted for coconut plucking. Saplings of hybrid issued by public sector, commercial and co-op- varieties and short coconut trees are being nur- erative banks on agricultural loans availed of by tured and distributed. farmers. This will be applicable to all loans tak- en by farmers till 31 December 2019. 10 In co-operation with the Coconut De- Currently, the benefit, formulated by the Agri- velopment Board, the Government will cultural Debt Relief Commission, is applicable arrange the removal of old, diseased to agricultural loans valid till 31 March 2014 in and non-productive coconut palms and Wayanad and 31 October 2011 in the other dis- replace them with better variety sap- tricts. Decision was taken to extend these dates lings, in all major districts of the state. upto 31 August 2018 for farmers in Idukki and With the co-operation of the Coconut Develop- Wayanad districts, and 31 March 2014 in other ment Board, the Government adopted integrat- districts. ed, scientific agricultural measures in three stag- The Agricultural Debt Relief Commission has es which included the revival of coconut farms. decided to extend the benefit, given to arrears The scheme continues to function this year as upwards of Rs 50,000, from Rs one lakh to Rs well. two lakhs. Kerala Coconut Development Council, with the Minister for Agriculture as Chairman, has been 9 A. Help to be given through facilities instituted to give shape to a Mega Plan aimed like Employment Guarantee and Salary at recapturing the past glory of coconut farming for a fixed number of days, Protection within a span of 10 years (2019-29). A scheme of Health, Children’s Education, etc. in to distribute 75 high-quality coconut saplings order to make the Farming Sector more in every ward will be immediately floated. A attractive. Training to be imparted 5-crore project for the revival of coconut farms to peasants in modern farming tech- of low productivity is already in operation. A niques. “Harita Sena” [Green Army] special project for improving the productivity of and agencies like the Labour Bank to coconut trees will be started shortly. be set up in every Panchayat to arrange improved service to farmers and, if re- 11 Establishment of Coconut Parks in all quired, to engage in farming directly. districts, under the auspices of Coconut In a bid to solve the issue of shortage of agri- Production Federations and Producer cultural labours and to ensure fixed income for Companies, in a bid to encourage enter- them, 297 units of Karshika Karma Sena [Ag- prises for diversification and creation ricultural Action Force] at the panchayat level of value-added coconut products un- and 97 Agro Service Centres at the block level der the leadership of coconut farmers’ were instituted. Training was imparted in use collectives. Production of value-add- of modern technology and the latest equipment. ed products other than tender coconut Kerala State Agricultural Mechanization Mis- water and coconut oil at the Coconut sion, that was constituted to co-ordinate the ac- Parks. Timely revision of procurement tivities of Agro Service Centres and the Karshika price in tune with production cost. Karma Sena in the state, has started function- Coconut Agro Parks will be established imme- ing. Under its auspices, steps have been taken diately in order to ensure better value for coco- to guarantee improved services to peasants and nuts and to initiate diversification enterprises. farmers. This system will help increase manufacture of B. Steps to be taken to solve the prob- different types of value-added coconut products lems of Coconut pluckers. and improve the income of coconut farmers.

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 11 Measures have been taken, under the leadership was set up to co-ordinate the activities of the of KAICO, to seek registration for Kerala Agro Agro Service Centres and the Karshaka Karma Business Company in order to establish Agro Sena at the state level. Parks and co-ordinate their activities. The Government has issued orders detailing the 13 The financial crisis in the Agricultur- quality specifications for tender coconut water. al University has adversely affected re- Steps have been taken to expedite marketing of search work and extension activities. tender coconut water on a commercial basis. The University has to be subjected to a comprehensive re-structuring. Preparations have begun for operationalizing the Kerala State Coconut Development Corpo- Steps for re-structuring have begun in the depart- ration. As part of this scheme, a Coconut Shop ment, the university and the agencies concerned. at Palayam and an Agro Bazar at Idappally in have started functioning. A Virgin 14 Encouragement of Integrated Farm- Coconut Oil Plant has been opened at Mamom ing Methods that will include Fish and in and a Tender Coconut Water Pro- Duck Farming. cessing Plant at Elathoor in . Steps Benefits were accorded to farmers, as per the have been taken to start production of tender Fisheries Department scheme. Under the coconut water and establish a processing plant scheme for diffusion and strengthening of ag- at the Farm. A Coconut Oil Plant with ricultural technology, an integrated farming 30 metric tonne capacity will start functioning at method was implemented by combining agri- Attingal in Thiruvananthapuram district with- culture with allied mutually complementary ac- in five months, and a Coconut Milk and Chips tivities like animal husbandry, hen/duck farm- Manufacturing Plant at Elathoor in Kozhikode ing, fish farming, mushroom cultivation, honey in six months. bee keeping, etc. So as to maximize farmers’ in- come. 12 There has been a limited mechaniza- tion of the paddy cultivation sector. 15 A. Strengthening of the existing soil- Machines required for other crops are and water-testing laboratories. Setting yet to be invented. Ploughing and Har- up of laboratories, capable of testing all vesting machines fit for Pokkali paddy samples at the level of micro-elements, fields are not available. Mechanization in every district. of the farming sector, in consultation Currently, there are 14 soil-testing labs in ev- with labour unions, has to be effected. ery district and 11 travelling soil-testing labs. Agro Service Centres have to be opened All the district labs and 7 of the travelling labs at the block level. are fitted with equipment capable of testing mi- Measures have been taken to invent and devel- cro-elements in soil samples. The same facility op machines suitable for Pokkali paddy fields. has been made available at the Soil and Plant Currently machines are available to farmers Health Centre at Parottukonam in Thiruvanan- for all agricultural activities from preparing the thapuram district. seed bed to harvesting the crop. Arrangements It is also available in all the three labs of the Soil will be made for farmers to get in touch with Survey and Conservation Department. the Custom Hiring Centre associated with the Two testing labs have been set up under the Assistant Executive Engineer’s Office, the Agro Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council – one at Service Centre of the Department of Agriculture Thuravoor in district and the other at the block level, and Karshaka Karma Sena at at Thiruvali in district. the panchayat level, and avail of the machines. The Kerala Agricultural Mechanization Mission B. Encouragement of High-density

12 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT Distribution of land title deeds

Farming to increase productivity of na- Various schemes are being implemented to guar- tive fruit trees. antee farmlands to the . Several families have already been allotted lands. Forest Programmes are afoot to declare and develop Rights Act has been vigorously implemented. Wayanad as a Special Agricultural Region for Fruits. A project has been implemented to en- courage high-density farming of banana through 17 A. Establishment of Honey village in the aegis of the State Horticultural Mission and V. order to encourage Bee-keeping and In- F. P. C. K. Besides these, ‘Atma Project’ was initiat- crease Farmers’ Income. This will not ed and an High-density Farming Exhibition con- only ensure more job opportunities but ducted by the Department of Agriculture. increase productivity through pollina- tion. 16 A. Confiscation of available surplus State Horticultural Mission and Horticorp im- land Excess Land and Plantation lands plemented the Honey Mission Scheme in order in possession of Lease-holders, and to encourage bee-keeping and increase produc- their immediate Re-distribution among tion of honey as well as manufacture of honey the Landless. based value added products. The first Honey Park of the state was set up in Mavelikkara. As per various Land schemes, 1,06,000 persons were given land on lease in the state. A total of B. Encouragement of Mushroom Culti- 1,19,004 old, pending cases in Land Tribunals vation and Floriculture. were settled. Excess land cases in Land Boards Mushroom cultivation is being encouraged un- were settled. Steps are being taken on a war der the aegis of the State Horticultural Mission. footing to re-allot them according to rules and Various schemes have been launched in Idukki regulations. and Wayanad districts to popularize Floricul- B. Vigorous Implementation of Forest ture. Wayanad has been declared as a Special Rights Act to ensure Farmlands for the Agricultural Region for Floriculture, and expan- Adivasis. sion projects are underway.

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 13 In 2017-’18, the Pesticide Testing Laboratory of 18 Increase of Loan Facilities in the Ag- ricultural Sector. Granting of Inter- the Agricultural University collected 1341 sam- est-free Loans to Paddy Cultivators and ples of fruits and vegetables from farmlands and Vegetable Farmers. markets and tested them for toxins. Currently Agricultural loans are given to farm- 22 Permission will be granted to Factories ers at the rate of 7% interest. Central govern- manufacturing value-added products ment has implemented a 3 % discount to farm- to carry the brand name “Made in God’s ers who pay back the amount in time. Thus, Own Country, Kerala”. Attempts, along in effect, farmers are given loans at 4 % interest the lines of Amul Model, will be made rate. With the regularization of the activities of for intervention in the Rubber sector. Kerala Bank, decision will be taken on giving in- terest-free loans to farmers. A new scheme has Plans are on the anvil to establish 14 small- and been designed whereby the Government will ex- medium-scale Agro Park chains for certain ma- tend interest-free loans to farmers by paying 4 % jor crops for the processing of agricultural prod- interest on loans granted to them. Moratorium ucts and to ensure their better value as well as to for a period of one year has been declared on guarantee maximum income to farmers. agricultural loans in the flood-affected regions Under the auspices of KAICO, measures have w.e.f. 31.07.2018. been taken to establish and register Kerala Agro Business Company, as a government-owned in- 19 Ensuring of the Effective Functioning of stitution, to co-ordinate the activities of the en- Public Sector Units in the Agricultural terprise. Sector, and Monitoring of their Activ- With the establishment of Agro Parks, it will be ities. Measures to be taken to profes- possible to market all the value-added agricul- sionally conduct the Management sys- tural products of Kerala under a single brand tem and ensure its effective functioning. name. Public Sector Units are being made to work ef- Besides, the Government has designed a com- fectively. Their management system has been re- pany, along the lines of the CIAL model, for the structured along professional lines. Loss-mak- manufacture of rubber products. ing institutions like Kerafed and Warehousing Corporation have achieved profit. 23 A. Steps to be taken to protect Wildlife and also to protect farmlands against Agriculture to be made a part of the 20 attacks from wild animals. School Syllabus. Arrangements will be made to co-ordinate the activities A mobile app named “Wild Watch” has been of schools and the Departments of Ag- developed that will give timely warnings about riculture, Animal Husbandry and Soil the presence of wild animals and thus help take Consevation Department. measures to prevent their encroachment into human habitats as well as to bring down hu- Steps have been taken to make Agriculture a man-wildlife encounters. part of the school syllabus. Bio-diversity parks will be set up in all schools shortly. Schools will Solar powered fences have been put up in South be encouraged to take interest in agricultural ac- Wayanad, North Wayanad and forest tivities. divisions, especially in regions where wildlife at- tack is rampant. A 13.7 km elephant protection 21 Systems to be introduced to scientifical- wall, 13.07 km elephant protection trench and ly examine toxic elements in vegetables. 313.7 km solar powered fence have been put up Strict measures to be taken against cas- at the edge of the forest areas. es where toxins are detected. A total of 204 ‘Jana Jagrata Samitis’ [People’s

14 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT Vigilance Committees] comprising local people, wildlife conservation more effective, measures people’s representatives and Forest Department are being taken to divide the forest region into officials have been set up to reduce instances of ten landscapes and install 1500 cameras for col- human-wildlife conflict. Arrangements have lecting information. Cameras will be installed been made in 65 places of human habitation in two landscapes at one point of time and in- close to forest area to issue SMS alerts to local formation collected for two months. Thereafter residents on the approach of wild animals. To they will be deployed in other landscapes. In co-ordinate and make it more effective, control this manner all the landscapes will come under rooms have been set up at Aralam, Sulthan Bath- survey in one year and help complete wildlife ery, Manarkkad, , , , census. and so on. Arrangements have been made to put up an One post of Chief Forest Veterinary Officer and additional 2.13 km elephant defence wall as 12 posts of Assistant Forest Veterinary Officers extension of the 9.25 km wall already in place have been additionally created in the Depart- from Valayamchal to Kariyamkappu in ment of Forests to supervise the health and Division. “ Declaration 2017” has been protection of wildlife as well as the protection published, which includes, among the ten reso- of domesticated elephants and to take measures lutions, the resolve to protect of tigers residing to resist wildlife attack. The services of Forest outside the Tiger Reserve and to expedite volun- Veterinary Officers have been arranged in every tary repatriation of residents of protected forest district. lands. Steps have been taken to transport eligible ele- B. Compensation to be granted to Loss phants from elephant camps under the Depart- of Crops. ment of Forests to Tamil Nadu in order to im- Compensation amounts have been hiked to Rs part training so that the services of the trained 10 lakhs to the dependants of those killed in elephant squad can be used to successfully drive wildlife attack; Rs 2 lakhs to the dependants back wild elephants invading human habitats of those who die of snake-bite outside forest into the forests. Three elephants have complet- area; Rs 2 lakhs to those who are permanent- ed the taming farming and have been brought ly maimed due to wildlife attack; Rs 1 lakh to back to the state. Their help is being used by those who suffer bruises and other losses. An 14 Rapid Action Force units in the state. Three online system has been arranged for immediate more elephants are being trained for the same disbursal of compensation amounts in cases of purpose. wildlife attack and attendant losses. Crash Guard Rope Fencing system, more effec- Taking cognizance of the impracticability in the tive than Rail Fencing, has been successfully set permission granted (under certain terms and up for the first time in the country at Mankulam conditions) to farmers to shoot wild boars that in Kerala. It covers 1.2 kms from Anakkulam in cause damage to crops in their property, steps Mankulam Forest Division to Valiyaparakutty, are being taken to rectify the anomaly and issue to prevent invasion of wild elephants into hu- fresh orders. man habitats. Measures have been taken to give compensation Under the KIIFB scheme, work has begun to set to those who lost their crops in the floods. A to- up a 6 km Rail Fencing from Koodakadavu to tal of Rs 176 crores have been disbursed as dam- Palvelicham in North Wayanad division and a ages to farmers. Rs 18.4 crores. drawn from the 10 km Rail Fencing from Satram Kadavu, which Crop Insurance Project, and another Rs 197.78 is part of Wayanad Wild Life Division, to Moo- crores given to make farmlands arable and to re- dakkolli. instate irrigation systems. Rice grains and veg- In order to make wildlife census, forest survey, etable seeds have been distributed free of cost.

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 15 PLANTATION CROPS c. Rubber trees will be exempted from 24 The rubber replanting subsidy per hect- are will be increased to Rs 1 lakh. Sub- sales tax for three years. sidy per acre will be provided to rubber The government has strongly raised this demand farmers to ensure income in relation to in the GST council. It was possible to remove the price of rubber, and for this the gov- seniorage for rubber wood. ernment will put pressure on the central government. If needed, the state gov- 26 a. There should be measures to increase ernment will take the initiative to engi- the popularity of and demands for plan- neer an agitation to get things done. The tation products. state government will bear a portion of Requisite measures are being taken to make the this subsidy. products popular through value addition and The government has requested the Central increase the income of the farmers. Government to increase the subsidy relating b. The use of rubber in laying roads and to the Rubber Board. A committee led by the other construction activities will be Kerala Chief Secretary has presented a report to increased. the Centre suggesting ways and means to solve the problems plaguing this sector. Natural rubber is being used for the construction of new roads and heavy maintenance of state 25 a. The state government will pressurize highways and major district roads. Close to the central government to declare rub- 1,480 kms of roads were laid using rubber after ber latex and rubber sheets as agricul- this government came to power. tural products. Requisite interventions c. Measures will be taken to start big will be made to rein in rubber imports. rubber industries in the state. The state government will intervene to ensure that the farmers get a share of The process is on to acquire land in the final price of the value-added prod- and districts to establish rubber ucts. parks. Steps are also being taken to start a company to manufacture rubber products along The state government is pushing the Centre to the lines of CIAL model. give an agricultural crop tag to rubber. It has also requested the Centre to control rubber imports. 27 The main problem plaguing the planta- b. A producer company, which will be tion sector is old trees, and these trees involved in producing value-added should be immediately replanted. The products, of the estate workers will best way to undertake the replantation be formed, and the government will process is to utilize the employment provide adequate financial help for its guarantee scheme. But the Center has incorporation. refused to give the nod on the grounds that replantation was a recurring agri- Steps are being taken to form farmer producer cultural process. The state government companies. The government is also giving will do the needful to convince the cen- financial support to such companies that had tral government on the issue. been incorporated till now. The government is moving forward with the plan to build an The matter will be brought to the notice of agropark in to churn out the central government. The seniorage which rubber-based value-added products. It plans was levied while cutting down old trees for to start a company, along the lines of the CIAL replantation had been completely taken out model, to manufacture rubber products. from the list.

16 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 28 Well chalked-out efforts will be made 30 a. The government will not allow the to conserve water and soil, and preserve estate owners to slash wages and other the biodiversity in the plantation sec- benefits of the workers citing low price. tor. The biodiversity should be protect- Reducing wages and other benefits is ed at all cost, and for this various pro- not a solution to any crisis. The only way grammes will be put in place at various out is to find ways and means to up the levels. production capacity. The Soil Survey and soil Conservation The government is trying to increase production departments have initiated measures to conserve capacity through some scientific interventions the soil. The use of glyphosate herbicide had and protect minimum wages. been banned to protect the biodiversity. b. The government will ensure that the estate workers are provided with 29 a. Afforestation opportunities will be minimum living conditions. Special fully utilized. housing project will be executed, Lakhs of plant saplings had been distributed and for this, special schemes will be through the ‘Ente Maram’ project to school framed through local self-government students and as part of ‘Haritha Keralam’ mission institutions. through panchayats on the World Environment The process of revising wages for the estate Day. As many as 78.15 lakh saplings were workers is in the final stage, and the workers distributed last year. were given an interim relief of Rs 50 per day For the first time, the state government from February 2019. The housing project for undertook a survey to find out the rate of the estate workers was launched at Munnar in survival of 65.29 lakh saplings planted in 2016- . 17 and 66.12 lakh saplings planted in 2017-18 c. All the estate workers will be brought across Kerala. The survey, which was conducted under the BPL category and ration and involving students of 20 colleges, found that other benefits will be provided to them. 55.24 percent of saplings planted in 2016-17 and 62.53 percent of saplings planted in 2017-18 had Looking into it. started to grow. Stringent action will be taken against Though Kerala has limited land space, the state is 31 plantation owners who have illegal- in third place in terms of increase in forest cover. ly possessed land and who have en- b. A scheme will be put in place croached upon government land. Such whereby the cooperative societies will, land will be used for public purposes or every month, disburse long-term loans distributed to landless people. against trees as collateral security. The Steps are being taken. loan and interest should be repaid when the trees are cut down. 32 a. All the farmers who had settled with- Instructions had been given to the cooperative in the state before January 1, 1977, will societies to this effect. There will be a mechanism be given unconditional title deeds for to gain carbon credit in the international market up to 4 acres of land for which due joint through precise documentation including verification by the revenue and forest geotagging of trees in the . A departments was completed. bank loan of up to Rs 50 per tree could be availed Steps are being taken to distribute unconditional every year. A proposal had been mooted in this title deeds to all farmers, who had made year’s budget in which the government would settlement by encroaching within the state provide collateral security for such bank loans.

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 17 before January 1, 1977, as per the Kerala Land Forest rights were given to 164 persons for 757 Assignment Special Rules, 1993. acres of land. Land was also distributed as per the vested forest area distribution policy. The b. Time-bound measures will be taken process to buy and distribute 428 acres of land to distribute title deeds to close to 1 lakh under the government’s Land Bank project had families who are yet to get the relevant been completed. documents. Title deeds had been given to 1,06,000 people. 33 a. Human habitation, plantations and Title deeds had been issued to people living agricultural land will be avoided at eco- at Pathu Changala in Idukki district. The logically sensitive area (ESA) as notified government had also issued orders to distribute according to the Kasthurirangan re- title deeds to 158 families in Perinjamkutti. port. c. Landless adivasis will be given land The government is putting pressure on this matter. and related documents. b. Requisite changes will be incorporated The government has completed the process to in the documents presented by the issue title deeds to adivasis in a time-bound UDF ministry to central environment manner. As many as 1,105 persons belonging to ministry. scheduled tribes were given 1,446 acres of land. Steps are being taken.

ANIMAL HUSBANDRY

34 a. The state will attain self-sufficiency in c. More financial support will be milk production. extended to dairy welfare societies under various schemes. The production of milk was increased to 25.75 lakh tonnes in 2017-18 from 25.2 lakh tonnes in The government had implemented financial 2016-17 (as per the latest figures of the central schemes to the tune of Rs 2,281.61 lakh for the government). Though there was a surge in dairy cooperative societies. Managerial subsidy milk production in the first half of the 2018- had been introduced for the employees of the 19 fiscal, the August floods had an adverse dairy cooperative societies, and 105 dairy groups impact on the production of milk. The Animal had been newly registered. The functioning of Resource Development (ARD) project, which 150 societies had been revamped. was formulated in 2018-19, is underway, and around Rs 4.5 crore was utilized for the project. 35 a. The rearing programme for calves Through this project, it was possible to attract will be expanded. new entrepreneurs and provide subsidy for To ensure scientific rearing of calves, project such dairy farmers. as calf rearing programme and ‘govardhini’ are b. For this, the functioning of Milma being executed through the Animal Husbandry will be restructured along the lines of department. Around 73,538 calves had been real Anand. enrolled under these two projects in 2016-17. Support had been extended to 35,070 calves in The government has started to initiate steps 2017-18. In 2018-19, nearly 83,554 calves had to implement the suggestions put forward been enrolled under the projects. by a study committee headed by retired IAS officer Linda Jacob, which was appointed by b. The kudumbashree cow, goat villages the government to look into the organizational projects will be strengthened. structure of Milma. A subsidy of Rs 2.18 lakh is being given to

18 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT groups comprising 5 women to start dairy units to include cattle farming in the National Rural under the Kudumbahsree ‘Kshreerasagaram’ Employment Guarantee scheme. But, the state project. Two cows each will be looked after government has given the nod to provide by five people (total 10 cows). As many as one day’s wages to farmers, who have two or 608 ‘Kshreerasagaram’ units were opened. more productive cows, through its Ayyankali Kudumbashree opened 530 units under the goat Employment Guarantee programme. village project, and the aim is to start 1,000 such units in future. 38 Modern abattoirs of different capaci- ties will be established in a time-bound 36 a. The dairy sector is facing shortage of manner in all municipalities and pan- labour to milk cows. The milking ma- chayats. chines should be modified so that they Rs 116 crore had been allocated through could also be used in small units. KIIFB to put in place modern abattoirs in 11 This is being implemented for the past 3 years city corporations. A committee headed by the and around 1,000 dairy farmers got the benefits. chief minister is keeping a tab on the progress Small milking machines are available for prices of this project. Moreover, an expert technical starting from Rs 38,000 in the market. committee comprising veterinary doctors of the Animal Husbandry department is providing the b. Mobile milking units will be requisite inputs. promoted under dairy societies. Mobile milking units is being established under 39 The diversification of value-added the dairy units under the aegis of regional products will help in increasing the in- cooperative units. come of farmers. Many projects relating to addition value to a. The main problem plaguing the cattle 37 agricultural products are progressing, and the farming sector is shortage of cattle feed farmers will be able to increase their income and its high price. The cattle feed pro- through these initiatives. Fund allocation had duction will be doubled in public sector been made in the current budget for Malabar and the feed made available to dairy coffee powder brand, value-added products farmers at a reasonable price. from coconut, and value-added products from The production of cattle feed had been increased rice through the rice parks at Palakkad, through Milma and Kerala Feeds. and Alappuzha. b. Employment Guarantee Scheme will be utilized for the cultivation of special 40 The Veterinary Biological Institute at grass for livestock. will produce vaccines, anti-worm medicines and disease-detection kits as Special grass had been cultivated in 2703.02 per the demand. The government will acres of land - under the Employment Guarantee also support the local self-government Scheme by undertaking 2947 activities in the institutions to buy medicines of the past 3 years. quality of Medical Service Corporation. For this cultivation, Rs 30,000 per hectare had The Veterinary Biological Institute at Palode in been disbursed to 1,119 farmers. Thiruvananthapuram district is manufacturing c. The government will put pressure on and distributing various vaccines and disease- the Centre to include cattle farming in detection kits, among others. The production of the Employment Guarantee Scheme. enterotoxemia vaccine had been newly started. Steps are also being taken to manufacture anti- The state government is pressurizing the Centre rabies vaccine.

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 19 many training programmes are being conducted 41 a. The quality of milk brought from oth- er states will be strictly monitored. at the training centres of the Animal Husbandry department, and relevant subjects had been Two check pots had been put in place to included in the training syllabus. The work to check the quality of products, including milk, open a website for the farmers in the animal brought from other states, and the check post at husbandry sector is in the preliminary stage. Meenakshipuram will be a permanent one. 45 a. The poultry farming scheme will be b. Besides Milma, producer companies pushed through the ‘earn while study- will be started under the aegis of model ing’ project in the state’s schools. The dairy cooperative societies. farming of local chickens will be pro- Yet to begin the process to start such companies. moted and open spaces in rubber estates will be earmarked for such farming. 42 Measures will be taken to ease the strong The poultry farming scheme will be pushed hold of the hatchery owners, hailing through the ‘earn while studying’ project in from other states, over the state’s poul- the state’s schools.School Poultry Club scheme try farming. There will be more inter- had been implemented through the animal ventions from the Poultry Development husbandry department. Under the scheme, a Corporation to sort out the issue. school with 50 students is given 5 chicks along The Kerala Chicken Project, which is a with the requisite poultry feed. This project was collaborative initiative of the Animal Husbandry implemented in 701 schools in 2016-17 and department, kudumbashree and the Poultry 905 schools in 2017-18. Nearly 4,01,500 chicks Development Corporation, is being executed. had been distributed to 80,300 students in two Through this project, the poultry farmers are years. The scheme was expanded in 2018-19 getting an income of up to Rs 45,000 in 45 days. fiscal and implemented in 1,304 schools. In a bid to expand the project, a Farmer Producer b. Chicken village project will be Company had been initiated by kudumbashree. expanded. The process of establishing a hatchery under kudumbashree is in the preliminary stage. The project will be widely implemented through Kepco. 43 A big poultry feed factory will be set up in Kerala. The meat and fish wastes will 46 a. Steps will be taken to direct the banks be the raw materials for this factory. The to consider loans disbursed in the ani- foreign countries have proved by exam- mal husbandry sector as agricultural ple that these kind of factories can be loans. run without polluting the environment. Steps are being taken in this regard. The government is looking into it. b. The government spending in the animal husbandry sector will be raised 44 More employment opportunities will be to 1 percent of the total income of the created in pet bird farming, industrial state. scale breeding and training of dogs and Spending had been increased, and Rs 450 crore farm tourism. Solid market should be earmarked for this sector. ensured when the breeding of pet birds and dogs are done in large scale. Web- a. Comprehensive insurance cover will sites will be opened to tap the markets. 47 be ensured for cattle. More employment opportunities will be created The Animal Husbandry department’s in pet birds farming, industrial scale breeding comprehensive cattle insurance scheme and training of dogs and farm tourism. For this, ‘Gosamirthi’ had been introduced and around

20 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 65,000 cows had been insured under the scheme. A Rs 76.34 lakh project had been implemented Moreover, about 19,000 cows had been insured to help the farmers. after sourcing funds from the Centre. Rs 5 crore c. The government will made had been set aside for the scheme in this current financial year. In 2018-19, Rs 195 lakh had been interventions to protect India’s unique spent for the scheme in various districts. genera by giving due importance to them. b. A scheme will be formulated to support the farmers who are in great Importance is being given to the country’s financial distress following death of genera. cattle or reduction in productivity of d. Health cards for all cattle. cows which were given to them by the local self-government institutions. The process is on to give health cards to all cows. FISHERIES SECTOR

to end the fishing practices adopted by 48 Akin to land reforms in the agriculture sector, the government will enact a law foreign trawlers. whereby the rights over the sea will be Following the state’s memorandum submitted to entrusted with the fishermen who ven- the Central Government, it has been decided to ture into the sea. Clauses will be added ban the LOP system that permits fishing by for- in the aquarium reforms whereby the eign trawlers. fishermen will get the rights over fish- ing equipment, rights over fisheries re- 50 Participatory resource management sources and the rights to enter the sea. policy and action programme will be The rights to sell the fish caught will chalked with the cooperation of all in- also be vested with the fishermen. volved in the fishing sector such as fish- ers, other allied workers, boat owners, The process is on to enact a law to protect the officials, scientists and NGOs. Will form rights of the fishermen while assimilating fish resources management councils at the crux of the aquarium reforms. Steps are local, district and state levels. being taken to present the Fish Marketing and Auctioning Bill in the Assembly. Amended the KMFR policy and set up fisheries management council at state level by including a. The laws and restrictions relating to 49 representatives of fishermen and boat owners, the fisheries are not adequate to ensure officials, scientists and NGOs at regional, dis- the stability of the fish wealth. Requisite trict and state levels. Setting up of fisheries man- amendments will be made to the 1980 agement councils from district to village levels is KMFR Act to maintain the wealth of the in the final stages. The KMFR Act was amend- sea in term of fisheries. ed for this purpose. Steps were adopted to form Order had been issued on the size of 58 types of fisheries management council at state, district small fish that could be caught. With this, there and regional levels. is a control over netting of small fish. Timely changes had been made in the KMFR Act to 51 The ban on fishing during will ensure the stability of the fisheries resources. continue. The related law is being strictly enforced which The 52-day trawling ban was enforced in the has resulted in a 12 percent increase in the fish year 2018 from June 10 to July 31 as well. wealth of the sea. b. Will force the Central Government 52 a. Will put pressure to implement rec-

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 21 ommendations of Murari Commission. ing in deep sea fishing. Subsidies and liberal loan policies are formulated and The state has urged the Central Government to effected to modernise traditional ves- end the LOP granted to foreign vessels for deep sels or to buy new ones. sea fishing and set up a separate Fisheries min- istry. The same demands were raised at the meet A Rs600-crore project to find an alternative of South Indian Fisheries’ ministers, and later mechanism to modernise traditional vessels on the state personally took up the matter with and make way for deep sea fishing has been sub- the Central Government. As a result a separate mitted for the Central Government’s approv- department was set up for the Fisheries at the al. It envisages training on deep sea fishing to Centre and became functional. Yet, the state will traditional fishermen. As part of modernising continue to make persistent demands for an in- traditional fishing boats against the backdrop dependent ministry to handle Fisheries. of Ockhi disaster, as many as 320 FRP deep sea fishing trawlers are to be provided to fishers’ b. Combined projects will be imple- groups. This project has got the official approval mented for the protection of local vari- and is in the stage of execution. eties of fish that are on the verge of ex- tinction. 54 a. Sea wall construction to be expedited To boost the production of ethnic fishlings, on a war footing. hatcheries were opened at Peechi and Polachi- ra and fish sanctuaries were launched for pro- In regions of acute sea attacks, the need for a tecting ethnic varieties. The fishlings of ‘Kaari’, safety wall has been brought to the attention of ‘Kallemutti’, ‘Varaal’. ‘Karimeen’, ‘Manjakoori’ the Irrigation Department. The use of modern are being produced and deposited into public technology such as geo tube is being examined. water bodies. It has been decided to construct an offshore breakwater on the sea bed at Poonthura, 500 c. Fish seeds will be deposited at public metres off the coast, to counter sea attacks. Steps water bodies in a big way. are on to get the financial aid from KIIFB for Activities related to the project were completed the project. Besides, to prevent sea attacks in the utilising Rs 99.43 lakh, Rs 253 lakh and Rs 295 nearby coasts of the fishing harbours of Muth- lakh earmarked for 2016-17, 2017-18, and 2018- alapozhi, , Thottapally, Chettuva, 19 fiscals respectively. 640 lakh fishlings and Thalayi and Manjeswaram, ‘pulimutts’ (a tra- baby prawns were deposited in the inland wa- ditional stone bridge/wall) are erected with the terbodies of 14 districts in the past three years. KIIFB support of Rs 46.94 crore. KIIFB has also granted aid of Rs 35 crore for the protection of d. Will protect the natural reproductive coasts from beach to Thanni. Steps are habitats of fish. in full swing to execute the project. As part of protecting the natural reproductive b. Fishermen living in sea attack prone habitats of fish, Rs 20 lakh was earmarked for area, if willing, would be given Rs 10 2017-18 to set up breeding centres in the Vem- lakh each to shift to safer regions in ad- banad and Ashtamudi lakes and in the backwa- ters of Kozhikode and Kannur districts. Rs 20 dition to retaining the ownership of the lakh was additionally allocated in the subse- existing property. quent year to set up fish breeding centres at in Fishermen living under the threat of constant the districts of Kollam and Kottayam districts . sea attacks would be rehabilitated and those residing within 50 metres from high tide zone 53 To combat the intrusion of foreign fish- would be relocated to safer regions. Projects to ing vessels that venture into deep seas this effect are in various stages of implementa- under LOP scheme, fishermen’s cooper- tion. Fund of Rs 10 lakh has been sanctioned ative groups will be given expert train- and steps take to relocate 998 families belonging

22 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT to fishermen community residing in the coastal families of Ockhi victims. districts that are prone to sea attacks. Besides, 400 families, who owned property in safer areas 56 Fishing harbours, landing centres and but were residing within the danger zone of 50 fish markets and the coastal roads link- metres from high tide mark, were granted Rs 4 ing them with national highway will be lakh to build house and shift to safe zones. Flats developed and protected. The new har- were constructed at Muttathara and handed bours have to be given recognition as them over to 192 fishing families. The govern- part of comprehensive coastal manage- ment approved an ambitious project of Rs 78.20 ment plan. Modernisation programmes crore to construct flats for 772 fishing families to be strengthened. across the state. A project outlay is getting readied to raise the c. The income from the Casuarina trees standards of harbours to international stan- planted along sea coasts will be enjoyed dards. A national workshop was conducted by by the fishing community. the Fisheries Department. Steps are taken to de- The project prepared in this regard did not get vise Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan the Nabard approval. Hence a revised draft proj- as per the suggestions that churned out from the ect is being prepared. workshop. Approval was granted for Rs 112.2 crore through KIIFB for the construction of d. The houses of fishermen will get CRZ new harbour at Malappuram as concession and temporary number given. per detailed studies, and tender proceedings ini- Based on the recommendations of the dis- tiated. Studies were started to construct Pozhi- trict-level coastal management committee yoor harbour in Thiruvananthapuram district. chaired by the district collector, State Coastal Management Authority has taken steps to grant 57 Harbour management societies will be leverage to fishermen to build houses in plac- formed for the maintenance of fishing es where Coastal Regulation Act for houses is harbours with the participation of fish- in place. Besides, the state has put pressure on ermen. Chilled storage facility will be Central Government to bring down the No De- started at fishing harbours. Fishing har- velopment Zone (NDZ) in the Coastal Regula- bours will be renovated and basic ame- tion Act to 50 metres as against the stipulated nities to be introduced. 200 metres and was able to effect an amendment Harbour management societies, on the lines of to CRZ Act. This was a great relief for fishermen the participatory management society at Mu- to build houses. nambam harbour, were formed in the 12 har- bours of , Thangassery, , 55 The use of advanced technology for rev- Kayamkulam, Chettuva, , Puthiyap- enue generation in the fishing sector pa, Koyilandi, Chombal, Thalayi, Bay would help in fish process to come up and Cheruvathoor. Measures are taken to raise with value-added products, introduce the harbours to meet global standards. As part diversification, create new job oppor- of this all fishing harbours will have refrigera- tunities for women of the community tion facility. Thalayi and Chettuva harbours through imparting expertise and set up were commissioned. Work started for the Rs basic amenities 54.7-crore second phase development of Neen- Projects are being implemented through Mat- dakara, Kayamkulam, Thottapally, Munambam syafed, SAF and Kerala State Coastal Area De- and fishing harbours. A Rs 45.3-crore velopment Corporation. Sanction has been giv- project has been prepared for the development en to construct a pre-processing centre at a cost of Arthungal, Tanur and Vellayil harbours. It has of Rs 4 crore in Vizhinjam to provide jobs for the been submitted for the approval of Nabard.

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 23 The exporters had moved court during the ten- 58 A comprehensive sea protection pack- age has been formed to ensure safety of ure of previous government against the cess col- fishermen, who venture out into risk- lection. Then the High Court had set aside the prone areas, by making use of the ICT file for pronouncing the verdict. Attempts are features. being made by the state to challenge the court decision and get a favourable verdict. Projects are being implemented for providing marine ambulances, sea rescue squads, safety 63 The previous LDF government’s de- gadgets and communication tools for the safe- cision to hike the benefit of a savings ty of fishermen and to rescue them in the time scheme (Sambadya Samaswasa Padha- of mishaps. Besides, ‘Sagara’ mobile app is be- thi) to Rs 3,600 will be implemented ing utilised to record the details of vessels and immediately. fisherman that put out to sea. Measures adopted to provide fishermen with satellite phones and The benefit was raised to Rs 4500 and had been Navik for the on-the-spot transfer of data. Steps disbursed already. It is being implemented on taken to introduce ‘tracking system’ in 300 vessels. time utilising the state’s share despite the state not getting the favour from the Central Govern- ment. 59 Will reconstitute activities of fisheries welfare groups. 64 Will formulate a comprehensive coast- Strengthened the activities of all fishing welfare al housing project that ensures houses cooperative groups affiliated to Matsyafed. As for all in the fishing community, san- part of this, steps are taken for the computerisa- itary-toilet facilites, drinking water, tion of cooperative groups and appointment of electricity and healthy environment. paid secretaries in 200 groups. Once implemented, it would end the most vital issue – lack of housing - that 60 Title-deed distribution to fishing com- is plaguing the community. munity would be completed in a time- bound manner. Various projects are merged to achieve the de- sired results. As part of this 5419 families got Title-deed distribution to coastal population safe and secure houses, 4000 houses renovated, and land takeover proceedings to build flats 1700 sanitary toilets were built and 4000 houses are progressing at a fast pace. For the first time re-electrified. Works have begun for construct- a project was designed to purchase land for the ing 772 flats for fisher folks, in the lines of the landless fishermen. An amount of Rs 48 crore one built at Muttathara benefit of 192 families in has been set aside with Rs 6 lakh meant for each the capital, would be constructed at Valiyathura, family to purchase 3 cents of land. Karodu in Thiruvananthapuram district, QSS Financial assistance is being sanctioned for 800 Colony in Kollam, Manappuram in Alappuzha fishermen families. district, in Malappuram and Uppalava- lappu in . 61 All fishing labourers, irrespective of b. Model fishing village will be rede- APL/BPL category, would reap the ben- signed. The priority list of the mini- efit Social Security project. mum facilities that are required for the All fishermen men would get BPL ration cards. fishing village would listed and would set them in place. 62 The financial crisis of welfare fund Board Exhaustive studies were conducted with the help will be solved by removing the barriers of research institutes such as Tatat Institute of concerning fund collection from export- Social Sciences, Institute of Rural Management, ers for welfare fund from exporters. Anand as part of Ockhi package. Steps are being

24 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT taken to implement a total coastal development merit seats in self-financing colleges. The gov- programme. ernment has granted to concession to all deserv- ing students who have submitted applications c. Financial aid for the fisher folks to for fee exemption in 2018-19 fiscal. build houses would be revised so as to meet the periodic increase in construc- d. The educational sops being granted to tion costs. Scheduled Castes people will be extend- ed to children from fishing community. The monetary assistance to build houses was raised from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 4 lakh. Benefits granted. d. Will take efforts to remove the pre- e. Will take efforts to bring the fishing vailing legal complications for building families under BPL category, taking houses for fishers. into account their poor financial back- ground. The state government was able to persuade the Central Government to make amendments in Steps taken in this regard. Coastal Regulation Act in favour of construct- ing houses for fishermen. 66 The debt-relief measures propounded by the LDF government will be com- 65 a. A special package to remove the back- pleted so as to relieve the fishermen im- wardness experienced by the fishing mersed in debt. community in the health and educa- Law has been amended and enforced to extend tion sectors will be chalked out and en- the tenure of debt relief from December 31, forced. 2007 to December 31, 2008. Besides, necessary The basic infrastructure of 127 schools and 16 changes were made in the Act to exempt the health centres in the coastal areas would be above mentioned debt-relief tenure for those improved. A sum of Rs 102.66 crore has been who have lost fishing vessels in natural ca- okayed for the purpose. Special project to trans- lamities. The revised Act entrusts Fishermen’s form coastal schools into centres of excellence Debt-Relief Commission to give debt relief to has been introduced. Coaching will be given for affected fishermen and sanction them further the children of fishermen to gain admission to loans. professional courses, including MBBS course. 24 students have so far secured admission to 67 The fishing implements will be given MBBS course. insurance coverage. The insurance ben- b. Facilities at coastal schools will be ex- efits will be enhanced. panded. Project will be prepared to turn A project to insure fishing boats of tradition- libraries into learning centres. al fishermen whereby the government will pay A comprehensive programme is being chalked 90% of the premium amount has been imple- out to expand the basic amenities at coastal mented. 648 fishing vessels were insured in the schools. KIIFB has sanctioned fund to the tune 2018-19 fiscal. Accident insurance coverage slab of Rs 294.72 crore to improve the facilities at 71 of fishermen has been doubled from Rs 5 lakh. schools. 68 The fishers who have lost job, means c. The government will bear the entire of livelihood and natural habitat due educational expenses of children from to Vizhinjam, harbour project will be fishing community studying in self-fi- rehabilitated and given compensation. nancing colleges. Similar measures will be adopted to The state government is meeting the education- tackle issues regarding port renovation al expenses of children who secure admission to in other areas as well.

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 25 Project Implementation Unit has been set up to 70 a. ‘Matsya Keralam’ project will rede- enforce rehabilitation package. signed. It aims to double inland fish availability in 5 years. 69 a. Facilities such as drinking water, toi- let, restrooms and cold storage will en- The phase two of public fish farming project is sured for the women who are engaged being implemented to achieve the target. Fish in selling fish. Will end the exploitation is being harvested in 4,600 hectares of ponds as of woman fish mongers. part of the project. 460 RAS units that make use of recirculating aquaculture system, 2600 mus- Steps are undertaken to modernise fish markets sel farming units, 670 cage farming units were equipped with basic amenities and make them newly launched. In 2019-20 sanction was ac- women-friendly. Chill room facilities to store corded for aquatic farming worth Rs 74.2 crore. fish, separate spaces for dressing and resting for fish sellers, toilets and flake ice units were imple- b. Integrated fish farming will be en- mented. The government will bear the registration couraged not only in ponds and dams cost of comprehensive health insurance scheme but in paddy fields as well. Fishlings will be deposited on a large-scale basis b.Measures taken for the renovation of in the backwaters and rivers to boost the fish markets and set in place basic infra- production of fish species. structure. 6500 hectares of paddy fields was utilised for pi- Karikode and markets were being re- sciculture through public fish farming. 640 lakh furnished. In-principle nod was granted to the fishlings and baby prawns were deposited in the Rs 193.47-crore project for renovating 70 fish Kerala lakes and rivers and they were subject to markets by bringing it under KIIFB. The de- research. tailed project report is getting ready. Matsyafed has launched a novel initiative of supplying the In the 6500 hectares of paddyfields fish farming catch straight from the sea to the consumers is being integrated with rice cultivation. Besides, without losing the freshness of the fish. The ini- aquaculture is integrated with duck/fowl rear- tiative called ‘Anthi Pacha’ mobile fish mart has ing in another 10 hectares. Through this 40,000 become a hit and is now on the mode of expand- metric ton fish can be produced in the current ing its reaches. financial year.

ENVIRONMENT

71 A. Within six months after coming to 72 As demanded in the Kerala Conserva- power, the government will bring out a tion of Paddy Land and Wetlands Act, white paper on the current state of af- data banks will be published with the fairs of the environment. help of satellite maps within six months. After a public review, it will be finalized White paper on environment was released. in one year. Additional officials, if need- b. All the orders of the previous gov- ed, will be appointed towards this pur- ernment that are against the interests pose. of the environment and people will be The Government issued the Kerala state Con- re-examined. servation of Paddy Land and Wetlands rules All such orders were re-examined by the min- (ordinance) in 2017. Steps were taken to identify istry. Some orders were cancelled. Some others disparities in the data bank and make necessary were amended. corrections, Provision to appeal for removing

26 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT the lands wrongly included in the data bank was special mention of the UNDP. A number of included as per the conditions in the Conserva- waste disposal projects utilizing modern tech- tion of Paddy Land and Wetlands Act of 2018. nology have been launched in all parts of the state. The European tour of the chief minister 73 Steps taken by the UDF to dilute the in 2019 has helped obtain many new ideas and Conservation of Paddy Land Act and opened up many possibilities. Kerala Land Utilization order will be abandoned. 76 Permission for sand mining and The Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and quarries will be given only on the Wetlands Act 2018 was strengthened and made basis of scientific studies and social more effective by introducing amendments in control. Restrictions and feasibility order to ensure it was useful to the people and studies will be introduced to avoid the favourable for the environment. overexploitation of sand in the river banks. b. Strict action will be taken against il- legal filling of land. Breaking the Land The government is intervening in the sector Ceiling law through benamis will be with a view to involve people in the environ- prevented. ment conservation activities even while protect- ing their means of livelihood. Strict action is being taken in such cases. Hun- dreds of cases have been registered. As part of this, a new sand policy has been for- mulated. Sand mining will be allowed only af- 74 Acknowledging the importance of ter getting it registered with the concerned local in the protection of en- self-government institution. A standard operat- vironment in Kerala, a Western Ghats ing procedure has been prepared for the utiliza- Protection Project will be formulated, tion of sand and clay deposits in dams. Efforts ensuring the participation of local com- are on to implement this pilot project in Manga- munities and farmers. lam and Chulliyar dams. Projects are also being implemented to collect sand through manual Haritha Keralam Mission has been launched dredging from ports and distribute it through with an aim to conserve the coasts of Kerala, the Ports Department. Stone-quarrying will be inland water sources, mountains, forests, farm- permitted only on assurance of strict compli- lands and water sources--big and small, in both ance with procedures. A sand processing facility urban and rural areas. Protection of the Western has been set up in Ponnani. Ghats is one of the objectives of the Mission. 75 Steps will be taken to utilize science and 77 The mined resources of Kerala will be technology for controlling pollution. brought under the public ownership. Pollution control will be ensured in in- A strong social control system will dustrial establishments. be introduced for mining. Steps will be taken to mine karimanal (mineral Local self-government institutions have formu- beach-sand) for value-added production lated different projects that apply technology to under the initiative of the public avoid environment pollution. The government sector, after ensuring the protection of aims to achieve self-sufficiency by utilizing tech- environment. nology in this manner. Efforts are on the set up waste disposal plants, by apply various technol- 180 acres of land is being acquired in to ogies in urban areas. The government is also set up a plant for the manufacture of value-add- intervening to remove the technical issues that ed products from karimanal. Steps have also prevent the implementation of these. Alappu- been taken to start manufacture of value-added zha’s Waste Disposal at Source Project has won products here.

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 27 78 Steps will be taken to solve water wetlands. River basin-level water pollution, a major problem being conservation projects and state-level faced by Kerala today. As part of this, water conservation projects will be a system will be introduced under the implemented by integrating these local self-government institutions to activities under the supervision of ensure the testing of water for quality local self-governments. Another action at regular intervals and necessary plan will be implemented to make action based on this for the protection possible rainwater harvesting and water conservation of water sources. Projects recycling at domestic, institutional and will be formulated to conserve all sorts industrial levels. of wetlands and heritage buildings. Water Conservation Mission Programme is River revival activities are being given im- being implemented in the state, with an aim portance under the Employment Guarantee to implement natural resources conservation Scheme at the district level. The revival of Varat- programmes on the basis of a comprehensive tar(Pathanamthitta),Killiyar(Thiruvananthapu- perspective on wetland development, under ram),Kuttamperoorar(Alappuzha),Meenachi- the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employ- laar(Kottayam),Karumathoor(Kannur),Chali- ment Guarantee Scheme. In the first stage, the yar (Malappuram), Kannadi River(Palakkad), scheme is being implemented in the block pan- Gayathri River(Palakkad), and Korayar Riv- chayats that face severe water shortage. Under er(Palakkad) rivers is a good example of this. the Employment Guarantee Scheme a scientific The revival works of Kuttamperoorar, Karumat- conservation of natural resources on the basis of hoor River, Kannadi River and Korayar River a comprehensive wetland development perspec- have already been completed. tive will be taken up, in cooperation with the Haritha Keralam Mission. Side protection activities are being undertaken through the Employment Guarantee Scheme Directions have been given to renew the mas- to prevent sidewalls of the rivers caving in and terplans of the village panchayats located in the causing the levelling of rivers. The activities be- hilly and midland regions of the state, after pre- ing undertaken through the project are strength- paring the wetland conservation plans of these ening of the sidewalls by planting vetriver and panchayats. using coir geotextiles, besides planting of aattu- The activities included in the Wetland Mas- vanji plants and bamboo. ter Plan have also been included in the annu- Construction of check dams to ensure the flow al action plan of the Employment Guarantee of water in tributaries, and digging of rain pits Scheme. Catchment conservation activities have in catchment areas to ensure rain water seeping been completed in 1,47,239 acres of land. into the are also being undertaken in this These activities resulted in the increase of wa- manner. terflow and rise of water levels in wells bringing Projects have been undertaken through the Em- some relief to regions affected by severe drought ployment Guarantee Scheme to revive public The project was also effective in increasing the ponds, the important traditional sources of wa- level of groundwater and making water needed ter in the state. The revival of 5250 traditional for agriculture available. water sources was completed in 2018-19. Be- sides, 3301 new ponds were dug to make water 80 A list of water sources (ponds, tanks, available for agriculture. canals, streams and rivers) in all panchayats of the state will be prepared. 79 Action plans will be prepared for the Information including the width, depth protection utilisation development and biodiversity will be included in this and conservation of water in small list. This list of water reservoirs will be

28 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT kept in the respective panchayats. The With an aim to ensure forest conservation, 24 conservation of these wetlands will be interior protection camps were set up for the the responsibility of the panchayats. sake of forest employees. Work on eight camps is progressing. The local self-governments in the state are com- pleting the collection of information on water The major challenge faced by the Forest Depart- reservoirs. Conservation plans were prepared ment in the implementation of the forest con- in 778 village panchayats, 63 municipalities and servation initiatives was the inadequacy of com- two municipal corporations. The preparation of munication facilities. Steps were taken to set up water reservoir masterplans are being coordi- a Digital Wireless Communication Network to nated at the block level. remedy this problem and connect the entire for- est region. 81 A comprehensive coastal fishing policy A software named High Court Case Monitoring will be introduced, aiming increase in System was created to monitor the status of cas- productivity. A policy will be adopted es related to forest in the High Court and make to prevent pollution while taking updated information available. measures to conserve backwaters, and mangroves and sustain An online module named HAWK (Hostile Ac- river flow to these ecosystems. tivity Watch Kernel) was developed using the latest technology to collect standardized infor- The legislature has already published the Fish mation on crimes related to forest and to assess Marketing and Auctioning Bill, guaranteeing the status of the investigation, submission of fishermen first selling rights and fair price for charges and trial of these cases. marine fish caught by them. The Bill will be pre- sented in the next session of the Assembly A Wildlife Death Report Module was developed for informing forest officials about the deaths of Projects for protection of ecosystems and pre- wild animals to higher authorities through SMS, vention of pollution have been envisaged sepa- and sending the inquest reports, photos and rately for each sector. other documents by email in real time 10 new forest stations came into existence in Forest encroachment will not be 82 , Ezhamkulam, Kadamanpara, Kum- tolerated in any form. The core areas of bhavurutti, Kakkayam, Peruvannamuzhi, Pulp- forests will be retained as virgin interior palli, Vaithiri, and Narikkadavu. forests. Local self-governments and Steps have also been taken to establish new for- regional communities will be involved est stations in Venkolla, Anappara, Oonnukal, in the efforts to conserve the existing Aruvikkadu, Varantharappilly, Walayar, Anak- forest regions. kampoyil, Kattilappara Sathram, Karippur and Border survey of forests was completed and Ambalappara. 99 new posts were sanctioned for 41,856 jandas [cairns] fixed in the three years the operation of these new stations. after this government came to power, in order 319.50401 hectares of forest land in different to prevent forest encroachment.The government parts of the state was declared as Proposed Re- aims to complete the fixing of 13,507 jandas in serve Forests under Section (4) of the Kerala the year 2019-20. Forest Act. A lease module, created for compil- 204 people’s vigilance committees were formed ing information on the lands given on lease by across the state at panchayat/municipality level the Forest Department, was implemented. To by including the local people, people’s represen- overcome the shortage of officers in Forest Bor- tatives and forest officials with an aim to protect der Survey, 240 beat forest officers/section forest the forest regions and bring down incidents of officers were divided into eight batches and and human-animal conflict. given training in the survey of forest borders.

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 29 The syllabus for the department-level training were ensured the right to collect and sell forest of security workers in the Forest Department is products other than timber. A total of 906 out being updated. A centralised survey document of the 35,387 applications for personal purpos- room was set up in Kozhikode for safe-keeping es recommended by the Forest Rights Assess- of survey sketches and related documents of the ment Committee were passed, as of 31-01-2018 forest lands of Kerala that are in possession of 25,109 Forest Rights documents were distrib- the Forest Department. uted in total. Titles were issued in seven out of 976 applications submitted for social purposes. As part of protecting forests from wildfire, a fire 464 out of the 756 applications submitted for alert system, using the latest technology, was in- development purposes were passed. Participa- stalled with the help of Forest Survey of India, tory forest conservation was implemented in an Dehradun. A fire warning system was also in- intensive manner, for the welfare of forest dwell- stalled. A 24-hour fire monitoring cell started ers. functioning at the headquarters of the Forest Department to manage fire prevention activities The government timber depots in Kulathoopu- at state-level. A state-level monitoring commit- zha, Konni, Veettoor, Chaliyam, Kannoth and tee was formed and made operational to assess Parappa were elevated to recognized retail de- the forest protection activities towards prevent- pots for the sale of sandal. Retail sale was started ing wildfires and to co-ordinate the activities of in the timber depots of the government to make other departments. Steps have also been taken timber available to common people for building to make forest mini fire tender vehicles available houses. 100 eligible beneficiaries of the Chetti- for the Forest Department to fight wildfire yalathoor settlement in Wayanad district were rehabilitated as part of reducing the incidents of Classes, documentary screening, distribution of human-animal conflict. posters and banners and rallies are being con- ducted with an aim to create awareness among A special action plan is being implemented to people. Besides, forest regions are being pro- ensure the natural revival of sandal trees in At- tected from wildfire by lighting firelines in areas tappadi and to protect them using methods ad- where necessary and by appointing fire gangs opted in Sandal Reserve. Steps have and fire watchers. been initiated to set up a system for the online submission of licence applications for tim- A fernery has been set up in Wayanad for the ber-based industries. conservation and exhibition of ferns. 110 new vehicles were purchased for the Forest Depart- 84 Steps will also be taken to protect ment, for speedy and smooth transportation mangroves, sacred groves, and plants of officials as they work towards reducing hu- that naturally grow on riversides. A man-animal conflict, preventing wildfire and programme will be envisaged at the executing other forest protection/conservation local self-government level for the activities. forestation and greening of all publicly owned available lands and other feasible 83 Agroforestry will be implemented lands. outside the forest to cater to the demand Participatory ecotourism projects that help the for firewood. Forest Rights Act will be public know the special features of precious for- strictly enforced. The Adivasis will be ests and improve the standards of living of the ensured the right to collect and sell forest-dependent communities were successful- forest products other than timber. ly implemented. Steps were taken under the aus- After this government came to power, 57 eligible pices of the Haritha Keralam Mission to make Adivasi families were rehabilitated in five settle- the water sources and rivers in the forest pollu- ments in Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary. Forest tion-free. 169 ponds were cleaned. Steps were Rights Act was strictly enforced. The Adivasis also initiated to revive and conserve hundreds

30 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT of water sources. tions in Parappa, Kasaragod, with an aim to cre- ate awareness among people about biodiversity 350 check dams were built inside the forest. and forest conservation. These check dams helped provide enough water for the lush growth of trees and creepers and for The website of the Forest Department was re- the wild animals. designed to provide information related to ecotourism centres and forest products, new 72.05 lakh saplings were produced and distribut- projects, a complaint redressal system, portals ed. 316 hectares of land in Kasaragod, Thrissur, for the public to upload complaints and sugges- Palakkad, Idukki, Kottayam and Pathanamthit- tions e-auction and e-tender, Forest Department ta districts were declared reserve forest area, 58 news, announcements and standpoints of the hectares of which are mangroves. Financial as- Forest Department, information related to em- sistance is being given at a rate of Rs 4000 for the ployees, telephone numbers, nature study camps protection of mangroves. Financial assistance is and a geo portal. also being given for the protection of selected sacred groves. Steps will be taken to declare an additional 5001 hectares of mangroves in Kasaragod, Kannur, Under the Jalayanam scheme, efforts were initi- Kozhikode and Thrissur districts as reserved ated to revive wetlands and to conserve natural forest. Bamboos were planted in riverbank as flora and fauna in riverbanks and aquatic flora. part of the Riverbank Protection scheme that Besides, financial assistance is being provided aims to prevent river pollution. As part of the for the conservation of sacred groves through Mission Green Sabarimala scheme, steps were the Science and Technology Department also. taken to make Poonkavanam and pathways in The Suvarnodyanam Biological Park at Nedum- Sabarimala waste-free. abassery, which displays the indigenous biodi- Exemplary action was taken to make ecotour- versity of Western Ghats, was opened for public. ism centres and wildlife sanctuaries plastic-free. It features lotus-blooming ponds, orchids from The efforts to make Sabarimala plastic-free have interior forests, collections of ferns, medicinal been successful. A blueprint has been prepared plants, rose garden, bamboo huts and different for Project Green Grass, a programme under the types of bamboos. Ecotourism activities have Waste-free Kerala scheme, to identify the spots also been started here in cooperation with For- where waste is dumped in ecotourism regions est Protection Committees. and other forest areas, collect and dispose it in a Projects are being implemented under the scientific manner. Green India Mission scheme with special focus on agroforestry, wetland conservation, and con- 85 A masterplan will be prepared, taking servation of . A project for preparing into account the demand and availability forest maps has already been initiated as part of of all building materials in the state. making field management more effective. For- The reuse of building materials will est maps of 34 forest divisions have already been be encouraged to the fullest possible prepared, and Pocket maps distributed among extent. security workers. Activities for the protection The Masterplan has not been prepared. Projects and maintenance of in the for- for reusing building materials to the maximum est, both natural and artificial, were intensified were initiated in the state. A new method was for water conservation in the forest regions. implemented whereby new roads are built using Sanjeevani forest in Kulathoopuzha was revived the materials of demolished roads and mixing and opened for the public. A comprehensive only minimum quantities of tar. 5.90 kilome- project is being envisaged to revive all the me- tres of road was built on an experiment basis, by dicinal plant farms under the Forest Depart- preparing re-cycled soil stabilised sub base us- ment. A nature study centre has started opera- ing full-depth reclamation machines that run on

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 31 German technology. A 170 kilometre-long road buses that could be used for fast passenger and was built using recycled plastic waste. superfast services of the was increased from five years to seven. The Coastal Regulation Zone Act will be 86 Government has recognized the Electric Vehi- restructured taking into consideration cle Policy. Phased conversion of autorickshaws, the problems of the fishing community. buses and boats into electric vehicles has been The operations of the Coastal Authority envisaged. In the first phase, new auto permits will be decentralized and made will be issued only for electric vehicles in Thi- transparent. ruvananthapuram, Kozhikode and Ernakulam Steps are being taken for the State Coastal Man- districts. KSEB has set up basic facilities for agement Authority to give concessions to fishing charging vehicles and the rate has been fixed at workers for building houses in areas that come Rs 5.50 per unit. KSRTC successfully operated under the purview of Coastal Regulation Act, on 10 electric buses on the Pamba-Nilakkal route the basis of recommendations of district-level on an experimental basis. All the KSRTC buses coastal management committees presided over in Thiruvananthapuram city will be converted by the District Collectors. Besides, the state gov- into electric buses this year. ernment had put pressure on the central govern- ment to bring down the extent of the No Devel- 88 Comprehensive restrictions will be opment Zone under the Coastal Regulation Act introduced to prevent noise pollution from 200 metres to 50 metres and to introduce An extensive campaign has been conducted in amendments to the CRZ Act. It has also helped this regard. Steps have been taken to control fishing workers build houses. noise pollution. Follow-up action is also being taken. 87 Public Transport system will be promoted. Priority will be given to A biodiversity register will be prepared sustainable modes of transportation. 89 in all panchayats and municipalities. The Several steps were taken to operate more stage existing registers will be scientifically carriage buses with an aim to reduce the in- updated and completed. A timebound crease of private vehicles. Taxes were not in- project will be formulated to increase creased for public vehicles but increased taxes biodiversity. were imposed on private vehicles. Biodiversity registers have been prepared by lo- The Kerala Metropolitan Transport Authori- cal self-government institutions with the partic- ty Bill of 2018 was presented in the Legislative ipation of the public. Assembly. The Bill aims to consider major city areas as urban mobility centres, and constitute 90 Steps will be taken to protect those metropolitan transport authorities for the plan- affected by Endosulfan ning, supervision, coordination, development There were active interventions to solve the and control of city transport and other related problems of Endosulfan victims. Steps were services. The Bill is now under the consideration taken to write off their loans to the tune from of the Legislative Assembly Select Committee, Rs 50, 000 to Rs 3 lakh. Almost Rs 7 crore was which will submit a report after a detailed anal- allotted towards this purpose. Besides a sum of ysis. Rs 9.35 crores has been allotted to provide fi- The maximum lifetime of stage carriage buses nancial assistance for the Endosulfan-affected. was increased from 15 years to 20 years as part This amount will be distributed to those who of promoting the public transport system. More were included in the list 279 Endosulfan victims time was also given to convert these vehicles into in 2017. Free medical aid has been permitted to electric buses. The maximum lifetime of KSRTC 657 people who were not included in this list.

32 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT The government has sanctioned Rs 56.76 crore ects to provide basic facilities in the social ser- as the third installment of funds for the affected. vice sector were given administrative sanction. 199 projects out of these have been completed. Electricity is supplied free of charge to the Endo- The government has also set apart Rs 20 crores sulfan affected. More BUDS schools were opened in the budget to help the Endosulfan-affected in this region. The construction of a medical college in the district has begun. The effort is to Pressure will be put on the Central make this medical college a reality within two 91 Government to implement the law years. The government is also moving forward regarding the exploitation of water in with the efforts to build a rehabilitation village Plachimada, already recognized by the for the Endosulfan affected. Initial works have state Legislative Assembly begun at the Muliyar village of Kasaragod dis- trict. Ooralunkal Labour Contract Society has Pressure has been put on the Central Govern- been entrusted with the construction. 233 proj- ment in this regard.

TRADITIONAL INDUSTRIES COIR 100 new coconut fibre mills were set up in Ker- ala after this government came to power. All 92 Second Coir Restructuring Plan will be the possibilities for starting coconut fibre mills formulated. through cooperative societies, coconut produc- The second Coir Restructuring has already been ing companies, private entrepreneurs and the started. Stress is given for mechanisation and consortium of coir societies are being exploited. protection of traditional jobs. Coir procure- 22% of all the coconut fibre distributed by the ment and coir sale was doubled. Coir procured Coir Fed to the coir spinning societies is pro- by Coir Fed in 2015-16 was 78,820 quintals. In duced by these mills. The aim is to increase this 2019 March, this increased to 1,55,000 quin- to 50-60% by 2019-20. tals. The sale of coir increased from 59,738 to 1,49,319 quintals. With these efforts, coir geo- 93 The operation of coir spinning societies textile production now enjoys a new lease of life. requires total transformation. The existing societies will be evaluated and The coir restructuring programme is active- those which cannot be revived will be ly progressing with the cooperation of NCDC. closed. Steps will be taken to merge Assistance worth Rs 200 crores was received weak societies. Their loans will be towards achieving three aims. One, attaining converted into shares. Interest amounts self-sufficiency at a large level in coconut fibre will be written off. The societies will be production; two, total restructuring of the coir given freedom to effectively utilize the spinning sector with electronic ratts and auto- unused assets. matic spinning mills; and three, upgrading the coir industry by manufacturing new products. The restructuring of coir cooperative societies has already begun. Benefits including operat- Efforts are actively progressing in these three ing capital, managerial subsidy and retirement spheres. benefits for cooperative society employees were b. At least 30 percent of coconut husks made available. produced in Kerala will be procured under the initiative of coir societies and 94 Mechanization will be implemented in coconut product producer companies the coir sector. Use of modern machines in order to extract fibre Sufficient sub- for de-fibring,spinning and tufting will sidy will also be given for this. be promoted. Government will ensure

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 33 complete job security for the existing assistance was allotted for the restructuring of Coir workers. Fed under the NCDC. The arrears of Coir Fed in the District Cooperative Bank was settled by the The two important factors in coir restructuring government through one-time settlement. are mechanization and modernization. De-fi- bring mills are being set up widely. A 100 of 97 a. The domestic market is as important them have become operational. The aim is to as the foreign market. The ‘Veettil Oru establish 500 mills. Installing automatic coir Kayarulppannam’ [A Coir Product in spinning machines in coir cooperative societies Every House] campaign envisaged by the on factory basis has been initiated. Replacement previous LDF government had received of traditional ratts with automatic ratts is pro- wide encouragement. Coir geotextile gressing fast. The target is to install 10000 elec- has been recognized as a building tronic ratts and 5000 automatic spinning mills. material in the Public Works manual. It The production in the machine manufacturing will be practically implemented. factory has increased significantly, taking into Coir geotextile is widely being used for the soil- and account the high demand for machines. The water conservation activities under the Haritha efforts towards improving and standardizing Keralam Mission. In 2017, ‘Coir Kerala’ received the quality of coconut fibre mills and automatic orders for coir geotextiles worth Rs 120 crores. spinning mills designed by the machine facto- ry are progressing. The efforts to use coir pith It is expected that a profitable contract would be on an industrial basis have also become fruitful. bagged for the domestic sale of traditional coir The coir compost production is growing accord- products in Coir Kerala 2019. ing to expectations. This will become successful b. Coir Board and the Central Gov- this year and ensure social security for workers. ernment must be ready to reintroduce quality control with an aim to promote 95 Coir manufactured by the societies coir export. The state government will will be bought by the Coir Fed and coir exert pressure to make this happen. products by the Coir Corporation after ensuring fair wages to the workers. The state government is putting pressure on the The loss incurred on selling this coir Centre to reintroduce quality control for pro- to exporters, domestic traders and moting coir export. industrialists will be borne by the government. This will ensure an income to the workers. CASHEW Coir Fed procures and the Coir Corporation 98 a. Government will make necessary procures coir products. 100 percent growth has intervention to ensure employment to been achieved in coir procurement compared to cashew workers throughout the year. the term of the UDF government. The revenue Employment has been ensured to all the work- of the coir corporation skyrocketed to Rs 175 ers of the 40 cashew factories under the Cashew crores. Coir Corporation achieved 70 per cent Corporation and Capex. Steps are being taken to growth in procurement of coir products. reopen closed private factories and ensure em- ployment to workers. The crash of the Coir Fed is the reason 96 b. Steps will be taken to reopen closed behind the pathetic state of affairs of the factories coir industry. The debts of the Coir Fed will be written off in order to equip it The closed factories in the public sector have for new responsibilities. been reopened. Efforts are on to reopen all the private factories which are now closed. The gov- election was conducted at Coir Fed and a new ad- ernment was able reopen a few private factories ministrative committee has taken charge. Special

34 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT after taking legal action under the Kerala Ca- cashew cultivation on lands owned by Cashew shew Factories Acquisition Act. Corporation and Capex, and the fallow lands in both public and private sectors. Efforts have As part of restructuring the existing loans of been taken since 2017 to procure the cashew private industry owners, it was decided to com- produced in Kerala and make it available for pletely write off penal interest on delayed pay- Capex and Cashew Corporation. It has resulted ment, transform the existing loan into long-term in farmers receiving good price for their cashew. loan and standardize the interest rate at 9 per- cent. Besides, it has also been decided that the a. The unhealthy practices in exports government will pay the interest on the loan be- 100 will be ended ing distributed as operating capital. Moratorium for one year has been declared on the tax arrears A company named Kerala Cashew Board Lim- owed by industrialists to the government. It has ited has been formed with an aim to import ca- also been decided to supply cashew required shew needed for the factories, in both the public for the industry on the basis of Kerala Cashew sector as well as the private sector, directly from Board Escrow Account and to make the oper- cashew-producing countries without any mid- ating capital available to maximum number of dlemen. Cashew is being made available to the industries. Decisions on handing over of certain industries under the initiative of this company. industries to capital reconstructing committees 6000 metric tonnes of cashew have already been and selecting others for one-time settlement of imported during this period. It has been decid- debts will be reconsidered. ed to regularly import cashew in the coming On February 26, 2019, permission documents months. The fund needed for this has been made granting additional loans were distributed to 30 available to the Kerala Cashew Board by the private industrialists. Restructuring packages government as share capital dividend. Besides, for other industries are also being implement- Rs 100 crores has been made available from the ed. The committee, appointed to evaluate the state cooperative bank on government guaran- restructuring and submit a report, will contin- tee. Steps have also been taken to make an ad- ue to have direct interface with the industries. ditional Rs 250 crores available to the Board on The government has set aside Rs 25 crores in the government guarantee. 2019-20 budget to pay interest on the loans of b. The procedures for cashew import in the industrialists. the public sector will be subjected to a comprehensive review and made more It is not possible to sustain this industry 99 transparent and corruption-free. Strict without increasing domestic production action will be taken against corruption. of cashew in Kerala. In order to make this possible, compact cashew tree Raw cashew is being made available to Cashew varieties with increased productivity Corporation and Capex in a transparent man- will be promoted. ner and by strictly complying with the tender procedures. But raw cashew required for the Extensive measures are being adopted to pro- public sector industries is being made available mote high-yielding and compact-sized varieties by the Kerala Cashew Board by following tender of cashew trees under the aegis of the Kerala procedures. Procedures for importing rawnuts State Agency for the expansion of Cashew Culti- from Ivory Coast and Senegal on the basis of vation. These efforts are mainly towards expand- MoU and in a Government to Government (G ing cashew cultivation on estates, with the coop- to G) manner are in the final stages. eration of the Departments of Agriculture, For- est, SC/ST welfare, Local self-governance and c. Strict action will be taken against Revenue. Steps have also been taken to replace traders who import cashew only for acacia, harmful to Nature, with cashew trees. trading and they will be expelled from Steps are being adopted to ensure good quality the industry.

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 35 It will be possible to expel cashew traders from manufactured here include cashew vita, cashew this industry only if the Board is able to success- powder, cashew soup and choco kaju. The oper- fully resolve the uncertainty caused by the scar- ations of this unit will be strengthened further. city of raw cashew. The Kerala Cashew Board was formed to make cashew available to both 103 Entrepreneurs who guarantee public sector industries and small-scale private continued employment to all existing industrial organizations at reasonable rates and workers will be permitted limited without any hassles. The current problem can be mechanisation in the shelling sector. solved when the Board becomes fully operation- The government is making an intervention to al. ensure that mechanisation does not affect the livelihood of workers. Even while continuously 101 A. While renewing the licence, it will implementing partial mechanisation, the gov- be ensured that necessary facilities, fair ernment could create several new job opportu- service and salary benefits are given to nities in Corporation and Capex. workers. The government has been actively interfering right from the beginning to ensure workers are HANDLOOM accorded a healthy environment and made ben- 104 Modernisation of the production eficiaries of welfare measures. methods and diversification of the b.Inspection will be intensified to en- products will be ensured. sure that all workers are given PF cards The proposals for developing, producing and and ESI smart cards. marketing 75 new designs, with an aim to bring EPF cards and ESI smart cards have been en- Kerala handlooms under a common brand, have sured in the 40 factories in the public sector. Ef- been approved by the government. Measures forts are being made to ensure these benefits for have been taken to produce the designs, devel- the workers in the private sector also. oped by the National Institute of Fashion Tech- nology, Kannur, under the leadership of IIHT c. Strict action will be taken to eliminate and handloom director. The logo and caption unauthorised processing units and ille- for this Kerala brand are being prepared. De- gal processing (‘kudivarupp’). sign centers have been opened in Kannur and Action is constantly being taken through Ca- Thiruvananthapuram and sufficient number of shew Special Office and Factories and Boilers designers have been appointed. Hantex has ini- to eliminate unauthorised processing units and tiated a project named `Kaitharisuraksha’ [Han- illegal processing (called kudivarupp’). dloom Protection] to produce and market han- dloom textiles in modern designs with the help of expert hand weavers in handloom societies in Manufacture and marketing of value- 102 Kerala. Online marketing has been initiated in added products will be given maximum the handloom sector of Kannur under the name encouragement. ‘Kanloom’. Production of threads coloured using Measures are being adopted to set up small- natural dyes has also been launched. scale units through self-help groups for extend- ing maximum encouragement to the manufac- 105 a. Another major problem affecting the ture and marketing of value-added products. handloom sector is the excessive price An exclusive unit is operating under Cashew rise of yarns. In order to resolve the Corporation for the production of value-add- unavailability of hang yarn (kuzhinool), ed products. The unit markets different types the raw material, the government of products. The government is constantly in- will provide financial assistance to tervening to improve this. The products being set up hang yarn-producing centres

36 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT in association with the Cooperative and Ernakulam, instead of Projects including Spinning Mills of Kerala. online marketing are being envisaged and im- plemented as part of expanding the market of The different types of threads produced in the Hantex. The modernization of Hantex and Han- spinning mills of Kerala provide all the hang veev is also being undertaken. A project that yarn and corn yarn required in the handloom includes silk weaving has been formulated and sector. Corn yarn is used for producing hand- will be launched in , under the aegis of loom school uniform material. A major part of Hanveev. corn yarn is produced in the spinning mills of Kerala and distributed through NHDC. Mea- c. Rebate system will be re-established. sures will be taken to provide monetary assis- The rebate arrears for the period from 2010-11 tance to the spinning mills in Kerala to produce till the Ramadan season of 2016-17 have already hang yarn. been disbursed. The LDF government has re- b. A yarn-processing factory will be set introduced the rebate, which had been discon- up. It will be ensured that a certain per- tinued by the Central Government. Handloom centage of hang yarn is produced in the rebate is being given only for the handloom spinning mills produced in Kerala. Rebate is given at a rate of 20 per cent for 41 days in one year and for uni- The hang yarn required by the handloom sector forms, at a rate of 30 percent for 15 days. The is being produced in the spinning mills of Kan- government has utilised Rs 42.35 crores for pro- nur and Alappuzha. Steps have been initiated to viding rebate in the past three years. set up a yarn-processing factory at Nadukani in Kannur. Yarn production has already been ini- a. As part of the income assurance tiated in Uduma Spinning Mill, Kasaragod, and 107 scheme, the Government will buy Spinning Mill, Alappuzha. the products of at least 100 days by ensuring minimum wages. 106 a. Steps will be taken to make more funds available for the re-organization The government could guarantee employment of cooperative societies and to remove for 100 to 300 days a year to around 5300 weav- benami groups. ers and associated workers as a result of im- plementing the free handloom school uniform The functioning of the cooperative societies is project. Rs 103 crores has been distributed as improving. Measures are being adopted to up- wages and Rs 16.69 crores as production incen- grade a few cooperative societies to ISO stan- tive in the course of these three years. The school dards. The cooperative societies, which had uniform project is ongoing. In the 2019-20 aca- been closed, could be reopened after the pro- demic year, uniforms will be distributed to the duction of school uniform textiles was started. students from the first to the fourth standards The government was able to re-open 15 hand- in aided schools; and to students from the first loom cooperative societies that had been closed to the seventh in government schools. The yarn down and give jobs to 6,805 workers. 4,567 new and the wages for producing uniforms are be- looms were made operational. Steps have been ing provided by the government. The uniform initiated to identify benami groups. textile produced in this manner is procured en- b. The re-organization of Hantex and tirely by the government from the handloom so- Hanveev will be completed cieties and distributed among students. Necessary steps are being taken to launch new b. Blankets and bedsheets required in initiatives for the development of Hanveev. As government departments, sarees dis- part of revamping Hantex, foundation stones tributed as Onam gift for Employment have already been laid for the new regional of- Guarantee Scheme workers, and school fice-cum-showrooms in Thiruvananthapuram uniforms for children can be produced

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 37 in this manner. Instructions will be is- feeding machine. The minimum wages of khadi sued to use handloom for school uni- workers will be revised. Steps to announce and forms to the maximum extent possible. implement the same are underway. Rs 81.76 crores has been distributed among nearly 13600 Hantex and Hanveev are distributing blankets workers in the past three years under the head and other textile items required by the govern- of Income Support for giving wages at the exist- ment departments on a limited scale. Institu- ing rates. Rs 18 crores was distributed to khadi tions are being approached so that handloom workers as production incentive and Rs 42.35 products required in different government de- crores has been spent for providing khadi rebate partments can be sold. In the last three years, al- in order to promote the sale of khadi. Special most 70 lakh metres of cloth was produced and measures have been taken to increase the sale of distributed for school uniforms alone. existing khadi products.

KHADI & 109 Measures will be taken to provide debt relief for the entrepreneurs in the khadi VILLAGE INDUSTRIES and village industries through the one- time settlement scheme. Societies will 108 Schemes such as silk weaving, be reorganised. readymade warping units, readymade apparel-making units, modernisation One-time settlement scheme was implement- of weaving equipment and khadi cluster ed in the khadi sector. Gandhismrithi Sadass programme need to be strengthened. or Gandhi remembrance meet and khadi mela The special publicity campaigns for were conducted in connection with the 150th the sale of khadi products will be birth anniversary of Gandhiji. intensified in the line of handloom products. Income guarantee scheme 110 Silk yarn-processing centres will be set will be implemented. up in mulberry cultivating regions Khadi Gramam project is being implemented Steps in this regard could not be taken due to with an aim to create 5000 new job opportuni- some practical difficulties. ties in the khadi sector. 250 spinning wheels, 10 looms and their spare parts were bought as part of the project. A godown and a repair centre for OTHER TRADITIONAL spinning wheels and looms have also been set INDUSTRIES up. Silk weaving will soon be started with 100 looms in different centres located in districts in- 111 The operations of the State Bamboo cluding Kannur, Palakkad and Thiruvanantha- Corporation will be revamped after a puram. The aim is to increase silk weaving in the comprehensive assessment. Bamboo state. Steps have been taken to set up a training will be planted extensively by including centre in Pappinissery and readymade warping it in the Employment Guarantee units in Kottayam, Kollam, Thrissur, Kozhiko- Scheme. de and Palakkad. Rootag, based in Tamil Nadu, The State Bamboo Corporation was re-vamped. has been entrusted with the task of submitting a A professional director was appointed. The study report on the possibility of implementing projects submitted before the Central Bamboo semi-automation in the spinning sector. Further Commission received approval and were suc- steps will be taken on the basis of this report. cessfully implemented. Steps have been taken to Production could be increased in Ettukudukka cultivate bamboo on more than 500 hectares of Cotton Processing Unit by installing new card- land. Measures have also been adopted to make ing machine and drawing machine. Steps have different varieties of bamboo available from been initiated to set up a blowroom with chute forest when needed. With an aim to lighten

38 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT the workload of bamboo mat weavers, partial- bamboo mat weaving centres with an aim to ly processed, ready-to-use raw materials were reduce the workload of bamboo mat weaving supplied to them. This helps increase produc- workers. tivity and income of the weavers. Bamboo tile, Distribution of allowances has been made manufactured using natural bamboo, could be through the Kerala Bamboo, Kattuvally and supplied to Kannur and Kozhikode Airports in Pandanus Leaf Workers’ Welfare Fund Board to required quantities. Efforts are being made to ensure the welfare of basket-, mat- and bamboo plant bamboo extensively in different places in- mat weaving workers. Monetary benefits worth cluding Aralam farm. Rs 10,38,37,250 were distributed among these workers through the Income Support Scheme. 112 The functioning of the State Bamboo Corporation, which markets bamboo A. Steps will be taken to procure clay as an industrial product, needs to be 115 from dams for use in the clay industries. made more effective. The Nallalam Clay will also be sourced from paddy Hitech Flooring Tile Factory will be fields without causing water logging or expanded without allowing it to affect loss of topsoil. the livelihood of traditional workers. A policy of replacing wood with bamboo Concessions have been introduced in the law will be adopted. to make clay available for the clay industries. Bamboo Innovation Centre is functioning for Studies based on remote sensing have also been the development of bamboo products. Steps conducted to identify clay deposits and collect have been taken to produce different types of it from different places. Based on these studies, bamboo products as part of the scheme to up- steps are being taken to obtain permission for grade bamboo as an industrial building mate- mining. rial. Measures have been adopted for the pro- b. Measures will be adopted to make duction of bamboo floor tiles and bambooply clay vessels and other clay products val- in Nallalam factory and in the ancillary produc- ue-added products using modern de- tion units located in Mananthavadi, signs. and Palakkad. A Clay Raw Material Bank has been set up on 113 Entrepreneurs will be encouraged to cooperative basis to collect clay, procure clay start factories for using coconut timber products at fair prices and find markets for for house building and furniture them. Schemes are also being formulated to dis- manufacturing. tribute the materials in semi-finished form to the workers. A feasibility study was conducted under the ae- gis of Kerala Artisans Development Corpora- c. Programmes will be formulated for tion for manufacturing different products using the planned development of the hand- coconut timber. Steps in that direction are being icrafts sector by connecting it to tour- taken based on the study. ism. The operations of the Kerala State Institute of Designs will be made more 114 Measures will be adopted to protect effective. handicrafts such as wicker baskets, Handicrafts sector is closely connected to the mats and bamboo mats. tourism sector. Measures have been adopted Bamboo Corporation could successfully retain to set up extensive sales centres in the tourism more workers in this sector by implementing sector, launch sales centres in the model of Ur- minimum wages to authorized bamboo cutting ban Hat and build craft villages and theme pa- and bamboo mat weaving workers. Schemes are vilions in major tourism centres. Schemes are being formulated to set up more mechanised being envisaged in cooperation with the Kerala

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 39 State Institute of Designs to set up kiosks that coconut trees that are suitable for the display handicraft products in major tourism toddy industry. A protocol will be centres and produce theme-based souvenirs. formulated to revamp and modernise International Handicrafts Fairs were conducted toddy shops and loans will be made in Palakkad in 2018 and Kannur in 2019 in the available to entrepreneurs. model of Surajkund, in a bid expand the mar- The formulation of ‘Toddy Board’ that will help ket for handicrafts. Entrepreneurs from foreign in the implementation of these plans has already countries such as Sri Lanka, 22 states in India been announced in the Liquor Policy and the and more than a 100 units in the state took part follow-up actions are being undertaken. in these fairs. b. Preventive measures against spurious Iringal Craft Village has risen to admirable lev- liquor will be intensified els in relation to tourism. Steps have been taken to develop a craft village in similar lines in Thi- Through the new Liquor policy, the government ruvananthapuram also. Close to 33,000 handi- was able to bring down spurious liquor in the crafts workers were given jobs through schemes state, and enforcement action against such cases such as Vasthragramam and Services and Supply has been made stricter. Scheme under the Kerala Artisans Development c. Toddy tappers’ cooperative societies Corporation. New showrooms of Handicrafts will be promoted Development Corporation have been opened in Steps are being taken to promote toddy tappers’ , Kozhikode and Mascot Hotel, Thi- cooperative societies by giving them priority in ruvananthapuram. auctions. 116 Steps will be taken to utilise the 119 Craft villages will be opened in major income obtained by the government tourist centres of Kerala. This will help from the clam industry for the welfare the artisans exhibit their skills and of workers in this sector market their products Steps are being expedited to give permission to Efforts are being made to set up craft villages traditional clam-gatherers to continue their live- and theme pavilions in major tourist centres. lihood practices. 120 a. A scheme under the name ‘Market 117 The social security pension scheme for Kerala will be launched to ensure beedi, cigar workers will be expanded. market for the indigenous traditional Steps will be taken to discontinue the products of the state additional tax imposed recently Steps have been taken to form a consortium at A special package worth Rs 20 crores has been state level towards this purpose. Exhibitions are announced for beedi, cigar workers, which is being conducted across the country to market being implemented through the Welfare Board. these products. Besides, special pavilions are be- ing set up in Malabar Fest and Iringal Craft Fair, The social security pensions and welfare pen- giving importance to the traditional products of sions were increased and standardized at Rs Kerala. 1200. The government has also initiated steps to return the tax and cess imposed on beedi through b. Arrangements will be made to mar- GST. As part of this, Dinesh Central Co-operative ket the products from Kerala both in Society was sanctioned Rs 12 crores as state’s con- India and abroad. This will help to find market for these products at global and tribution to central organization. domestic levels 118 a. Special encouragement will be given With an aim to find global market for the prod- to plant dwarf varieties of hybrid ucts from Kerala, the government is considering

40 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT a proposal to give a certain percentage as finan- assistance of the government. The cial assistance for products being exported. Sankaran Committee report, which The work on setting up a new sales shop that studied the different problems faced will give special importance to the indigenous by the handicraft workers, will be traditional products of Kerala and a museum to studied and necessary decisions will display ivory artefacts (?) at the SMSM Institute be taken by the government after Centenary building is in its final stage. These holding discussions with organisations will start functioning this year itself. Trade Mis- concerned. Steps will also be taken sion has been formed. The activities of the Mis- to make benefits available for the sion are being conducted in an accelerated pace. craftsmen by considering as traditional community of workers. 121 Traditional industries will be brought Assistance, both technical and financial, is be- under the purview of ‘Fair trade ing given to artisans in different sectors for the community trade’ with aim to help development of basic infrastructure. Financial them overcome the challenges of the assistance is also being given through the ser- new circumstances and make use of vice and supply scheme. Steps are being taken their possibilities. Major traditional to launch public service centres in carpentry, industries will be declared as heritage blacksmith and goldsmith sectors in Kollam, skills and protected. Kozhikode and Alappuzha. The strengthening Special fairs are being organised during major of the corporation’s functioning has resulted in festival seasons in order to sell traditional prod- an increase in revenue. ucts. Steps are being taken to sell these products at fairs held at national level and in other states. 123 The products of traditional industries Cluster Development scheme is being formulat- will be made compulsory, at least at a ed and implemented in the handicrafts sector as minimum level, in heritage hotels that part of developing heritage skills. enjoy concessions and benefits from the government in connection with the 122 The operations of the Artisans development of tourism. Corporation will be strengthened. Measures are being taken in this regard. Steps will be taken to increase the

MODERN INDUSTRIES

124 a. Intense pressure will be exercised ment take necessary measures to retain Hindu- for the modernization and expansion stan Newsprint Limited as a public sector orga- of central public sector organisations nization, and ensure its growth through diver- such as FACT, HMT, HOC and Cochin sification. The resolution has been submitted to Shipyard. the Central Government. The state government has repeatedly request- b. Pressure will be exerted to complete ed the Central Government through both let- work on the petrochemical complex. ters and memoranda, not to privatise central The Memorandum of Understanding to take public sector organizations and to retain them over 481 acres of land of FACT towards this pur- in the public sector. Besides, the same demand pose has already been signed. The approval of has been put before the Central Government the Central Government is awaited. through the MPs of the state. Kerala Legislative Assembly unanimously passed a resolution on c. In 1970, Kerala’s share of Central 13.3.2017 demanding that the central govern- Fund was 3.1 per cent. Today, it is 2.6

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 41 per cent. The state government will ex- 126 a. The mineral sand in the coast is the ert intense pressure to increase Central precious mineral wealth of Kerala. It funds in public sector, for the modern- should not be exported as raw material, ization of existing factories and for the for any reason. A large-scale plant establishment of new ones such as coach to upgrade value-added titanium to factory. titanium metal is the need of the hour. This subject was discussed at an MPs’ conference The technology needed for this can be and follow-up action is being taken. The State availed through the joint initiatives government has made interventions including with the major players in this sector. taking over of central public sector organizations Efforts are on to take over 180 acres of land in that had been decided to be privatized. It repeat- Chavara. Steps are also being taken to set up a edly requested the Centre to withdraw from the new plant. The Market Study Report to establish move to privatise Thiruvananthapuram interna- Titanium Complex has already been received. tional airport and retain it in the public sector. The procedures to implement the same have As the Central Government went ahead with been initiated on the basis of this report. the decision to privatise the airport, a request was made to entrust the state government with b. The mining of mineral sand from the its operation. As this proposal too was rejected, ecologically fragile coasts will be coor- KSIDC, a public sector organization, took part dinated on the basis of an extensive, en- in the auction conducted to privatise the airport. vironment-friendly master plan. But it failed to win the tender. Efforts are on to strengthen KEMDEL for this purpose. As part of this, creation of 11 new posts The State government has already given Rs 6.5 has been ordered. Appointment procedures are crores as loan to the joint enterprise named progressing. BHEL-EML. Even the land acquisition for the a. As enormous amounts of fuel is 127 125 Amballoor Electronic Hardware available at low rates from the Natural Park, proposed 56 years back, has Gas Terminal in Cochin, a methanol not been completed. In line with the plant, a plant for chlorine compounds, development achieved in the software another one for petrochemical sector, schemes needed for starting products, gas-based power stations electronic hardware production, will and city gas projects will be set up. be formulated on an emergency basis. A Memorandum of Understanding has already 1.58 acres of land was registered under KSIDC been signed for taking over 481 acres of land in March 2019. Procedures are on to register the owned by FACT. Steps have been taken to estab- remaining land in the name of KSIDC with the lish the petrochemical park. permission of Land Acquisition Tahsildar, after b. The works on the proposed pipeline preparing the title deeds. will be completed fast and the Cochin A joint enterprise has been launched to man- Natural Gas Terminal will be connected ufacture laptops and servers in coordination to the National Gas Grid with Keltron and other electronic companies. The project is progressing at a fast pace. Efforts The laptop manufactured by this company was are on to complete -Kuttanad line and launched in in February 2019 under the Kuttanad-Mangalapuram line in August 2019. brandname ‘Coconics’. Steps are being taken to Though the flood of 2018 severely affected the increase production. progress of the pipeline project, the government has adopted measures to complete it. 128 a. A system will be introduced to create

42 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 10 lakh new job opportunities through spices which are abundant in the skill development and career guidance. state. Production of resins, paints, nutritional supplements and ointments As part of converting Employment Exchanges will be encouraged. into Skill Development Centres, Employability centres were set up under District Employment Procedures are on. Exchanges and career development centres were launched in the rural sector. Employabili- 130 In order to promote micro employment ty centres are operating in 10 districts--Kollam, enterprises, providing technology, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Palakkad, training and market as a package Kozhikode, Kannur, Malappuram, Thrissur and along with loan facilities should be Kasaragod. Career development centres have made possible. Schemes to establish been set up in , Chittoor, Neyyattin- related industries on a cluster basis, to kara, Palod, Kayamkulam and . ensure quality for products and market Steps have been taken to strengthen vocation- them in a centralised manner under a al guidance units. KASE was appointed as Skill common brand name are desirable. Development Mission. Entrepreneur training programmes and sem- b. An initiative will be launched to pro- inars are being conducted at block, taluk and duce electronic products. Job oppor- district levels under the aegis of the department. tunities will be created for two lakh Besides, practical training in different technolo- persons with high technical skills and gy sectors, technical management development another two lakh persons with low tech- programme and investors’ meet are being con- nical skills. ducted in all districts. The department has giv- en priority to launch business incubation cen- Steps in this regard are progressing. tres in all District Industrial Centres. ED clubs c. Close to one lakh engineers are enter- have been formed in educational institutions ing the job market every year. A system with the financial assistance of the department, will be set up to ensure job opportuni- aiming to develop the spirit of enterprise among ties for them by co-ordinating the pos- the youth. Besides, entrepreneurs are also being sibilities in different sectors. imparted training through the Kerala Institute of Entrepreneurs Development operating under A skill delivery platform has been launched with the department. A web portal was launched in an aim to make engineering college students of 2017-18 financial year with an aim to create na- the state employable. Under this project, engi- tional, international market for the products of neering colleges are connected with one another small scale- and micro sectors. through hitech classrooms. All the 150 engi- neering colleges in the state had been connect- Active efforts are being made to set up public ed in this manner. Live classes conducted by service centres under the cluster development experts from one centre will be made available programme with an aim to fulfill the common at all other centres through mutual connectivi- needs of entrepreneurs and thus expand their ty. Seminars and classes related to job opportu- area of operation. At present, 11 clusters are nities, involving important personalities in the operating in the state under the SME-CDP pro- industrial sector and professionals, are also con- gramme. Three clusters are in the final stages of ducted as part of the project. The project is being being operational. Besides, 26 clusters have been implemented in such a manner that the students identified in different districts. The initial activi- practical knowledge. ties of these are going on. 129 Different varieties of products can 131 Clusters of small scale- and medium be made using the flowers, fruits and factories will be set up in all districts,

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 43 Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan during the event regarding the investment of Nissan in Kerala.

in suitable industrial sectors. The rates. KSFE also has simplified the procedures operations of the industries which by reducing the interest rates on loans given to are already operating as clusters, public sector and small scale industries. including rubber, plywood, paddy husking, local food, gold ornaments, 133 A. A new law will be introduced to diamond polishing, plastic materials, make sure that mineral sand, which is tiles, clothes, leather, bamboo, silk, yet another important asset of Kerala, food processing, paint and general goes out of the state only as value- engineering, will be studied and lessons added products will be learned. Central government has been approached to Steps have been taken by the District Industrial make amendments in the Central law related to Centre to establish maximum number of clus- this. ters in the state after conducting meetings of b. A value-adding initiative with officials at principal secretary/director level and employment opportunities will be giving needed instructions to the General Man- launched towards this purpose. agers. 11 clusters are operating in the state. Works on establishing a plant to produce titani- Loans for small scale industries will be 132 um metal in Chavara are already underway. made available at lowest interest rates. Kerala Financial Corporation will be c. The income from the Natural Re- converted into an agency to fulfill this sources Corporation will be spent on purpose. hospitals and education. Interest subsidy of 6-8% is given to the loans Although Natural Resources Corporation has availed from financial institutions by nano in- not been set up yet, it has been decided that dustrial units which have already been started or KEMDEL will be equipped for this purpose, as about to be started. Steps have also been taken to part of which 11 new posts have been created in make loans available to startups at low interest KEMDEL.

44 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 134 a. A special programme will basis of this. be formulated to encourage c. Special financial assistance and en- entrepreneurs. Financial assistance couragement will be given to start-up and support for startup companies will entrepreneurs belonging to SC/ST com- be increased. munities KSIDC will form a cell to promote start-up ini- A project is being implemented through the SC, tiatives. The third phase of its operations is or- ST Development Corporation to provide finan- ganising a programme called Young Entrepre- cial assistance. neurs Summit. b. State Innovation Policy will be for- 135 Steps will be taken to evaluate the mulated operations of Special Economic Zones (SEZ) and necessary changes will be Kerala Development and Innovation Strategy introduced. Council has been formed by restructuring the old innovation council, and inducting experts The steps are being taken by KSIDC. The valid- famous at national and international level. Fol- ity of the SEZ law will expire in 2021. So long- low-up procedures are being carried out on the term projects cannot be formulated. CONSTRUCTION SECTOR 136 Essential materials such as sand and up in Ponnani with private participation. Steps stones are the wealth of the state. The have been initiated to set up similar facilities in Government will intervene in sand, other ports, after resolving the issues faced by quarry sectors in order to make these this initiative. The efforts are on at a fast pace to materials available at low rates to the remove sand and silt from Lower Periyar reser- common people and at market rates to voir. large-scale construction companies, in b. Green construction technologies a judicious manner. Natural Resources which limits the consumption of energy Corporation will be equipped to make as much as possible, will be promoted. such interventions. Training was given on the application of green A meeting of district geologists was conducted, construction technologies at the Public Works which discussed the problems in these sectors. Department. Green technologies are being im- KEMDEL has been equipped for the purpose. plemented and promoted in other construction sectors as well and applied in various activities. 137 a. Steps will be taken to resolve the crisis in the construction sector, which 138 An uncompromising stand will will include importing sand from be taken against the monopolistic neighbouring states, mining sand policies of unilaterally raising the from reservoirs, operating quarries in price of cement, rods and paint, totally compliance with ecological guidelines unrelated to the cost of production and manufacturing alternate building materials. Several meetings were conducted by the chief minister, minister of industries and finance Immediate steps are being taken to give permit minister. Steps are being taken to implement the to quarries after taking into consideration eco- decisions taken in these meetings. The minis- logical factors as well. Permission has been giv- ter of industries convened a meeting of cement en for importing sand. A new sand policy was manufacturers in February 2019 and strictly in- formulated. A sand processing facility was set structed them to reduce the cement price.

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 45 COMMERCIAL SECTOR

139 Kerala Institute of Retail Trade Mission has already been formed and it Management will be established. The will supervise the adoption of measures in this proposed Institute aims to promote regard. entrepreneurship in trade sector and train modern management experts. 143 The Traders’ Welfare Fund introduced by the previous LDF government is not Steps are being taken active now. The pension scheme could be implemented because a certain Trade Mission will be formed that 140 percentage of the increased tax was will act as the nodal agency of the set aside for the welfare fund. But the government in this sector. Clear goals UDF government refused to give the that need to be achieved within 2025, required financial assistance for this and a retail policy will be announced. purpose. Trade Mission will coordinate the activities of all departments related to Measures are being undertaken. trade, in alignment with these goals. The Left Democratic Front Government Trade Mission has been formed and an order 144 will adopt a trader-friendly policy. has been issued in this regard. The first meeting The bureaucratic torture of traders, of the Mission has already been held and the fu- which is happening right now under ture activities have been decided. the UDF government, will be put to an end. Corruption in this sector will A new brand, ‘Kerala Retail’, has to be 141 be reduced through e-governance. launched. The promotion for this brand Decisions on the implementation of should be conducted by connecting GST will be taken only after detailed with tourism. The aim is to create an discussions with the traders. attractive image of the trade sector of Kerala. GST council has been formed in the state. The advice and guidance of the Council are proving Steps are being taken in this regard. helpful in the activities of the government. The retail sector of Kerala is facing the 142 Tribunal cases will be resolved fast biggest threat from national, regional 145 and global retail giants. While resisting Steps have been taken them, steps have to be taken to increase the competency of our small-scale 146 State government will give concession organizations. Most importantly, the for one year to the enterprises that facilities in the markets in both cities come under the purview of Startup and villages have to be improved and India, besides the concession already local markets and bazars have to be being given by the central government. raised as an alternative for shopping Honest traders will be given green malls. These markets must have card. products with certified quality and Many concessions are already being given controlled price, besides an enjoyable through Startup Mission to the enterprises that ambience just as in malls. The come under the purview of Startup India. Giv- government will provide assistance for ing green card to the traders has become irrele- revamping markets in this manner. vant as GST has been introduced.

46 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT PUBLIC SECTOR INDUSTRIES

147 All the public sector industries will tor industries to other states as well, after taking be made profitable again. The same into consideration the market possibilities of the reviving technique adopted during products of the public sector units. the tenure of the previous LDF government will be applied for this 150 Corruption in the public sector is purpose. The public sector of Kerala linked to purchase and sales. A was revived through a package that common policy will be formulated, included financial restructuring, reform on the basis of the report of the AG of the buying policy of the government, and the rapid investigation report, to coordination among public sector ensure transparency. organizations, merger with central Steps are being taken to prevent corruption. public sector organizations, revamping of the management, constant monitoring 151 A model company administrative and transparent actions to prevent charter has to be developed, which corruption will be applicable to the public sector If in 2015-’16, only 8 public sector institutions organizations. This charter will define were making profit, the number increased to how the board has to be elected, 13 in 2016-’17; and to 14 in 2018-’19. The total what should be the responsibilities profit made in 2018-’19 has risen to Rs 258.29 of the board and what should be the crores. The project share that was Rs 123 crores relationship between the board and the in 2016-’17 was increased to Rs 270 crores in management. Total autonomy will be 2017-’18 and Rs 297 crores in 2018-’19. given to the companies that abide by the specific conditions for trade. 148 The public sector will be expanded. Measures will be taken. It is hoped that within three years, the public sector will move beyond Representation of employees will be making profit to acquiring capital for 152 enhanced in the board in order to expansion. ensure their participation in corporate At present, the public sector is poised for a total administration. profit of Rs 258. 29 crores. The profit that will Measures are being adopted. be made in the coming years will be used to take measures for the further expansion of the public A. The pan revision in public sector sector. 153 organisations will be implemented in a time-bound manner. 149 These institutions should also acquire the capacity to compete effectively Pay revision has already been implemented in in the global market. Taking into a few public sector organizations. Measures to consideration facts like proximity of implement pay revision in other organizations market and availability of raw materials are on at a fast pace. An order has been issued to and associated resources at cheap rates, provide interim relief in the organizations where the public sector industries should be wage revision has not been implemented so far. expanded to other states of India and b. A contributory pension scheme will possibly outside the country as well. be formulated for the employees of pub- As part of the expansion scheme, steps have lic sector organizations with the partic- been taken to extend the activities of public sec- ipation of employees, management and

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 47 the government. The profit made by the There are many technologies developed organization will be taken into consider- 155 by the research organisations under ation while deciding the share of the man- agement towards the pension fund. the Central government such as CSIR, DAE and ISRO. These technologies Initial discussions in this regard have begun. will be bought to be applied in the production of equipment, products 154 All public sector organisations not and services in the public sector. operating on an industry-trade basis will be subjected to social audit Steps have been initiated. NAVIC, developed ISRO, is being used in fishing boats. Measures are being taken. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY BASED INDUSTRIES

156 One crore square feet office space will ed. More than 1.5 lakh people have been indi- be created to provide jobs for 2.5 lakh rect beneficiaries of this scheme. Besides, more people in this sector. Smart City will be than 16,000 youths are working in the newly completed in a time-bound manner in registered start-ups. The indirect jobs created by order to build industrial parks so that start-up companies are more than 30,000. This is office space can be created. Along with excluding the jobs created by MNCs functioning utilising large-scale initiatives as these, in Kerala. These have given direct jobs to 1300 the services of social organisations people in the first year itself. Detailed informa- such as Ooralunkal Labour Contract tion is given below. Society will also be utilized, following Nissan has given jobs to 300 people in 25,000 sq the public-people partnership models. office space. The number of employees will in- The establishment of private IT parks crease to 1500 in the coming years. HR Block is possible even within the limitations gave jobs to 650 people in 40,000 sq office space, of 15-acre land ceiling law. NRI capital Tech Mahindra to 200 people in 12,000 sq office will be utilised for building such parks. space, Teranet to 150 people in 10,000 sq office By the year 2018-19, 50 lakh square feet new of- space. fice space was created in the IT sector of Kerala. 4000 indirect jobs have also been created along Moreover, Integrated Startup Complex, which with this. In the coming years, this will increase is the largest startup ecosystem in India, start- to 5000 direct jobs in IT and 15000 indirect jobs. ed functioning in Kochi in 2019 with 1.80 lakh square feet office space. 157 The government will adopt an In 2019-21, 57 lakh square feet office space of approach to give adequate support Taurus Investments in Thiruvananthapuram to the small-scale ventures outside and 88 lakh square feet office space in Kochi technoparks. Providing benefits to the Smart City, will become operational. By 2020, firms in technoparks for this purpose there will be an increase of 2 lakh square feet in will be considered. For this, quality the office space of Integrated Startup Complex. improvement of small-scale, medium When combined, the total area of new office ventures and creating opportunities spaces will be more than double of what had for them to become familiar with been targeted. the international market and build contacts, are necessary. In the office space that has been newly created, more than 50,000 direct jobs have been creat- A new scheme helpful for small start-up com-

48 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT panies in government IT parks was implement- plemented to attract international level accelera- ed. Under the scheme, rent subsidy of Rs 20 per tors and incubators to Kerala and to create local square feet will be given to small start-ups with incubators of high standards. It is expected that high growing capacity, for encouraging them to one million sq ft IT space will be available for operate in government-owned IT parks. the startups in Kerala by 2020. The government has issued an order giving Across the world, we are witnessing 158 permission to buy products and services worth a trend of promoting ventures born upto Rs 20 lakhs in direct purchase manner and out of innovative ideas. According products and services worth upto Rs 100 lakhs to studies, only 10 percent of the new in limited tender manner from start-ups. ventures become successful. Every year, the government will give support Government has implemented a matchless to develop 1000 innovative ideas. They “Fund-of-fund” scheme to increase the avail- will be given a government grant of ability of angel funds for start-ups. With the Rs 2 lakh and the services of Mentors scheme, a corpus fund investment of Rs 1000 .They will be connected to prestigious crores could be made available to the start-ups academic institutions. All these in Kerala from the four angel funds selected by measures aim to increase the success the government. rate from the current 10 percent to 25 percent. 250 selected innovating 159 The National Institute of Design in ideas will be given collateral-free loans Kollam will be developed into a design worth Rs 1 crore. The fund for this will studio that creates designs of global be arranged from the government, standards, by associating with incubators private investors recognized by SEBI, and fablabs of various colleges. and banks. A design conference was conducted in Ernaku- As on March 31, 2019, a total of 1490 start-up lam in December 2018, to attain excellence in companies registered themselves with the In- designing inside the start-up ecoystem of Kera- dustries Department. In the first national-level la. Following this, as part of the design summit, start-up ranking introduced by the Indian Gov- an international workshop was conducted in co- operation with the world famous Copenhagen ernment in 2018-19, Kerala was selected as the Institute of Interactive design. World Design best performing state. This was made possible Organization(WDO) had an active participa- through the continuation of schemes imple- tion in the design summit. Following this, WDO mented step-by-step from 2016 onwards. expressed interest in establishing a centre of ex- A scheme has been introduced to improve the cellence for design in Kerala. A company, which functioning of start-ups and to identify suitable is a member in WDO signed a Memorandum innovative ideas. The innovative ideas select- of Understanding (MoU) with Kerala Startup ed under the scheme, which has been named Mission. Space has been allotted for this centre Idea Days, are given a grant of upto Rs 12 lakhs of excellence at the Integrated Start-up complex, based on their development level and maturity. . This will be developed into a de- Rs 1281 lakhs has been distributed through this sign centre of global standards. project to 246 innovators till date. Education of high standards is the basis The start-up named Genrobotics, which was 160 of innovative ideas. Centres for higher selected by the government in this manner and studies and research polytechnic given financial assistance, is a global venture academies (which give more worth Rs 150 crores today. importance to practical education) and Incubators could be developed in Kannur, Pal- engineering colleges will be linked to akkad and Kasaragod thanks to the schemes im- sector hubs.

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 49 Measures have been taken to set up modern Steps have been taken to establish centres of ex- technology-driven Centres of Excellence at the cellence related to digital fabrication, AR/VR Integrated Start-up Complex in Kochi. Engi- and gaming, block chain, 5G communication, neering colleges and polytechnic academies computer-aided machining, medical AI etc., in will be linked to these centres so that the latter cooperation with leading institutions such as can impart high-level practical education using MIT, Unity, Intel, Tejas Networks, Al Tayer and modern technology. University of Illinois. Steps have also been taken to establish centres of excellence in electric mo- IEDCs have been formed and have started func- bility and space application – the future devel- tioning in all Engineering colleges. This will be opment areas of the knowledge-based economy. extended to other professional colleges and all It has also been decided to create cross function- colleges with postgraduate courses. IEDCs will al teams that would be able to lead knowledge function as the touch points for the innovative verticals. ideas that evolve in the student start-ups and for the promotion of innovative ideas in the general a. IT sector is facing serious scarcity system. 163 of human resources. Schemes centered on Engineering colleges, polytechnics An ICT innovation system will 161 and other technical institutions will be created where the science and be formulated to resolve this. Skill technology research and development academies that help develop skills in institutions of Kerala, state IT Mission software engineering, architecture, and Technopark will work together. testing and quality will be set up. The main aim of this innovation collective will be applying ICT in The Skill Delivery Platform Kerala (SDPK), different production sectors of Kerala. which is capable of improving the employability skills of the students, has been made operation- Research Innovation Network Kerala (RINK), al. This platform connects 150 institutions in the an online network which brings together re- state through tele-presence classrooms to impart search centres, science and technology insti- digital skill developing content to the students. tutions, Kerala Start-up Mission, technoparks At present, this platform has 25 classrooms. This and IT parks, has been developed. The network will be increased to almost 85 by June 2019. aims to make possible the nurturing of inno- vative ideas that might lead to achievements in b. IIITMK will be converted into higher research. This is ready for inauguration and ex- research institution pansion. IIITK has initiated a highly desirable pro- The Engineering colleges in the state are con- gramme, in cooperation with the ICT academy nected to one another and also to all the IT and with the help of K-DISK, in order to give parks through another online network called training in block chain, a new generation tech- Skill Delivery Platform Kerala(SDPK). nology, to 20,000 persons. The decision to con- vert IIITMK into a university that focuses on 162 Technology hubs with focus on digital science was announced by Governor in next-generation knowledge-based 2018, when he addressed the Legislative Assem- industries, cloud computing, bly. internet of things, bio informatics, and cognitive computing will be set up. The manufacture of electronic 164 Facilities have to be created for the equipment related to the products used production of IT harware items in the respective sector hubs will be including chips. This can be launched undertaken in the ancillary small-scale in underdeveloped districts such production centres. as Malappuram, Palakkad and

50 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT Kasaragod. This project is likely to get KSIDC must give financial assistance special central funds in the context to these companies. of the efforts to convert India into a No steps has been taken global hub of electronic systems & design manufacturing industries. 167 The government will take a stand Kerala’s own production facility named Cocon- favouring net neutrality. Cybercrimes ics that enables the local production of laptops will be prevented. Akshaya centres and servers belonging to the original design will be strengthened. Student chapters manufacturing variety has been established and will be formed across Kerala to expand made operational. The facility was set up re- the operations of the International viving the land and other facilities of the Kelt- Centre for Free and Open Software ron factory in Manvila, which had been closed (ICFOSS), even while retaining it in down. the community ownership. All possible arrangements will be made for the Steps have been taken to set up a Fablab on the ICFOSS to lead the development of land of Calicut University in Malappuram and open source applications and to impart to set up a Fablab and Incubation Centre at the training at the state-level. Palakkad Government Polytechnic College. Similar activities will be initiated in Wayanad An approach supporting net neutrality has been district next year. adopted. Akshaya centres were revived. The rates for various government services have been fixed Marketability for the commodities of 165 and published. Customer management training producers who started e-commerce and goodwill campaign for Akshaya operators ventures in the B2B field, under the will soon be launched. initiative of the government, will be ensured. New markets have to be Public participation was ensured in the opera- opened for them. B2B fairs have to be tions of ICFOSS. ICFOSS has been developed used towards this purpose. into a research centre which can conduct practi- cal operation and research development in open E-commerce platforms that help expand the software, hardware, FOSS incubation and train- availability of market for the commodities of ing. small-scale manufacturers have been made available through start-ups. The government ICFOSS conducted Women Hackaton Initiative agencies operating in B2B sector can make use for ensuring gender equality in FOSS commu- of the services of these start-ups. Besides, a plat- nity. 504 girl students from 17 colleges in the form named Demand Day was set up for various state participated in this event in 2018-19. A government agencies to put in their requests for residential camp at the ICFOSS centre was also IT support. Government orders have also been conducted as part of this initiative. issued so that IT centres that develop start-ups can be bought without much procedural hassles. 168 The functioning for Technolodge Kudumbasree has also launched an online plat- has stopped. Problem is not with the form to market their products. idea, but with the implementation. Steps must be taken to fix this. NRI 166 Business Process Management will be encouraged to invest companies that aim at value creation in Technolodge. from efficiency improvement, in the Technolodges were brought under Kerala Start-up lines of energy service companies Mission for the promotion of start-up ventures. (which find income and capital from the profit made through energy 169 Smart phone-based services with conservation), will be formed. KFC and a focus on common people will be

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 51 developed. As part of this initiative, 172 As the connectivity expenses are a smart phone will be provided to a a burden for small enterprises, a woman of the family free of cost. scheme will be chalked out to ensure Yet to kick-start. connectivity at a low cost. Solar power could be explored to ensure 170 The Akshaya centres, which have been uninterrupted supply of electricity, instrumental in improving e-literacy, and for this the government will extend will be given new responsibilities under financial or other help. the government’s e-governance drive. The KFON project, part of the consortium led The Digital Empowerment Campaign, an by BEL and RailTel, has started functioning. exhaustive digital literacy programme with the backing of Akshaya centres, is in the planning 173 The human resource development stage. As many as 2,650 tablets are ready to be should revolve around free knowledge distributed to the Akshaya centres. These gadgets and the curriculum should also be based will be quite handy for Aadhaar enrolment on that. Schemes will be put in place to and digital literacy campaign. The enrolment encourage the use of information and campaign for school students will also be communication technology (ICT) in coordinated through the Akshaya centres. technical and medical education and governance, drawing inspiration from 171 Though the IT Policy of 2007 has the IT@school project. suggested the use of free software for public governance, it has not been Project is being prepared. implemented in toto. For its smooth running, there is a need to put in 174 State Data Centre will be more secure place awareness programmes for and potent. The data collection of all officials concerned. There should also government offices will be connected be initiatives to expose the officials to to the Data Centre. the latest developments in technology. The State Data Centre had been strengthened and Open Source-based applications will its security beefed up to provide uninterrupted be encouraged in a bid to spread the service of global standards. Currently, the usage of information technology in centre’s SAN storage capacity has been upped small and medium scale enterprises. to 228 TB and the compute capacity has been Extensive training programmes were conducted spiked to 2560 core with 24 TB memory. Security for the government employees to promote the platforms such as globally acclaimed enterprise use of free software. Open software applications security solutions and web application Firewall were developed (example: GNU Khata, GST had been put into practice. module prepared by OODO-ICFOSS) for the SMEs. These applications were also introduced The State Data Centre’s facilities are used by all to the SMEs. E-office had been implemented in important departments for data collection, data all departments of the secretariat, collectorates, 15 storage and to host websites. The Infopark in sub-collectorates, two taluk offices and 52 other will be developed as a data centre hub institutions in the state. in the next two years. Leading business concern M-Keralam, a unified app for all government Rakbank has elicited interest in starting data services, has 42,000 registered users and 76 online centres hosted by enterprise infrastructure in transactional services. There are 60,000 registered Kerala. Through this, there will be an investment users and 60 online transactional services in the flow of Rs 1,000 crore into Kerala in the next 8 state portal. years.

52 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT BIO-TECHNOLOGY RELATED INDUSTRIES

175 The State Biotechnology policy of the 176 Kerala had been exporting coir, Kerala Biotechnology Commission cashew, meat products, fruits and aims to optimally use the state’s bio- vegetable-based products and spices resources and top quality human for ages. To face the stiff global capital to meet the demand for competition, the quality of these biotechnology products and put Kerala products will be enhanced with the on a higher growth trajectory. The help of biotechnology. policy also aims to start biotechnology The government has taken steps to further the research institutes of global standards interests of the traditional industries using and revamp the existing ones, and the latest scientific developments. The coir provide basic facilities by joining hands fair was conceptualized with the aim to create with the private sector. Biotechnology a comprehensive scientific knowledge in the parks are also on the anvil. coir sector. Similar efforts were made in fish Efforts are on to further develop biotechnology processing in the fisheries sector. Many schemes with the available bio-resources in the state under were prepared to increase the quality of fruit and the state Biotechnology Board and Commission. vegetable-based products. Various projects were In a bid to encourage research in this field, Youth put forward to rear various saplings, including Investigators Programme in Biotechnology, coconut saplings, through tissue culture. The post-doctoral fellowships and Biotechnology first agro park was built at Thrissur. Innovations for Rural Development were introduced this year. Conferences were held 177 The Ayurveda medicines produced in to attract youths to the business opportunities Kerala are not able to enter the global available in biotechnology. A series of market. The main reason for this is biotechnology lectures were also conducted to that the foreign countries are skeptical inculcate the temper of biotechnology among about the ingredients and quality of students and youths, and various papers were these Ayurveda medicines. The quality presented by experts such as Dr Soman Abraham of Ayurveda medicines can be ensured of the Duke Medical School, Dr through scientific advancements Ashley of National University in Singapore and such as controlled fermentation. The Dr D K Gupta of Meerut University. As many medicines should take the scientifically as 61 biotech industries participated in the studied with a clear cut realization of conference held for the entrepreneurs. the ingredients and contents, and this process would help in making inroads Dr M D and Dr C N Ramchand presided into the global market. over the conclave for entrepreneurs. Steps are being taken to scientifically ensure the The Institute of Advanced Virology was quality of the Ayurveda medicines and efforts are inaugurated at the Life Science Park at on to establish an International Research Institute Thonnakkal in Thiruvananthapuram to prevent of Ayurveda. An International Ayush Conclave and eradicate virus causing disease such as was organized in Thiruvananthapuram. The first HINI, dengue, chikunguniya and Nipah. These edition of the Ayurveda International Ayush diseases have been plaguing the state for a Conclave, 2018 was held in Kochi. while. The Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment is working round Progress could be made in this field the clock to put the institute in operating mode. 178

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 53 by riding on tissue culture techniques products could be developed to to artificially rear quality medicinal prevent or foresee various diseases. plants. Moreover, the biodiversity These opportunities could be utilized could also be protected. The state in the field of biotechnology-based farmers could get saplings at a lower production of medicines. cost through artificial rearing of cash crops and fancy plants. Yet to set the ball rolling. Tissue culture has paved the way in rearing 15 lakh saplings of plantain trees, fancy plants 180 Bioinformatics is an amalgam of such as orchid, and medicinal plants. Special biotechnology and information attention was also given for the modernization technology. There is enough scope for of the labs concerned, which would help in bioinformatics in Kerala and efforts producing close to 50 lakh saplings. would be made to bring related benefits to the state. 179 With the help of genomics/proteomics, Yet to kick off.

NANOTECHNOLOGY 181 Special departments for this will be done to reap benefits. The nanotechnology in universities number of nanotechnology-based and inter-university centers will academic courses will be increased as be established, and the existing per the needs. nanotechnology centers will be The Kerala, MG, Kannur and Calicut Universities revamped. Nanotechnology could be are looking at ways and means to streamline the used to overhaul and expand many courses after studying the opportunities in store sectors, including industries, and for nanotechnology.

TOURISM 182 The tourist inflow to Kerala swelled by 6.34%. considerably dipped during 2014- 16. The government will assess the 183 The government will organize yearly situation and the number of tourists global literary fests, music festivals, visiting Kerala will be doubled in the theatre galas and drama festivals in next 5 years. The number of foreign Kerala. tourists was 12 lakh in 2016 and it will Though the tourism department is not directly be increased to 24 lakh by 2021. The involved in organizing yearly global literary number of domestic tourists will be fests, theatre festivals, music galas and drama increased to 2 crore from 1.3 crore. festivals, the government is providing financial The tourist inflow to Kerala increased though support to various institutions and organizations floods and Nipah had an adverse effect on the to run these festivals. The government is now tourism sector. As many as 10,96,407 foreign organizing international music festival since tourists and 1,56,04,661 domestic travelers 2017 similar to the Nishagandhi dance festival. visited the state in 2018. The foreign tourist numbers spiked by 0.42% and domestic tourists 184 a. A Kerala-specific festival calendar will be prepared and the guidelines for

54 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT this calendar will be prepared. promote monsoon tourism. As part of the drive, an off-season campaign was held in the months A festival calendar listing Kerala’s main of May, June and July. and festivals is ready. The guidelines for the calendar are being drafted. 187 Efforts will be initiated to start direct air b. The artistes who are proficient in connectivity from international tourist Kerala’s ritualistic art forms will be hubs to Kerala. The government will given accreditation and the relevant also try to attract more cruise ships to details will be displayed on website. Kerala shores. Quality transportation Various products will be made available from airport to various tourist spots at the craft village as per the order will be ensured. placed by the tourists. The state held talks with the central government The Folklore Academy is initiating steps to to start direct flight from international tourist give accreditation to the state’s traditional art hubs to Kerala. Moreover, the prominent tour performers. Requisite arrangements have been operators were contacted to route chartered made at the Irringal crafts village to provide flights with tourists from major world cities products according to the orders of the tourists. through Kerala. The road infrastructure has also been improved. 185 Along the lines of the and heritage projects, there are 188 A basic facility master plan will be plans to connect Kerala’s ancient ports prepared for tourist centers to ensure and spices agricultural centres such that each spot has facilities such as as and Aankkara with ports in proper road, potable water, public West and Europe to pave a spices toilets, waste management system, route like the silk route. cable TV, internet connectivity and The preliminary work relating to the spices electricity. Proper coordination among route project has commenced, and as part of local self-government institutions, it a culinary festival was organized in Kochi. departments and agencies will be made Moreover, a decision was taken at the meeting ensured to complete the project in 3 of the Ambassadors of the spices route countries years. Steps will be taken to execute to take forward the project. Work relating to tourism highway projects such as the the conservation of heritage, with the base in Munnar-Alappuzha one. Alappuzha, has kicked off. The blueprint to The Green Carpet project, which makes sure extend the Thalassery heritage project to Kannur that the tourist spots have better facilities, is and Wayanad districts was also prepared. There being implemented every year just before the is remarkable progress in the Chala Heritage tourist season starts. Master plans are also being Street and Alappuzha heritage projects. The prepared to ensure development of major tourist ‘Mittayi Theruvu’ heritage project had been centers. All tourist hubs in the state are being completed. made disabled friendly. Close to 100 tourist spots had been declared as disabled friendly. 186 The government was successful in spreading the tourism season from 189 Houseboats, green houses, Ayurveda November to March. The scope of resorts, homestays, star hotels will monsoon tourism will be fully utilized put in place necessary facilities after and the period from April to October accessing the inflow of tourists to each will also be made into a season for tourist center. tourists. Classification system is being followed to Various campaigns are doing the rounds to make sure the quality of houseboats, Ayurveda

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 55 resorts and homestays. The houseboat tracking tourism fairs should be further system has been installed to ensure the safety of increased. houseboats, and as many as 800 houseboats have this network. Compared to the previous years, the state participated in more tourism fairs and 190 Steps will be taken to build a water conducted more road shows. Kerala was part of theme park that can receive 2,000 13 international tourism fairs, and organized 23 visitors at a time. road shows in major cities across the world. No initiative has been taken yet to start a b. Help will be extended to the private government water theme park. But efforts are sector units to participate in such on to promote water theme parks operating in tourism fairs. the private sector. The government is ensuring the presence of private players in these tourism fairs. The private 191 Tourist police will be deployed in entrepreneurs participate in all major tourism major tourist spots in the state. Tourist fairs as part of the Kerala tourism pavilion. wardens, who are good swimmers, will be deployed at water tourism hubs. 195 The taxes adversely affecting the The service of the tourism police is available at tourism sector will be reexamined. main tourism centers in the state. Preliminary With the implementation of GST, work for the appointment of tourism wardens is luxury tax will be a thing of the past. on. Yet to take action in this regard. 192 Target audience-specific campaigns 196 a. The budget allocation for tourism will be unleashed in many countries will be considerably increased. apart from normal advertisements. More tourist inflow from Arab The allocation has been increased. Rs 372 crore countries will increase people-to- has been earmarked this year. people contact and create additional b. Considering the job opportunities emigration opportunities. in the tourism industry, a certain The Kerala tourism had conducted requisite percentage of funds generated in campaigns to attract more tourists to Kerala. the sector will be utilized for the Many advertisements were made by the tourism development of the tourism in the state. department in the backdrop of the August floods Implemented. last year. These campaigns were visible through electronic, print and other media, and at cinema 197 KTDC is the face of government’s halls and malls. A special Middle East campaign development agency. The first was also carried out to target tourists from the requirement of KTDC is a professional UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and . board and management. The functioning of KTDC will be drastically 193 The government will channel funds to revamped. make Kerala Tourism Mart as one of Steps had been taken to professionalize KTDC. the most important tourism business meets in the world. 198 a. The Kerala tourism industry needs Funds had been earmarked for Kerala Tourism at least one lakh new recruits every Mart. year for tourism related sectors, but training is imparted to only 15,000 194 a. The state’s presence in international persons. More human resources are

56 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT required considering the growth government institutions in preparing rate of the industry. The training sub-plans for tourism development. standards and the number of students Project is yet to start. at KITTS, KIHMS and IHMCT will be increased. Self-financing institutions a. Green protocol will be in vogue in are also cropping up in this sector. A 200 tourism centers. The use of disposable system will be in place to look into the materials will be discouraged. curriculum and training, and to rate the institutions. Efforts have been initiated under responsible tourism mission to introduce green protocol. More opportunities will be thrown open to those who seek employment in the tourism b. Plastic will be banned. Modern public industry. Process had been completed to have a facilities will be established to process new curriculum and rating system. the waste from houseboats. b. Special focus will be given to training Plastic had been banned in main tourism of tourist guides. Tourism-related centers. A special facility is in place to treat courses will be part of Arts and Science houseboat waste. colleges. a. A pilgrims’ tourism policy, which KITTS has formulated a special module for 201 would connect pilgrim centers and training tourist guides. This has helped in cultural heritage places, will be having more recognized tourist guides in the announced. state tourism sector. Steps had been taken to promote pilgrim tourism 199 a. The policy of responsible tourism will under the tourism policy. The Sabarimala- continue. A study will be immediately project had been conducted to know more about the drafted into the Swadeshi Darshan project, and carrying capacity of the various tourist the Guruvayoor temple city project included centers in the state. in the Prasad Project, and these projects are progressing well. Moreover, the state government A new tourism policy had been announced with central funding is ensuring to provide basic based on responsible tourism. As part of it, facilities to the pilgrims visiting 117 temples responsible tourism mission had been formed included in the Swadeshi Darshan project. and it has started functioning. As many as 15,518 tourism units have registered under the A digital museum based on the life and teachings responsible tourism mission, and around 78,000 of Sree and a convention centre people got direct or indirect employment in are being constructed at Chempazhanthy, the tourism sector. People started to generate the birthplace of Sree Narayana Guru, in income under the mission by organizing tour Thiruvananthapuram district. Rs 10 crore packages based on traditional vocations, art had been allocated for the first phase and the forms, festivals, and local cuisine. Through the construction is progressing at a fast pace. The mission, poor people earned close to Rs 10.9 Central government has earmarked Rs 70 crore crore from the tourism sector in one and half for Sree Narayana Guru pilgrim tourism. years. Pepper project, under the aegis of the A guest house with 56 rooms at a cost of Rs responsible tourism mission, had been put into 24 crore is being built at Guruvayoor, and the practice whereby local participation is ensured building will be completed in a year. The area in the development of tourism industry. surrounding the Padmanabhaswamy Temple b. A centralized training will be given to was beautified at a cost of Rs 100 crore. people’s representatives in the local self- b. Handicraft fairs, which link

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 57 handicrafts with tourism, will be 202 A consortium of Ayurveda institutions will organized. Farm tourism will be be formed to effectively promote Ayurveda promoted. tourism in international travel marts. Vellar Crafts village had been established along The Kerala tourism department participated in the lines of the Iringal Crafts Village to connect various international marts with Ayurveda as handicrafts with tourism. the central theme.

DEVELOPMENT OF MEGACITIES

203 Measures will be taken to convert the for the tender for the works involving second main cities – Thiruvananthapuram, reach of the -Kliyikavilla NH stretch. Ernakulam and Kozhikode—into As part of waste management, aerobic bins had metro cities. Steps will be taken to been placed in 45 locations and two plastic complete airport and metro facilities in shredding centers had been established in a time bound manner. The government Thiruvananthapuram. Many projects are being will revamp the junctions and put in implemented including the Killiyaar cleaning place city improvement programmes drive. The skywalk project for the pedestrians and bypasses to ease traffic snarls in is being executed. The country’s first hi-tech the cities. woman-friendly waiting shed had been opened at in Thiruvananthapuram. The Thiruvananthapuram development activities are in the preliminary stage under the smart city The work to extend metro rail from Maharaja’s project. The capital city will see development to to Petta is in the last phase in Kochi. Further the tune of Rs 1,538 crore, and a new master plan extension of metro rail is in the preliminary is in place. The efforts to spruce up and preserve stage. A decision had been taken to build a the Chala heritage street in Thiruvananthapuram Kakkanad township as part of the metro project. district under the heritage project are on. The government has put forward a water metro Land is being acquired for the construction of project at a cost of Rs 744 crore whereby solar flyovers at Sreekariyam, and in boats will be used for transportation across Thiruvananthapuram. The government has called lakes. The construction of flyovers at Vyttila and

Inaugural ceremony of Kannur International Airport

58 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT Kundanur is progressing. Storm water drainages Kozhikode bypass are on. The government has such as Joy’s canal, boundary canal and athirthi given nod to the Kozhikode waste treatment canal had been completed as per the Amrit project. plant waste energy project. A ‘mahila mall’, an More gas connections were given through the city initiative of the Kumbashree and first such one gas distribution network in . in the country, was opened. Close to 37,033 households got gas connections. During these period in excessive of 196 km pipe 204 As part of capital city’s development, laid. Four CNG stations had been commissioned measures would be taken to step up high and four others are under construction. court bench, expand Nemom as a satellite terminal, develop Attukal township and As part of Kozhikode city’s development, flyovers resolve water logging issues. at and Thondayadu were thrown open to traffic. The Panniyakara rail over bridge A project is being executed to clean up the was also inaugurated. The government found Aamayinjan canal and Parvathyputhan River to an amicable solution to the land acquisition facilitate free flow of water. Steps taken to solve issues relating to the construction of Kanjipally water logging are showing positive results. The rail over bridge and the bridge was opened in government is looking into Nemom as statellite four months’ time. The efforts to widen the terminal and Attukal township projects. DEVELOPMENT OF MALABAR 205 A special package will be formulated Neeleswaram in is on as for the development of the historic standalone. The THDCIL had been given the Malabar region. Stress will be given responsibility to build a new 50MW solar park for the progress of Kasaragod and besides a similar existing park at Ambalathara Wayanad districts. in Kasaragod district. Tender process is on to The tender for the development of national establish a 50MW solar project at Paiveliga highway from Thalapadi to Kaalikadavu in after 250 acres of land had been allotted for the Kasaragod is pending for approval with the project. ‘Snehasanthwanam’ scheme, special central ministry. This project had been included ‘Ashwasakiranam’ scheme and the initiative to in category 1 by the central government. help endosulfan victims pursue education are The rail over bridge project at Pallikkara in being implemented.

59PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 59 The Malanad Malabar cruise project to tap the Mysuru railway line was handed over to the tourism potential of the Kasargod and Kannur Rail Development Corporation. The foundation districts is progressing. The Pazhayaangadi boat stone was laid for the International Research terminal, which is part of the Malanad Malabar Institute of Ayurveda. river cruise project that focusses on 7 rivers, will Work is progressing to widen the be completed before June 15, 2019. The piling churam. The Konkan Railway had been asked work for the construction of the Parassinikadavu to study the feasibility of connecting Wayanad boat terminal had been completed. The and Kozhikode districts through a tunnel. government has given the nod for the Rs 50 crore The Carbon Neutral Wayanad project had River Cruise project. An Rs 100 crore project been announced as one of the 25 ‘New Kerala’ had also been presented under the central projects inthe 2019-20 budget. Tree saplings government’s Swadeshi darshan project, and the will be planted and trees geo tagged along the centre has approved Rs 70 crore. The Kannur lines of process followed by the international airport had been inaugurated and panchayat. 10 panchayats in Wayanad had been the operations are in full swing. Kinfra had been announced as special zones for the cultivation of given the responsibility to acquire 110 acres flowers and fruits. of land near the Kannur airport to build an industry park. The government has given green The flyovers at Ramanattukara and Thondayadu signal for the Kannur phase of the City Road were thrown open to traffic. The Panniyakara Improvement project and land is being acquired rail over bridge was also inaugurated. The for the same. Land Acquisition Unit had been government found an amicable solution to formed. the land acquisition issues relating to the construction of Kanjipally rail over bridge and A technical consultant had been appointed the bridge was opened in four months’ time. The to prepare a financial and scientific feasibility efforts to widen the Kozhikode bypass are on. study report regarding the development of The government has given nod to the Kozhikode the Azhheekal harbour. The consultant has to waste treatment plant waste energy project. also draft a detailed blueprint and conduct an environmental study relating to the project. The process of acquiring land for the development Steps had been taken to complete the requisite of national highway in Malappuram is scientific studies for the preparation of DPR. progressing at a fast pace. The government gave The government has decided to channelize Rs the green signal for the Padijarekkara-Unniyal 500 crore through KIIFB for the preliminary road under the coastal highway project, and stage of development. Paving the way for the KIIFB has started the development work of the comprehensive development of the Malabar Parappanangadi port. Steps had been taken to region, the government had put the Azheekal develop the Ponnani port as an ‘All weather harbour on active mode as the port started port’ in PPP model. The facilities at the to handle EXIM containers from March 15, Medical College had been spruced up. 2019. Moreover, talks are progressing relating The construction work of the Rice Park has to shipping operations with and started in Palakkad. The park would help Maldives. in directly sourcing rice from the farmers The government took over the functioning of by avoiding middlemen and distributing the Medical College, and for this 11 quality rice to the civil supplies outlets. positions had been created as per the norms. The government would also be giving a The government has approved KIIFB’s Rs 5,000 better price to the farmers. Process is on crore project for the development of the Malabar for the state government to take over the Cancer Center along with the 5 medical colleges. central PSU Instrumentation Limited. Talks The construction of Mahe-Thalassery bypass are progressing to put in place the Kochi- is progressing. The running of the Thalassery- Coimbatore industrial corridor.

60 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 206 The tourist hubs of northern Kerala northern Kerala, and this should be are not included on the Tourist Circuit sorted out. Map, and the international tour Measures had been taken to promote the tourist operators are not sending tourists to centers in northern Kerala.

ELECTRICITY

207 a. complete electrification in all homes 2. Foreseeing the hurdles in increasing power by 2017 production due environmental issues, the government has taken steps to ink long- Kerala became the first state in India to term deals to purchase power at a lower provide power to all houses in May, 2017. And rate to ensure uninterrupted power supply. the government is continuing its efforts to Kerala has been able to get power at a low- maintain the status of power for all in the state. er rate as the state became the first state to As many as 11 lakh new power connections enter into power purchase agreements on were given in three years’ time. Around 25,000 DBFOO basis. The cost of purchasing power new connections were availed in a month as will be periodically reviewed and requisite the applications for new connections were changes would be made in the merit order. considered without any delay. The KSEB is able to give superlative service to its customers with 3. Effective rehabilitation of employees. the backing of information technology following 4. Steps are being taken to bring down the rate an overhaul of related rules and procedures. of interest of money borrowed. b. The government will ensure power at an affordable tariff by rationalizing the 208 The government will intervene to set up KSEB’s running cost and the price of a coal-based thermal power plant, with purchasing power. a capacity of 1200-1320 megawatt, in the state by adhering to environmental A solid foundation had been laid for a protection. Will undertake social surge, in terms of technical excellence, in industrial development programmes the fields of generation, transmission and in the project area in parallel to this . It distribution of power. Some mega projects are will be established in any coal mining being implemented so that this sector grows area, if not feasible in Kerala. commensurate with the advancements in As of now, Kerala does not find place in the list technology. ‘Druthi’, ‘Transgrid’ and ‘Soura’ of Central Government’s coal allocation. There projects coming under the Urja Kerala Mission is also limited availability of land to set up a coal- need heavy investment. The functioning of based thermal power station. Hence chances are the KSEB has been outlined with the aim to not high to set up a coal power plant in Kera- judiciously control expenses, and make it la. The state has approached other coal-mining into a financially sound and technologically states, but did not get a favourable response in outstanding entity riding on the excellence of this regard. employees. The KSEB should also be retained in the public sector. 209 a. Will work towards formulating 1. Though there was an increase in capital a judicious natural gas agreement, investment, there was no need to hike the through which the LNG Terminal in power tariffs like in earlier times. This was Kochi will be made operational and a possible by reining in the operations with power plant at Brahmapuram will be some financial prudence. set up linking the natural gas pipeline.

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 61 Efforts to make available a constant supply of the various reservoirs of the state. The first phase natural gas at a reasonable price have not yield- work of 10 MW Kallada floating solar plant with ed results, despite approaching Central govern- a capacity of 50 MW is in progress and the rest ment agencies such as Petronet. Yet the govern- 40 MW will be executed at various stages. ment is continuing with its efforts. An agreement has been inked with National b. Will ensure natural gas availability at Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) to set up Kayamkulam thermal power plant. a solar power station with a capacity of 170 MW at Kayamkulam by installing panels on land and Efforts taken in collaboration with NTPC to water surface adjoining the thermal power sta- convert the Kayamkulam thermal power plant tion. to a natural gas one have not yielded results ow- ing to the non-availability of natural gas. Works are progressing to set up a 10 MW-power plant in the private sector to produce electric- a. Power generation from renewable 210 ity from wind at Palakkad. The government is energy sources such as small-scale about to start several projects such as 8MW at hydro-electric power projects, wind Agali, 4 MW from two projects in Ramakkalme- and solar energy will be expedited. du and 6 MW at Kanjikode. Government will ensure that the state attains an annual growth rate of 25 b. Bringing down transmission loss per cent in such a way that at least 10 The power transmission-distribution loss at- per cent of its electricity needs are tained an all-time state record of 13 per cent, met from these sources by 2020. As a which means the state was able to save 276 lakh part of it renewable energy production units electricity worth Rs 110 crores. capacity will be raised to 1500 mega watt by 2020. The key sources of the Several measures are under way to strengthen programme will be roof top solar the transmission network by reducing the trans- power plant, solar power stations set up mission loss. In the past three years 35 substa- on fallow land, reservoirs and canals. tions were constructed, including two 220 KV substations and ten 110 KV substations. A total In the past three years the permanent capaci- of 5000 km high tension line and 12,000 km LT ty was additionally strengthened with over 30 lines were laid and 6000 transformers installed. mega watts from small-scale hydro electric pow- er stations and around 150 mega watts from so- As part of this mission,the transgrid project lar power. Over 30 projects with a total capacity worth Rs 10,000 crores is being implemented of 20 mega watts will be completed in the next in the power transmission segment with the two years. aid of KIIFB. The project aims to improve the transmission network and drastically bring A solar project has come into effect under Urja down the transmission loss. This project, Kerala Mission with a view to expanding the being implemented in two phases, involves existing solar production capacity of the state no additional land acquisition. One 400 KV to 1000 mega watts by 2021, of which 500 MW substation, twelve 220 KV substations, 1214 will be sourced from roof top solar panels. Solar circuit kilometre EHT transmission line are plants can be set atop various buildings such as part of the first phase which are expected to houses, private institutions, shopping malls and be completed in the 2021-22 financial year. government offices. Applications have been in- It is expected that once these projects are vited to set up roof top solar panels for the im- finished it can bring a profit worth Rs 200 crore plementation of solar projects in a phased man- approximately through a reduction of 521 ner. million units in transmission loss. A deal has formed with Solar Energy Corpora- The --Kochi-Madakkathara tion to make use of the floating solar panels in 400 KV line was intended to facilitate smooth

62 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT power transmission from the Koodankulam Kallar SHEP (2 MW) are progressing. nuclear plant in Tamil Nadu to the state. But the 20 mini hydro-electric projects with a total ca- laying of line from Edamon to Kochi has been pacity of 47.4 MW were sanctioned in the pri- stalled for decades. With the active intervention vate sector. The feasibility study of phase-2 of of the state government a special compensation Idukki hydro electric projects that will have an package was announced for settling disputes and approximate capacity of 750 MW is under way. the stalled construction activities were restarted The renovation of Peringalkuthu, Sholayar and on a war footing. For this, the state government Idukki projects will soon be completed. The ren- and the Kerala State Electricity Board would ovation of Kuttiyadi project will start immedi- jointly give an additional compensation of ately. Rs256 crore. The final phase of construction is progressing at a fast pace. 212 Smart Grid system will be To address the power outages during peak hours implemented in a phased manner in , the work of Pugaloor-Thrissur to boost the reliability of power transmission line with a capacity of 2000 MW distribution network, to make use of is being carried out in Kerala as an extension temporary sources and to strengthen to Raigar-Pugaloor transmission line based the transmission network. on the High Voltage Direct Currect (HVDC) Aimed at the total development of the state’s technology. PGCIL is entrusted with the work. power sector, Urja Kerala Mission has come The HVDC line based on the Modern Voltage into force with five key projects with a stipulated Source Converter (VSC) technology is the first- deadline of 3 years. A Rs 4000-crore mega proj- of-its-kind in the country. Measures were taken ect called ‘Dyuthi 2021’, is in progress to reno- to ensure land availability for the line which is vate the power distribution network and reduce being laid in Thrissur and Palakkad districts. power disruptions within 2 years. Once the project gets over in March 2019, the state will get uninterrupted power supply with Massive campaign project to ensure power safe- minimum transmission loss from other states. ty called ‘E-Safe’, mainly focuses on making Ker- ala, rid of power-related accidents. There will be 211 Excess power of 500 MW is expected a mechanism to provide safe re-electrification of from hydro-electric projects by 2021. houses to families belonging to BPL and SC/ST Enhance the capacity of existing categories. These projects aim to bring down the projects, implement new ones, revival power and transmission loss to 10.58% by 2021, of the existing catchment area will be besides ensuring a steady high efficiency power included in the project. supply. Various mini hydro-electric projects with more 213 a. A public campaign will be organized than 30 MW capacity were commissioned in to enhance the energy efficiency the past 3 years. The construction of several hy- of electricity and thereby exert its dro-electric projects that can generate around influence on the human requirements. 200 MW electricity are progressing at various Kerala has bagged the National Energy Con- stages. The projects such as Pallivassal project servation award instituted by the Ministry of (60 MW), Thottiyar (60MW), Chattankottuna- Power in the year 2016-17 and 2017-18 for the da (6MW) and Shengulam Augmentation proj- effective implementation of energy conservation ect that can boost the annual productivity to 85 methods. The state was able to successfully step million units were restarted. in to areas such as energy auditing and energy The work of projects such as Bhoothathanket- conservation campaign. Pilikkode panchayat in tu SHEP of 24 MW, Chinnar (24 MW), Perin- Kasaragod became the first filament bulb-free galkuthu SHEP (24 MW), Pazhassi Sagar (7.5 panchayat in the country. The panchayat made MW), Peruvannamoozhi (6 MW) and Upper the achievement through huge public participa-

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 63 tion. This task would be replicated to other parts to be implemented in two years, aims to replace of the state in various phases. Action has com- filament bulbs in all houses with highly efficient pleted to set up 140 ‘seva kendra’ with which and quality LED bulbs and tubes across the state. one in each Assembly segment to help the public Once implemented the state could avoid the and institutions gain the technical aid for select- daily emission of 2.5 million tonnes of carbon ing, installing and maintaining Akshaya Urja dioxide and 600 kg mercury to the atmosphere, equipment. besides bringing down the peak load. b. Will promote the use of high energy Surveys, training programmes and awareness efficient electrical devices. Providing classes are being conducted with public support these devices free of cost to the people, to replace lamps and fans of poor efficiency with would be profitable if we factor in the LED lamps and standard electrical devices. money incurred for installation charges for producing electricity. Energy audit 214 Sanction will be granted to power plants will be conducted in all institutions to on captive basis to start commercial avoid overspending. ventures under liberal conditions. ‘Filament-free Kerala’ was one of the five key A wind power station of 2.1 MW has started projects envisaged under the Urja Kerala Mis- functioning in for captive pur- sion aimed at the overall development of the pose. Permission has been given to another cap- power sector of the state. This project, which has tive project of 10 MW in Palakkad district.

TRANSPORTATION

215 The condition of NH-47 and NH-17 be in progress. Though the NHAI informed to in- improved and widened. The renova- vite bids to commission the work for the entire tion of MC Road will be completed. stretch by November, 2018, it failed to keep its word. Four-lane development of Kasaragod-Thiruva- nanthapuram highway. The work of the four-lane Vadakkenchery-Thris- sur stretch (including tunnel) which (A) Tender approved, contract awarded and is directly overseen by the NHAI is in the final work has begun for Thalassery-Mahe bypass. stage of completion. Tender has been invited The tender for Kozhikode bypass was approved for the second reach of Karamana-Kaliyikkavi- and a contract has been submitted. Construc- la national highway. The work, which is making tion began for Neeleswaram-Pallikara railway a steady progress, is being funded by the state overbridge in kasargod district as project stand government. alone. The construction of Kazhakootam fly- over has also begun. The tender for construct- (B) KSTP is overseeing the work of MC Road ing the stretch from Thalappadi to Kalikadavu stretch between Kazhakootam and that is in Kasaragod district is pending approval from being developed as a model road. The construc- the Central Government. Boundaries were fixed tion work, which is fast progressing, was inau- in other areas and stones are laid at the borders. gurated by the LDF Government. The steps to be taken from the part of the Na- The KSTP has completed the 86.36 km stretch tional Highways Development Authority are extending from to moving at a snail’s pace. and opened it for the public in February 2019. Notification has been published for the entire Punalur-Ponkunnam road of Rs 699 crore which spots from Kasaragod to Kazhakootam for which got struck in technical issues for quite some time the survey and land acquisition procedures are got a lease of life with KSTP taking the initiative

64 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT Kollam bypass which was completed by the LDF government. to call bids for the project in 3 reaches. It is ex- Monetary sanction was accorded to carry out pected to finish the work in this financial year. the works by linking them with NABARD with a financial assistance of Rs 177.80 crore, Rs 146.68 The KSTP has also invited tender for the Tiru- crore and 484.16 crore for the years 2016-17, valla bypass and renovation of Tiruvalla town. 2017-18 and 2018-19 respectively. Approval was (C) -Pathirapally road in Alappuzha also given to disburse Rs 397 crore, Rs 214.93 district was reconstructed using the German crore and Rs 801 crore from the Central fund for technology of Cold-in-Place recycling. It is a the fiscals 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19. method of scooping out the outer layer of the b. All unfinished bypasses and railway road and reusing it in an eco-friendly way to over bridges would be completed on a minimise the pollution due to sound, air, con- war footing. struction waste etc. Plans are afoot to extend the facility to other sectors as well. Railway over bridges: Panniyankara railway over bridge at Kozhikode and Eroor RoB in Er- 216 a. All state highways and district roads nakulam were opened for the public. The works will be renovated as BM&BC roads. of Kunjippally RoB in Kozhikode were stuck in land acquisition technicalities. The disputes and State highways and important district roads are litigation were settled, the work completed in being raised to the standards of BM&BC. 2,621 four months and the bridge was inaugurated. kilometre stretch was thus elevated to BM&BC The construction kick-started for the Kanhan- standards using the state Budget allocation. Fi- gad railway over bridge in Kasaragod district. nancial sanction of Rs 4499.20 crore was accord- The work is expected to be completed in 18 ed to renovate 147 roads using the KIIFB fund. months. Approval was given for 15 new railways Due thrust was given to each of the 140 assem- over bridges through KIIFB, for which the land bly segments for refurbishing roads. Adminis- takeover proceedings are fast progressing. The trative sanction for a total of Rs 4684.54 crore work will begin this fiscal. was granted for the purpose by including it in the The construction of Palarivattom flyover has plan fund for which a sum of Rs 1224.64 crore, Rs been completed. Land is being acquired to build 1788.44 crore and Rs 1671 crore were earmarked four more flyovers. Work is busy progressing for the years 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19.

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 65 for the flyovers at Vyttila - the busiest junction surrender their property for the development in Kerala - and Kundannoor with the support of the Hill Highway to the government. Road of KIIFB. Construction of flyover has development work worth Rs 108.55 crore is in started, while the land acquisition of Kodumun- progress for 36.58 km in Thiruvananthapuram da flyover is under way. district where the land was surrendered free of cost in 2 reaches. Similarly, works are under way Bypasses: The work of Kollam and Alappuzha bypasses were stalled for quite some time. The in Kollam for 48.10 km at Rs 201.67 crore and government was able to complete the work of Kasaragod district for 47.40 km at Rs 147.10 Kollam bypass and open it for commuters. The crore (Construction to the tune Rs 457.29 is Alappuzha bypass, which is awaiting the ap- progressing in a total of 5 stretches at a length proval of the Railways, is in the last leg of com- of 132.08 km). Steps are undertaken to procure pletion. The Kottappadi-Malappuram bypass in the land in other reaches at free of cost. Talks , which has been stuck in are also progressing with the Forest Department legal tangles for many years, finally got a lease of in areas where forest land is required for road life and was thrown open to the public after set- development. tling the disputes. The work Kanjippura-Moodal b. The work of the Coastal Highway bypass in Kuttipuram has progressed after it got from Ponnani to Kozhikode will be ex- the funds for pending works sanctioned. Land pedited. takeover of the three KIIFB-approved bypass projects is progressing. The detailed project report for the coastal high- way extending from Ponnani to Kozhikode, as c. Tenders will be invited incorporating part of the state highway, has been submitted the maintenance contract of the work as to the state government. Roads & Bridges De- well. Will promote laying of rubberised velopment Corporation - Kerala independent- roads. ly conducting an inspection of the bridge that Contractors who take up work for all roads to is part of the project. The alignment for the Sabarimala, KSTP roads, RICK roads have to coastal highway from Thiruvananthapuram to abide by the clause of the maintenance contract. Kasaragod has been approved for which KIIFB A 590-km road was renovated through such a has allocated a sum Rs 6500 crore. As many as contract, of which 410 km was developed using 10 DPRs in various reaches have been submit- rubberised bitumen. ted before KIIFB. Approval was obtained from KIIFB for Rs 52.78 crore for road work in the a. The Hill Highway project from Thi- 217 reach 0/000km-15/000km extending from ruvananthapuram to Kasaragod which Padinjarekkara in Malappuram, the tender was was announced by the previous LDF allotted and work begun. The investigation and Government will soon be materialised. land takeover proceedings are under way for the The State Budget has allocated Rs 3,500 crores remaining area. through KIIFB for the 1251 km-long Hill High- way project stretching across 13 districts from 218 a. Effective steps will be taken for the Nandarappadavu in Kasaragod district to Paras- protection and repair of highways and sala in Thiruvananthapuram. 110 km has been roads. taken over for the project in Kannur district. The detailed project report for 23 reaches in other A Road Maintenance wing, headed by a chief districts where land is ready for the first phase of engineer, was formed. A fresh post for a chief work has been submitted to the KIIFB. To begin engineer was created for the purpose. the first phase of work, KIIFB has sanctioned an Funds were granted to all the 140 assembly con- amount of Rs 1,517.07 crore to upgrade 453.015 stituencies irrespective of any political leanings km roads in 18 reaches to Hill Highway. The for road surface renovation and repair works, landowners on either side of the roads have to and made them motorable. The roads that were

66 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT swept away in the devastating floods in July-Au- ways Authority of India is allotting funds for the gust were renovated on a war footing. As of now four-laning of national highway. a total of 6055 km road was refurbished. Aimed Compensation is being given from the state at its lasting durability 2,621 km roads was up- funds for the land taken over by the state gov- graded to the status of BM&BC standards. ernment in the Karamana-Kaliyikkavila region, Administrative sanction to carry out works to as per 2013 policy. The damages are being given the tune of Rs 386.96 crore, Rs 448.25 crore and based on the social impact study. It includes the Rs 882.78 crore was allotted for the years 2016- value of the land plus value for other structures, 17, 2017-18 and 2018-19. Works were carried including the buildings that stand on the property. out to the tune of Rs 68.11 crore by including b. An independent company will be set them in the disaster management fund. up for the purpose and loans will be b. Novel concept called ‘Mobile Road sourced from the cooperative sector. Repair Unit’ was conceived at govern- Not yet implemented. ment level to expedite the repair of pot- holes on roads and thereby reduce the Will take strong efforts to improve number of road mishaps. 220 the public transport system by The cost effective Kanthal Mix prepared by the bringing down the traffic snarls Kerala Highway Research Institute could suc- due to ever-increasing number of cessfully address the potholes on roads. The vehicles, accidents and environmental government plans to expand its use. pollution. A Green transport system such as electric/battery driven vehicles, c. The clause of long-term maintenance CNG buses, Metro/Light rail systems, contract will be included in the fresh MEMU will be promoted in a phased bids for important roads. manner. The contracts for the projects have been stipu- The State Electric Vehicle policy has been lated with conditions of long-term maintenance. okayed. The main purpose of the policy is to Such a tender work is in progress for the 590 km start environment-friendly electric vehicles, and road. The work of 25 km road of RICK has been avoid stereotype fossil fuels such as petrol and completed with 15-year maintenance contract. diesel and thereby bring down the atmospheric Besides, sanction has been given to undertake pollution. 162.39km roads spread across Alappuzha, Er- nakulam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, The green measures are sure to propel a steady Kottayam, Idukki and Pathanamthitta districts growth in the technology and job sectors. As with a 15-year maintenance contract. Kozhi- part of switching on to the eco-friendly mode kode town development project was completed of transportation, the state-owned KSRTC has through Kerala Road Fund Board by including taken the lead by launching 10 electric buses 15-year maintenance contract. Tender process and one CNG bus. Electric charging centres and was completed and the project commenced in CNG filling stations were opened to serve the . Land acquisition process for purpose. The permits for LPG/LNG/CNG/elec- Kannur City Project has started and DPR is be- tric auto rickshaws were fixed at 3000 for Kozhi- ing prepared for Kollam. kode, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram districts, of which 2000 permits were set aside for electric 219 a. Complete compensation and auto rickshaws. Tax waiver of 50 per cent was rehabilitation package will be given in announced for electric auto rickshaws and 25 lieu of the land acquired. per cent for other electric vehicles. As per the Land Acquisition policy of the Cen- Safe Kerala Project: It is a state-wide proj- tral Government of 2013, the National High- ect which was implemented following the suc-

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 67 India’s first solar boat service cess of the Sabarimala Safe Zone project. 51 new A Skywalk project exclusively for the pedestrians enforcement squads were set up in the Motor is being set into place in Kottayam district. The Vehicles Department taking the total number project has been framed to build foot overbridg- to 85 for which 187 additional posts of assistant es in Thiruvananthapuram in areas such as East motor vehicle inspectors (AMVI), 65 motor Fort Medical College and Cotton Hill School. vehicle inspectors and 10 RTOs were created. The Public Works Department has undertaken The required number of candidates who cleared works of a network of parks, foot overbridges, the PSC exam got into the job as AMVIs after flyovers and subways. An in-principle nod has undergoing training. Steps were taken to make been granted to construct a cycleway along the available the required number of vehicles for the coastal highway as per the availability of land. project on wet lease with the financial backing b. None of the roads or bridges built of Kerala Road Safety Authority. The final phase by the state government are toll based. of work is progressing to set up control rooms. Will abolish illegal toll collection. Kerala Road Safety Authority: After the The government has not introduced a toll sys- LDF government came to power a total of Rs tem in any of the newly-built roads or bridges, 50.61 crore was disbursed during the period and abolished the system in as many as 27 bridg- from 2015-16 to 2018-19 through the Road es of the state government where the toll collec- Safety Authority to undertake road safety activ- tion was enforced. ities such as Subha Yatra project (Rs 7 crore) of the Police Department and installation of traf- a. A comprehensive revival package fic signals and renovation of the traffic system 222 for the debt-ridden KSRTC will be (Rs 2.62 crore). The other expenses include Rs implemented. 2.82 crore for Sabarimala Safe Zone Project, Rs 1crore to resolve black spots and Rs 4.5 crore for The preliminary report on the proposed com- trauma care. prehensive rejuvenation package submitted by Susheel Khanna-headed panel is being imple- 221 a. A comprehensive project to build mented in cooperation with KSRTC employees. separate pathways for cyclists and As part of the package an amount of Rs 3,350 pedestrians, a network of parks, foot crore has been taken from the consortium of overbridges, flyovers and subways was nationalised banks at an interest rate of 9.2% formulated and implemented. for 20 years. This will help the KSRTC from the

68 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT monthly loan payment of Rs 60 crore. The ra- service in Alappuzha. Tourist boat service was tio of employees in KSRTC was cut short from started at Parassinikadavu of Kannur district by 8:37 to 6:85. Owing to the success of the revival the Water Transport Department with a view to projects the KSRTC, for the first time, was able exploiting the tourism potential of the Malabar to give salary to its employees from its own fund region. Besides, a new boat service was launched in January 2019. in the Azheekal-Mattool route. Two water taxis b. Will ensure the KSRTC employees get will begin service by June 2019. pension on time. 224 Freight movement system connecting After the LDF Government came to power, it has the harbours of Vizhinjam, Kochi, provided KSRTC loan of Rs Rs 2,246.15 crore. Ponnani, Beypore, Azhikode and An agreement was signed between cooperative Bekkal will soon be operational. The societies, government and KSRTC to disburse feasibility study will be conducted to pension through the consortium of cooperative start high-speed ferry service from banks. This has helped the KSRTC to disburse Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram. pension to 39,000 retired hands without fail. If found to be practical, measures will c. Will safeguard the routes of KSRTC. be expedited to put the system into effect and fix the existing issues in A supplemental inter-state agreement on the commutation. bus route between Kerala and Tamil Nadu was signed, which would facilitate KSRTC to con- A Maritime Board was formed. The subsidy was duct services in 49 new routes enabling an ad- hiked from Rs 1 to Rs 3 to encourage coastal ditional distance of up to 8,753 km. Stern action shipping. will be taken against parallel service operators to safeguard the KSRTC routes. The government is 225 An action plan is being formulated taking conscious efforts to give due thrust to the for the expansion of NW-3 (Kollam- public transport sector as it is largely viewed as Vizhinjam, Kottapuram-Kasargod). a safe mode of transport system for the common But the Central Government’s man. announcement and further proceedings are required in this regard. Will revive waterways and interior 223 The National Waterway from Kollam to Kotta- waterways. National Waterway-3 puram is under the control of the Inland Wa- (Kollam-Kottapuram) will be terways Authority of India. The detailed project completely made transportable. An action plan will be chalked out to report for the National Waterway from Kottapu- enhance the role of waterways in the ram to Kozhikode is being prepared by the In- overall transportation sector from the land Waterways Authority of India. The water- current 1% to 5% in the next five years. way from Kozhikode to Neeleswaram is being jointly set up Inland Navigation Department ‘Vega 120’, the first high-speed AC boat in the and Kerala Waterways Infrastructure Limit- state, has become operational in the -Er- ed. The development of national waterways nakulam route. It moves at a speed of 25km/hr. from to Kollam is vested with the ‘Vega 120’ covers a distance of 33 kilometre be- Inland Navigation Department. The project is tween Vaikom and Ernakulam in just one-and- expected to be completed in 2020. The Par- half hours! vathy Puthanar has been cleaned as part of The most modern steel boat ‘Lakshya’, that ad- the project. The cleaning work of the Canoli heres to the IRS specification of global stan- Canal in is currently under dards, has been launched. Five Lakshya boats way. Freight movement has started along the each with a seating capacity of 75 have started national way, from Kochi to Kottayam.

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 69 226 a. The Smart Road project will be over to the Railways. Land takeover is progress implemented in a phased manner to for the rail doubling at Ettumanoor-Kottayam stop non-provocative forced vehicle and Kottayam-Chingavanam stretches. Punal- checks causing inconvenience to people ur-Chengotta Meter Gauge has been converted travelling with families. into Broad Gauge and services started in the route. The electrification work was completed in A committee has been set up to study the Smart the -Mangalapuram stretch. Road project. b. Several measures, including a sepa- 229 Will put pressure on the Central rate parking lot adjoining the road, will Government to complete the work of be facilitated for the differently-abled. Kanjikode Railway Coach factory and make it operational. Special parking mechanisms for the different- ly-abled is being set up at all public spaces, in- The government has exerted pressure on the cluding government institutions, railway and Centre. bus stations, and airports. Instructions have been given to initiate special measures for vehi- 230 The state government will set up cles carrying children. a company in association with the Railways for the four-laning of 227 Steps to be taken to improve the Thiruvananthapuram-Mangalapuram standards of driving schools. route. The newly set up track will be used to run high-speed trains, and The decision was taken to improve the quality of the government will take efforts to driving instructors across the state by imparting bring the matter before the Central them Road Safety Authority-aided training pro- Government so as to get the support grammes through IDTR at Edappal in Malap- and participation of the government. puram. The final phase of work is progressing. Aimed at the railway development of the state, Besides, drivers of school buses are given special the government has launched Kerala Rail De- training programmes. Automatic Vehicle Test- velopment Corporation, for which the Central ing Centre and Driving Testing Centres have Government will have considerable stake. A de- started functioning. Steps are being taken to ex- tailed project report is being prepared for high- pand the facility to all districts. speed rail corridor project from Thiruvanantha- puram to Kasaragod. 228 The government will pressurize the Central Government to complete 231 Will make a strong intervention before the rail doubling in the stretches the Central Government to complete of Chengannur-Piravom, - various rail projects on priority basis, Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram- such as the -Tirunavaya rail Nagarcoil on priority basis. Will project, Sabari project, Thalassery- make timely interventions for route, rail link connecting the electrification of Shoranur- Erumeli and Punalur-Chengottai Mangalapuram route on priority basis. route and initiating construction of Land acquisition was completed from Changa- -Nanchankodu rail track. nassery to Chingavanam and from Ettumanoor The survey proceedings for Sabari project are to Kuruppanthara for rail doubling. The Changa- underway. The Kerala Rail Development Corpo- nassery-Chingavanam route was commissioned ration has been entrusted with the construction in December 2018. The entire land required for of Thalassery-Mysore and Nilambur-Nanchan- the rail doubling in the Amabalappuzha-Har- kodu rail lines. The state has evinced interest to ipad stretch has been acquired and handed bear half the expenses with regard to acquiring

70 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT land to make -Panathoor Kaniyoor have been taken to acquire land for the flyovers rail route a reality. at Pattom and Ulloor.

232 Will ensure the completion and 233 Multi-mode Logistics Park in Kochi effectiveness of Kochi Metro and and integrated freight movement Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode facility at important commercial Light Metro projects. centres will come into force. Transit The works of the Kochi Metro from to hubs will be opened in main cities. Palarivattom and Palarivattom to Maharaja’s Not yet started. College have been completed, and that of the extended stretch to Pettah is nearing comple- 234 Special development package with tion. The project report of the second phase of the participation of NRIs and the Kochi Metro towards Kakkanad has been sub- cooperative sector will come into effect mitted to Central Government. The work of the for the development of the Kozhikode Panniyankara overbridge, as part of the Light international airport Metro project in Kozhikode has concluded. In Thiruvananthapuram, Light Metro-related de- The Cabinet has given the nod for land acquisi- velopment works such as land acquisition for tion. Intervened to facilitate landing of big air- Sreekariyam flyover is progressing. Initial steps craft. IRRIGATION

235 The Water Resources Department The plan for the remaining panchayats will be will be reconstituted on the basis of prepared by May, after which district protection river basins and would be linked with plan will be prepared. the activities of the Groundwater b. A network of checkdams and Department. regulators will be constructed based Discussions were held with all concerned on the scientific study of converting regarding the formation of a River Basin rivers into reservoirs. Schemes will be Management Authority and in-principle nod formulated for recharging groundwater. granted. Efforts are on to simultaneously It has been decided to build 28 regulators in at reconstitute the department. least 20 rivers by devising projects to convert rivers themselves into reservoirs with the help 236 a. Local self-governments would of regulators and checkdams. The DPR of 16 prepare water conservation and regulators were submitted before KIIFB, of protection projects for small water which one got the approval. Progress report is shed–based system with public being prepared after conducting the inspection participation. They would also be and design of other related activities. To ensure entrusted to frame water protection availability of water for agriculture checkdams, policy based on river basins by VCB and RCB are built by bringing it under appropriately merging them. various need-based plan schemes. All local self-government institutions in the All panchayats coming under the phase 2 state set up technical committees under the of Jala Nidhi scheme have prepared Water leadership of Haritha Keralam Mission for water Security Plan. Groundwater rejuvenation conservation. Watershed plan in 898 panchayats, schemes specific to each project area as per the 73 municipalities and 2 Corporations, and geographic requirements were chalked out. As watershed masterplan have been prepared. many as 1,777 groundwater recharging projects

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 71 were taken up under the Jala Nidhi programme, NSS workers around 60,000 samples were of which 1,753 were completed. 203 projects examined in the current fiscal using field test were done during 2018-19 fiscal. kits under Jala Nidhi. The Groundwater Department has completed b. A common system will be put in place 78 open well/recharge pits projects in various at school labs with the help of higher districts in the year 2018-19. It has also secondary teachers and students. completed 5 and 2 borewell recharging projects Government-approved water quality testing in Kasaragod and Idukki districts respectively. centres will be set up at government higher Groundwater nourishment activities through secondary schools. Steps are being taken in open well were conducted in areas, including association with Haritha Keralam Mission. Palakkad district’s Chittoor, with government notification. Steps were taken to effect artificial a. The existing mega irrigation recharging methods through borewells on an 239 projects will be strictly monitored experimental basis in these areas. A specially and evaluated. Indispensable projects designed borewell recharge programme for will be implemented on a time-bound Plaachimada and surrounding areas of Palakkad manner. New projects will be taken will be implemented in the 2019-20 fiscal. up only after the existing ones are completed. 237 a. Stringent punitive measures to be taken against pollution of water bodies. The activities of mega irrigation projects at Muvattupuzha Valley, Idamalayar, Karappuzha Kerala Irrigation and Water Conservation Act and Banasura Sagar dams will be reviewed on 2003 was amended to prevent the pollution of the basis of technical committee report prepared water bodies and rivers. The revised legislation by the Kerala State Planning Board. Efforts calls for a minimum of 1 year and a maximum of are under way for their timely completion. 3 years’ imprisonment and fine of Rs 2 lakh. The Muvattupuzha irrigation project is set to be Act has the provision to give dual punishment commissioned by March 2020. at a time. (Notification number 24395/ LegF2/2017 Law dt. 03/07/2018 Act 16 of 2018 b. Water supply via irrigation projects The Kerala Irrigation and Water Conservation as per the crop calendar will be made (Amendment) Act 2018. effective. Irrigation facilities would be made available in more farmlands. b. Will set up a mechanism for the safe An action plan will be chalked out in disposal of excretory waste. association with local self-governing The construction of waste water eradication bodies for this purpose. system is fast progressing at Guruvayur Steps were taken to irrigate more agrarian areas. township. It will be partially completed by May, 2019. Sanction for Rs 30 crore was accorded Water supply from mega irrigation projects is through AMRUT scheme to set up a 12 MLD based on crop calendar. To provide irrigation sewerage treatment plant at in facilities to more farmlands, officials with . Besides sewage treatment the Irrigation Department and Agricultural system in the cities of Thiruvananthapuram and Department are jointly conducting inspection Kochi will be expanded by including it under of land. They will then frame an action plan AMRUT scheme. fixing the priority of irrigation projects. 238 a. Accredited centres will be set up at 240 a. The functions of CADA will be all local bodies to determine the water reconstituted. Will frame a local quality. masterplan to utilise the service of MGNREGS workers to protect branch With the help of local bodies, and ASHA and

72 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT canals, distributaries, field booths and included in the plan scheme. An amount of Rs canals for rain water flow etc. 14 crore has been allocated for various districts in the 2018-19 fiscal, and Rs 8 crore in the 2019- Work is being undertaken from the fund of Rs 7 20 fiscal. Further formalities are being adopted. crore sanctioned in 2018-19 for the renovation of CADA channels in projects such as Chittoor There will be separate proposals to river, , Pothandi, Mangalam and 241 solve the water crisis in the rain shadow Cheramangalam. CADA activities are on for region. Muvattupuzha irrigation project by including it under AIBP. Fund to the tune of Rs 2.90 crore To rejuvenate the ponds and construct check has received the administrative sanction and dams, VCB etc and implement 26 other fresh bid was invited for carrying out the work. related activities in the rain shadow regions of Besides, Rs 10 crore was earmarked for the Kollengode and Chittoor blocks of Palakkad renovation of CADA channels in the 2019-20 districts, the government has approved a sum state budget. Steps are progressing to submit of Rs 1013.4 lakh, of which 4 tasks have been DPR for the works concerned. Functions of finished and 5 are progressing. Steps are being various committees based on the CADA project taken to implement the remaining works. In will be strengthened. 2018-19 fiscal the government approved Rs 950 lakh by including MI project under Cauvery b. Small-scale irrigation projects basin to construct water storage structures in and novel irrigation systems with the rain shadow regions of Idukki and Wayanad enhanced water use efficiency such as districts. drip fertigation, micro irrigation, and precision farming will be popularised. KIIFB has given the sanction to Kerala Water Authority to go ahead with a project worth Rs Ministerial-level meetings were held between the 23.77 crore to aid the rain shadow panchayats Water Resources and Agricultural departments of Kozhinjampara, Vadakarapathy and to study the feasibility and of Community Micro Eruthembathy in Palakkad district. A water Irrigation projects. A joint study by officials treatment plant with a capacity of 8 million of Irrigation and Agriculture departments litres, and 2 surface water reservoirs with a identified the areas where micro irrigation storage capacity of 9.8 lakh litres and 11 lakh could be promoted. In 2019-20 budget various litres respectively are included in the project. schemes were included for micro irrigation and Among them surface water reservoir with a earmarked Rs 4 crore for Irrigation Department. 9.8 lakh litres capacity and water treatment Besides, other water saving irrigation practices plant with a capacity of 8 million litres are such as drip fertigation and precision farming proposed in Eruthembathy panchayat. The that make use of advanced technology and are tender proceedings for their construction are related to micro irrigation will be boosted in a under way. The land for to build reservoir with a big way. Efforts are on to execute community storage capacity of 11 lakh litre at Vadakarapathy micro irrigation project on a pilot basis at 10 needs the approval of the Revenue Department. panchayats in the districts of Thrissur, Palakkad, Steps have been taken in this regard. Once the Wayanad, Kozhikode and Idukki in association approval is obtained tender would be invited for with the Agriculture Department. the project concerned. The detailed engineering c. Many irrigation projects, owing to report regarding the distribution network for 3 mechanical failure and other faults, are panchayats is in the final stage. on the verge of ruins. Plans are on the b. Special thrust would be laid on the cards for their revival and enhancing above mentioned irrigation schemes efficiency. with less water use in the places with Aimed at the revival of several non-operational acute (eg Kozhinjampara lift irrigation projects in the state, they are and Vadakarapathy in Chittoor taluk).

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 73 Land acquisition is under way as part of and Change has given the approval extending Moolathara right bank canal of for terms of reference to conduct Environment Chitturpuzha irrigation project from Korayar Impact Assessment (EIA) study with conditions. to Varattayar. Besides, steps have been taken to Accordingly, the state has adopted measures prepare DPR for the work for stretching from to go ahead with EIA study for constructing a Varattayar to Velanthavalam. new dam. The government aims to achieve a consensus on the matter. Measures have been taken to frame the DPR for Kuriyarkutty-Karapara project that is expected a. A special action plan to be framed to resolve water shortage in the rain shadow 243 for eradicating water pollution and regions, regulate flood and facilitate power protecting rivers. generation. Revival measures were implemented in several 242 a. A permanent action force to be areas such as Kanapuzhayaar, Pallikalaar formed for a time-bound and timely and Poonoorar on the linesof rejuvenation review of inter-state river water methods adopted at Varattar, Kolarayaar and river agreements. Kuttamperoor. Local bodies and Haritha Keralam Mission will jointly take forward the campaign, An advisory committee has been formed to that has reaped success stories in several areas, to make timely and time-bound review of river resurrect all rivers facing death threat. water agreements and provide opinions and advice to the government on the matter. The Sanction was accorded for a Rs 25-crore project activities of the panel will be monitored and to reconstruct Aamayazhinjan canal from necessary steps taken accordingly. to Akkulam after removing the sludge. A project worth Rs 27 lakh is b. Pampa- rivers will not being implemented for the revival measures of be brought under river linking project. Pandivayal canal. Government to ahead with its efforts to build a new dam at Mullaperiyar. b. Pampa action plan to be effected on a warfooting. The government is totally against the linking of Pampa, Achankovil and Vaippar rivers. The Aimed at making Pampa river pollution free and government’s stand on the matter was repeatedly for its protection, Pampa River Basin Authority asserted by the state’s representatives before has adopted measures to prepare a detailed the technical advisory committee of NWDA project report of phase- II of Pampa action that prepared the feasibility study report, plan. Several meetings were convened which governing body and at annual general body was attended by people’s representatives and meetings. The state has got the assurance from officials of Irrigation Department, Kerala Water the NWDA during its various meetings that Authority, Kerala State Pollution Control Board, no further proceedings will happen in the river Forest Department, Devaswom and LSGD. merging project without the consent of Kerala. Almost all the departments have submitted their The state is taking all precautionary measures, draft proposals. A codified draft proposal to the both at department level and government tune of Rs 1607 crore has been prepared. level, to thwart any attempt to enforce Pampa- c. Will implement Lake Achancovil-Vaippar link project. rejuvenation programme. Kerala is going ahead with its efforts to get The revival programme is being implemented permission to build a new dam at Mullaperiyar to under State Wetland Authority. meet the larger interest of safety of public life and property and taking into account the depleting d. Action plan to be prepared for strength of the existing dam. On November cleaning canals and sub-canals at local 14, 2018 the Ministry of Environment, Forests body level.

74 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 202 km river and and 18,138 km canal were paddyfields of Kuttanad taluk and renovation of revived under the auspices of Haritha Keralam bund are progressing. Mission. Renovation of pond and then The Kerala Water Authority has prepared a connecting them with irrigation canals will be revised detailed engineering report to the implemented under Haritha Keralam Mission. tune of Rs 289 crore to address the water crisis An amount of Rs 131 has been earmarked for in Kuttanad belt, by including it in KIIFB’s the year of 2019-’20 2017-18 plan. A water treatment plant, high- level reservoirs meant for 13 panchayats and Kuttanad package to be completed. 244 a distribution network are part of the project Bringing out a new crop calendar and which is awaiting the nod of KIIFB. The closing down of Thanneermukkom project targets to provide potable water to 1.9 bund shutters will help mitigate the lakh population living in Thalavadi, , pollution in Kuttanad to a great extent. Thakazhi, , , Ramankari, The Kuttanad drinking water project will Chambakullam, , , be completed to thwart water crisis. Pulinkunnu, Kainakari, and Schemes such as KEL-1, KEL-2, KEL-3 and Veliyanad panchayats. KEL-4 have been implemented through Central Rs 70-crore Kuttanad drinking water project that assistance by bringing it under flood control was approved by the 13th Finance Commission programme. KEL-1, that comprises 14 rice fields is progressing in three packages, of which the of Nedumudi panchayat has been completed. first one has been fully completed. The second Rani and Chithira varieties that come under package has covered 98% and third package has KEL-2, outer bund protection of C&D Lake and completed 79 % pipeline work and 5 % of the other flood control related activities, Kochar work related to overhead tank has been finished. channel that directly links with Vembanad lake will be completed. Agriculture was restarted in Will take measures to treat used water. the backwater stretches after two decades. 245 Recycling units were set up under the supervision A project worth Rs 379.05 crore for the outer of CWRDM. bund protection of 231 Kuttanad paddyfields under KEL scheme received the Central Expert studies have shown various Government approval and was sanctioned 246 crops are irrigated 23 times of their Rs 106.13 crore in the 11th Plan. 48 of the 57 requirement. To reduce the use of water activities that come under the scheme were certain crops will be watered through completed, while 9 were terminated. Nine of sprinkler irrigation system. the 21 activities KEL-4 scheme concluded. The remaining 11 activities are expected to get over Steps are under way to implement Community in June 2019, while one in October. Besides, Micro Irrigation project that includes drip activities such as the construction of bunds in irrigation.

DRINKING WATER

247 a. Social auditing will be conducted tanks and taps, water quality, efficiency on all water supply projects (mega and of water treatment, the issues etc. micro). It will evaluate the strength of Kerala Water Authority’s social audit on Jala sources, availability, the exact number Nidhi projects is in the initial stages. of consumers, efficiency of existing water b. Old projects, if required, would be distribution, the condition of pipes, restored.

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 75 2,176 projects are being completed in 115 249 Kerala Water Authority will be panchayats as part of the second phase of Jala reconstituted. The bad debt will be Nidhi. Among the selected panchayats for the avoided. Distribution losses will be projects, 410 small projects were stalled either substantially reduced. On the basis of partially or fully in 74 panchayats. They were the MOU with the government, losses absorbed into the Jala Nidhi, commissioned 406 will be subsidized. schemes, and have distributed water to 29,989 households. The yet-to-fulfilled four schemes Steps are being taken to reduce the distribution will be completed by April 30, 2019 so that 147 loss. Steps for the approval of 24x7 water sup- families will get the benefit of water supply. ply system project worth Rs 2500 crores initi- ated with ADB assistance, for cities and some The 44 single panchayat schemes of KWA that villages of Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi is in were not fully operational were modified and progress. After the implementation of this proj- completed, and water is currently provided to ect there will be no interruption for the avail- 8817 families. ability of potable water at any time. Along with this, it is targeted to reduce the distribution loss 248 a. Mega projects are essential to address by 20%. Initiatives in relation to this project are the water in cities. According to census, progressing. After the implementation of this 30 per cent of families get access to project Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi will be KWA water, which would be raised to among the first cities in India with 24 hour po- 50 per cent. table water availability. An additional 4.26 lakh water connections were The government order has been passed to com- sanctioned after the LDF government came to plete the electricity charge dues of the Kerala power. 57% population of the state are supplied Water Authority to KSEB amounting Rs 1326.69 quality water by providing 23.97 lakh domestic crores (as on 30.09.2018) within four years. and non-domestic connections, 2.1 lakh public taps through the existing 1,187 projects. The water tax dues that the local self governing bodies had to pay the water authority has been b. Will restore the previous projects, revised to an interest rate of 6%, and as the first and make water treatment facilities three instalments of the same, Rs 84.95 crores effective. has been reduced from the grants of the local 108 of the 124 proposals submitted to KIIFB got self governing bodies and paid to the water au- the sanction of Rs 382.64 crore. 19 proposals are thority. The government instructed the above under the consideration of KIIFB. amount to be transferred to KSEB, and in accor- dance to this, KSEB was paid. Initiatives for the Work to the tune of Rs 143.45 crore got the re-organization of the Kerala Water Authority administrative sanction under AMRUT scheme have been started. to replace outdated and faulty pipes with new ones. Of this job worth Rs 10.68 crore have Initiation and implementation of been finished, while works to the tune of Rs 250 water welfare projects will be reviewed. 132.14 crore is progressing in various stages A separate scheme will be formed to and tender for the works worth Rs 0.63 crore is review these projects. being examined. All activities that got approval through AMRUT scheme will be completed by A project worth Rs 12.95 crores was sanctioned March 31, 2020. in the 2018-19 financial year in accordance to the new administrative approval, for the res- Administrative sanction of Rs 89.97 Cr for toration and renovation of the potable water installing new pipes by removing old ones and distribution schemes that were implemented Rs 15. 81 Cr for the revival of the water treatment in the first phase of the water welfare scheme, plant has been accorded by including them in which were fully or partially halted. According the State Plan.

76 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT ‘BANDICOOT’-the robot used to clean manholes. This was developed by young engineers as per start-up project to this, the first phase of renovation in 211 completed by December 2019. schemes was implemented to provide potable water supply to approximately 14000 families 251 Protection of wells have to be given residing 64 grampanchayaths of Thrissur, Pal- special importance as more than 60% akkad, Malappuram, and Kozhikode districts. of the Kerala population depends on Technical permit has been provided and ini- wells for potable water. System for the tial activities started for 172 renovation and maintenance of wells and ponds, their restoration schemes that were done in collab- recharging in ,and quality oration with the beneficiary committee and evaluations, will be made available in gram panchayath, and with their financial all local self bodies. shares. All the works are expected to be com- Through the ‘Mazhavella Sambarana Bhoojala pleted by May 31, 2019. Pariposhanam’ programme organized by water The government has given approval for a welfare, which focuses and prioritizes on gram scheme worth Rs 55 crores in the 2019-20 panchayaths with insufficient potable water cov- financial year, for the renovation and resto- erage, rain water harvesters with a capacity of ration of the ineffective schemes that were ini- 10,000 L were constructed and provided to 1526 tiated in 112 gram panchayaths as part of the families in 10 gram panchayaths in the current first phase. Survey activities as part of this are financial year. With this programme, 7160 fami- being conducted. Activities are expected to be lies in 34 gram panchayaths were covered.

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 77 10 gram panchayaths were selected in the cur- Sewage activities to expanded to villages. rent financial year for initiating the well recharg- 252 ing scheme, and as part of it, tender procedures Activities to extend the benefits of sewage were completed. But water welfare had to raise scheme are being carried out, by including them separate finance for resolving the destructive loss- in AMRUT scheme. As part of it, the activities es caused to potable water supply schemes by the on the side of the Corporation have started ex- recent floods. It was decided that the scheme will pansion. The activities of Sewage networks in Guruvayoor Muncipality are in its final stage. be implemented in the new financial year, as Rs 5 crores from the total budget allocated for the well As part of the AMRUT scheme, a joint project recharging scheme had been re-allocated. of Central and State Government, the Kerala Water Authority has started to implement 115 13 small scale potable water schemes, renova- activities worth Rs 203.36 crores for the sew- tion of 31 potable water schemes, repair of 2044 erage systems in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, hand-pumps, construction of 15 tube-wells/ and Kollam cities, which had received admin- bore-wells, have been completed in the 2018- istrative approval. 113 sewerage activities (Rs 19 financial year using the plan funds of the 194.36 crores) of the 115 activities (Rs 203.36 Ground Water Based Potable water Scheme. crores) that received administrative approval in Through the scheme, potable water was made three action plans (2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18), available to two organizations and 25,558 fami- has been given technical permit by the Kerala lies in 14 districts. 283 small scale potable water Water Authority, and these activities were ten- schemes, construction of 130 tube-wells/bore- dered. Agreement has been given to 88 activi- wells, have been completed in various schemes ties (Rs 93.80 crores) of these. 37 of these have of the various panchayaths, government orga- been completed. Water Authority plans to com- nizations, M.L.A.S.D.F, and M.P Lad. Through plete all schemes that received approval through these schemes potable water was made accessi- the AMRUT scheme by 2020 March 31, and to ble to 15,668 families. make the benefits available to the public. Out of the renovation of 536 ponds for which 253 The Government systems will be administrative approval was given by the Kerala expanded to restrict the retail price of Irrigation Department, renovation activities of bottled water, to make it available at 269 ponds were completed. low price. 8675 ponds were newly constructed, 9889 ponds KIIDC has been distributing bottled water in the restored, 4625 wells renovated, and recharging name of ‘Hilly Aqua’. Business-based production systems installed in 48936 wells, under the lead- shall be started from Kerala Water Authority’s ership of the Haritha Kerala Mission. Bottled Water Factory Plant, given approval from the departments of Bureau of In- 8675 ponds and 15000 potable water wells dia Standard and F.S.S.A.I, are received and de- were newly constructed in the last three years, cisions taken in terms of production, catering, through the local self governing organizations. and marketing.

WASTE DISPOSAL 254 Decentralized Processing Technologies included for the same. Safe food will will be extended in order to boost be ensured by combining bio-waste the processing of waste at source. preservation and kitchen farming at Processing organic waste in its source homes. will be encouraged. The techniques It has been decided to grant 10% amount from consisting of Composting Biogas, the scheme share of local self governing insti- and Earthworm Composting will be tutes for the processing of source waste. On this

78 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT basis local self governing organizations have cling agencies. started implementing source waste processing schemes. 256 Conservation groups that acquired training will be constituted for the To ensure source waste processing at house- preservation and processing of solid holds, 50% subsidy was being given by the gov- waste The functioning of these groups ernment, for establishing systems like bio gas will be regulated under the supervision plants, vermin-compost, ring compost, pipe of local government organizations. compost, and kitchen bin composting. Residence Associations will be given Currently, categorized waste collection is be- the role of leadership. ing done in 21.29 lakhs households. Over this, Under the Haritha Kerala Mission 36 Haritha systems have been established for processing helping organizations have been selected. waste in their source, in 30.19 lakhs households, Agreement process of Haritha helping organiza- 29,420 organizations, and 2003 community sec- tions with their respective local self governing tors. Through these, 3537.69 tonne bio-waste is bodies is in progress. Initial activities have al- decomposed every day. Bio-gas plants are func- ready started. tioning in 84531 households, 1320 organiza- tions, and 98 community sectors. 257 Electronic, bio medical, and lethal wastes will be collected and handed 255 Resource Recovery Centre will be over to Central Government affiliated constructed for the collection and agencies. safe disposal of non bio waste. This will be constructed as a Kudumbasree Clean Kerala Company is separately collect- initiative under the leadership of ing e-wastes, especially lethal wastes, including local self government organizations. tube light, CFL, printer cartridges, CDs, broken These initiatives will be capable of monitors, and bulbs, and scientifically process- handling the safe disposal of harmful ing it. These lethal wastes are processed in rec- waste emanating from households ognized organizations. Clean Kerala Company and organizational levels and from has handed over 1319 tonnes of e-waste and 47 electronic wastes. Bio manure tonnes of lethal waste to recognized agencies. production and distribution can also be handled. 258 Public toilets which are women friendly as well in working condition will be Haritha Karma Sena, under the local self gov- ensured at public places. Highway erning bodies, is assigned to collect no bio waste comfort stations will be built at every from households and organizations. 480 Ma- 50 kms. This sanitation chain will be terial Collection Facility (M.C.F) systems were functioning in the co-ordination of started to collect bio waste. 117 Resource Re- existing petrol pumps and highway covery Facility (R.R.F) systems have been estab- canteens. lished to process non-recyclable plastic under 50 microns, and to shred plastic covers in the block Of the 924 public toilets under the city corpora- level, for secondary categorization. tion, 411 are women-friendly. 83 of the 457 pub- lic toilets in panchayaths are women-friendly. 59 646.39 metric tonne shredded plastics have been highway comfort stations and 699 public toilets produced using these facilities, of which 193.61 in petrol pumps and highway canteens exist. metric tonne has been given to Public Works department and 284.90 metric to Local Self 259 a. A campaign in popular planning Governing Bodies for road constructions. Clean model will be formulated across the state Kerala Company collected 1319 tonne electron- for the safe processing of wastes and ic wastes and handed it over to recognized recy- protection of environment, health etc.

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 79 It is for a sustainable solution for the waste man- b. The usage of products like plastics agement issues in Kerala, that Haritha Kerala that cause harm to the environment will mission started the campaign Freedom from be reduced and substituted by other Waste. The campaign activities started in all dis- products. tricts on August 15, 2017. Suchitwa Mission encourages Green Protocol as The ultimatum of this campaign is to make part of discouraging the use of non bio degrad- Kerala waste-free by eradicating waste from able waste like plastics. Green Protocol has been regions under each local self governing sector. imposed in all public programmes in the state, This includes cleaning at households, colonies, and almost all religious festivals, with the aim of flat complexes, business organizations, markets, minimizing the usage of disposable waste. trade organizations. Schemes have been imple- mented for waste management in community Cleanliness and health protection levels, for houses with space limitations. 260 activities will be linked to national and Household Surveys, vivara-vinjaana vyaapana international activities against global activities were conducted efficiently, by select- warming. ed trained volunteers. Selected 3000 volunteers A workshop on Global Warming was conducted in the state-district level, 25,000 volunteers in block level, and 2.75 lakh volunteers in local under the leadership of the environment depart- self government ward level, were given training. ment. Activities focusing on reduce-reuse prin- These volunteers from 1034 local self govern- ciples have been organized in the state against ing institutions visited 68,66,332 houses to col- global warming. lect information and to educate the households about processing of source waste. The state has 261 Laws will be executed for taking severe given recognition in 7 locations for schemes that measures against people who pollute generate energy from waste. air and water.

The team led by Chief Minister visits waste treatment plant in Geneva

80 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT Local self administration department frames mathur, Kannadippuzha, and Korayar Puzha. laws including high fine against the people who Since it was observed that the boundary walls pollute the environment. of the rivers were collapsing leading to the wid- ening of the rivers, side protection activities for Macro projects will come into action 262 strengthening the boundary walls have been for the rejuvenation and preservation organized through the Employment Guarantee of water resources like rivers, ponds, Scheme. The strengthening is done withrama- lakes etc. Water resource conservation cham, kayarbhoovasthram, growing attuvanchi samithis will be shaped for this purpose chedi,bamboo etc. along the river banks.Activ- in Kerala. ities related to construction of bunds, to ensure In the last three years, the State has taken ex- proper water flow through distributaries and treme initiative in the guaranteed job scheme construction of rainwater harvesting pits, in for the rejuvenation of rivers. The rivers that catchment areas are progressing. require rejuvenation are selected in the district Activities have been taken up by the Employ- level, and active participation of guaranteed job ment Guarantee Scheme to reconstruct tra- scheme employees is ensured. The participation ditional water sources like common ponds. has been utilized in the revival activities of Varat- Samithis have been designed under the local self tar (Pathanamthitta), Killiyar (Thiruvanantha- bodies for the protection of water sources. puram), Kuttanperur (Alappuzha), Meenachilar (Kottayam), Karumathur (Kannur), Processed waste will be utilized for (Malappuram), Kannadippuzha (Palakkad), 263 agriculture. Gayathri Puzha (Palakkad), and Korayar Puzha (Palakkad). Of these, the rejuvenation activities Manure from regional processing units is being have been completed in Kuttanperur, Karu- used widely in agriculture.

HEALTH

264 a. Extension and renovation of from 0.6 percent gross state domestic government hospitals will be given product through a yearly increase of 1 prominence in health policy percent. Emphasis has been given to cater the health care Steps are in progress. needs of the total population. Along with it pri- oritised health policies were formed and imple- 265 Health insurance scheme will be mented like controlling epidemic diseases and limited to government and medium thereby reducing death rates and afflicted rates, private hospitals by avoiding large scale controlling life style diseases in the primary lev- corporate hospitals. The share gained el, activating health care facilities, raising stan- from this scheme will be utilised for dard and increasing primary health care centres, the upgrading of infrastructure in controlling complex illnesses in the secondary government hospitals. Free treatment level, modernization of treatment facilities in for cancer, brain tumour, kidney secondary and tertiary levels, implementation problem and liver diseases will be of referral scheme in tertiary level, arranging ensured. techniques for controlling the inevitable in the State has unified existing schemes like RRSBY, health sector. CHIS, CHIS PLUS and KARUNYA into Karun- b. Health expenditure of the state gov- ya Arogya Suraksha Padhithi (KASP) and effec- ernment will be raised to five percent tively implemented it from April 1,2019. Its run

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 81 by CHIAK. Every year members of each family with respect to the standards set and each district who are recipients of this scheme will be entitled will have a strengthen hospital with advanced for a free health protection worth Rs.5Lakhs. facility. Based on one master plan activities have Government has approved extensive treatment been started for acquiring better building facili- package rates. Treatments for brain tumour, ties and hospital equipment. These activities are cancer, kidney problem, liver etc have been in- progressing through KIIFB, PLANFUND, NA- cluded in it. BARD, M.L.A, M.P Aasthi development fund. Posts for extra doctors and para medical staffs a. The facilities of government health 266 needed here were created and appointed. Pres- institutes will be extended. Staff ently district levelhospitals will be fetched with patterns including P.H.Cs will be facilities like Cardiology, Cath Lab and super modified as per the requirements. speciality facilities like Nephrology, Neurology, The aim of Ardhram scheme is to raise state’s Urology etc. Through KIIFB, process of equip- primary health centres to family health centres ping Cath Labs in 8 district level hospitals and through different stages. In the first phase 170 two government medical colleges is in progress. primary health centres were converted to fami- Under the same scheme, process of setting up of ly health centres. In the second phase extensive extra 44 dialysis centres in taluk level hospitals activity proceedings are taking place in convert- is also in a progressive stage. District / Taluk lev- ing 504 primary health centres to family health el hospitals are developing activities on district centres. These centres focus on imparting basic cancer care treatment and stroke clinics. treatments and health care on all illness for every Master plan was made for the financial assis- member of a family. These centres will be able to tance from KIIFB for integral development bring in special clinics for treating diabetes and of medical colleges of Kottayam, Ernakulam, blood pressure, and special services for psychi- Thiruvananthapuram, Wayanad, Thrissur, Mal- atric illness and asthma which are considered to abar Cancer Centre, Kochi Cancer Centre and be recent health issues in Kerala. Posts for Lab various district/ general/ taluk hospitals(21). Technicians were created and lab services were Administrative approval was given for the plan made available. New posts were created for ex- worth more than RS.5000Crores and on going tra doctors and staff nurses and the consultation activities are progressing on a speedy mode. time was extended till 6P.M. and services were extended. Through Local Self Bodies and Na- Reorganisation of O.P. Schemes in medical col- tional Health Mission, temporary appointments lege has started under the Ardram Scheme to will be done for those centres which need extra provide better facilities. doctors and paramedical staffs. State has been implementing ‘e-health’ schemes A progressive change has been started by intro- in Health Sector. In future via e-health, patients ducing services like token procedure, registra- can avail their details and lab reports. It will eas- tion centres, better seating for patients, potable ily help hospitals to transfer information and water, washroom facilities, modern techniques consultation details with other institutions and for health awareness, pre check-up by nurses, can make treatments more scientific. chambers for check-up, clinics for life style dis- Sections like Operation theatres, Anaesthesia, eases, clinics for Shwas(asthma) and Ashwas(- Dermatology, E.N.T, Gynaecology, Orthopae- mental health care) etc. Not only stress givento dics, Paediatrics, Radiology, Laboratory, Cardi- cure ailments but an effective enforcement of ology, Neurology and Urology of General hospi- primary health care including health enhance- tal, District hospital and Taluk level hospitals are ment activities, immunity, palliative care and getting renovated with new equipment’s. Also, rehabilitation is been progressing. as part of the strengthening strategy of general/ Under Ardram Mission, activities have been district/taluk level hospitals, equipment’s, hospi- started to develop each hospital in each Taluk tal furniture’s, cots, pillows for operating anaes-

82 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT The state-of-the-art- Virology Institute constructed at Thonakkal in Thiruvanthapuram. thesia, E.N.T, General medicine, Gynaecology, ed a COPD controlling scheme called ‘SWAAS’ Laboratory, Operation theatre, Orthopaedics, (Stepwise Approach for Airways Diseases). This paediatrics and Radiology departments, are to scheme is to give expert treatment after check- be purchased and steps to install generator and ing respiratory organs/lungs using Spirometer. air-conditions are in process. District level hospitals have started Palliative After this government come to power, in the health Care Chemotherapy units called ‘Abhayam’ for sector the below stated institutions has started. treating cancer patients who are in critical stage. Subsequently 20 hospitals were extended with 1. Women and Child hospital, Ponnani cancer treatment units including Chemothera- 2. District Public Health Lab, Malappuram py. Besides, for the first time in India, steps have 3. District Public Health Lab, Sulthan Batheri been taken to develop secondary level protec- tion of palliative care’s among community health 4. Regional Public Health Lab, Malappuram centres. Hereby, single posts for physiotherapist Those patients affected with fatal disease and has and staff nurse was created for 232 community an annual income below three lakhs, financial health centres and staffs were appointed through aid will be given through “Medical Assistance to National Health Mission. Poor” and it’s in prevailing stage. As part of District Mental Health Pro- To determine and treat paralysis, state’s main gramme,272 clinics were started and 2500 pa- hospitals will be effectively starting stroke units. tients were given treatment. State has 27-day Five district hospitals have already started to care centres functioning. operate the stroke units with the help of most To handle melancholia/anxiety, ASHWAAS modern technologies. clinics are working in 171 Family Health Cen- To control Diabetic Retinopathy caused by un- tres. Under the guidance of trained staffs, 27210 controllable Diabetes, clinics were started in the people were screened and 4789 people were name “Nayanamrutham”. Every district hospital detected with depression and they were given has started using Non Mydriatic Camera for Di- amenable treatments at various stages. abetic Retinopathy screening. 3193 Asha workers of 124 family health centres For identifying, controlling and treating chronic were trained and 5701 psychic patients were respiratory disease COPD, 14 district level hos- identified from 124 panchayaths and were giv- pitals and 170 family health centres have start- en treatment as part of the Complete Mental

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 83 Health Care. Necessary actions have been taken to start a Medical College at Idukki. Construction of Ac- The mother child mental health programme is ademic block is completed and Hospital block conducted in the name “Amma Manasu”. Health construction is undergoing on a fast pace. department in collaboration with National Health Mission and Medical Education Depart- A total of 1989 posts were created in Health Ed- ment, with KFOG’s (Kerala Federation of Ob- ucation Department. stetrics and Gynaecology) technical assistance, b. Facilities to offer bed treatment for started a scheme to reduce maternal mortality the patients in P.H.Cs will be done with rate in all government hospitals which have the cooperation of local self-governing child birth facility. In accordance, gynaecolo- institutes. Primary health centres will gists, nurses, and other staffs who are working be converted to family health centres. in labor rooms were given training. All hospitals were availed disposable delivery kit and dispos- Activities to convert primary health centres to able caesarean kit. Through Kerala Medical Ser- family health centres is progressing. vices Corporation, needful adequate equipment was brought and given to the hospitals. To find 267 Palliative Care Scheme will be out causes for maternal mortality, audit for ma- universalized. Actions for this be ternal mortality was implemented. unified in the P.H.C. level. To reduce childbirth mortality rate, a scheme Every Gram panchayat are implemented with is developed combinedly Health department, the state’s Palliative Care Scheme. Palliative Care National Health Mission, Health Education staff nurses were appointed with the assistance of Department and IAP (Indian Academy of local self-governing bodies and monthly around Paediatrics) is in its progressive stage. NBCC 48000 patients are receiving Palliative Care. (Newborn Care Corner), NBSU (Newborn Sta- The revolutionary change in Palliative care, has bilization Unit), SNCU (Special Newborn Care extended to the secondary level care in Com- Unit) units were started ingovernment hospitals munity Health Centres. For it, National Health which were selected among the hospitals which Mission has appointed 232 staff nurses and 232 had child birth facilities. Infant auditing is in its Physiotherapists and started secondary level implementing stage. New Born Screening Pro- care in all Community Health Centres. Through gramme to detect neo natal metabolic disorders National Health Mission every Taluk, District are in progress. and General hospitals are given secondary level After this government came into power, health palliative care. Along it,cancer depression clin- department created a total of 2143 posts out of ics started. which 1721 posts were created through Ardram Scheme. 268 Will strengthen the observation mechanism of epidemics. State started 21 Karunya pharmacies newly. Immunization programme will 721 staff nurse posts were created for five medi- implemented universally in every cal colleges after modifying the staff pattern. district with precision. Medical college started to function at Paripally. Special programme is designed and implement- 100 MBBS seats were made available. Posts were ed in the name of ‘Arogya jagratha’. Integrated created for it. diseases surveillance programme is being im- plemented in the state to facilitate diagnosis. Government undertook Kannur Medical Col- The district surveillance gather the report about lege. 17 posts were created for its ministerial the disease through hospitals on daily and week- purpose. 100 MBBS, 60 BDS, 35 Medical P.G, 39 ly basis. And on the basis of this they are able Nursing Pharmacy P.G seats, other nursing and to analyse the disease conditions. In addition, Paramedical Degree/ Diploma seats are available.

84 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT through NVBP they observe and monitor the 3 months. Awareness programmes disease caused by mosquitoes. The places occu- will arrange with the cooperation pied by other state workers and tribal coastal ar- of kudumbasree to intimidate those eas are also monitoring. In hotels, laboratories, who refuse to have medicines. The bakeries, and other areas where food is cooked treatment after the transplantation of get checked by the disease control department kidney and liver will made at modest of the district. Powerful observations going on cost. as a part of sustainable development to eliminate The medicines for diabetes and blood pressure malaria tuberculosis maimed leprosy and post are free in all the primary health centers. Though traumatic disease. it is free for one month initially, according to the All leprosy patients are included as a part of lep- availability of the medicine, this could be given rosy elimination programme ‘Ashvamedham’ upto three months. multidrug therapy undergoing treatment the The Asha volunteers are appointed for bring- leprosy elimination programme has been in- ing the reluctant patients back to the treatment. tensified. To observe disease like dengue, chick- The volunteers are given special incentives. The engunia etc 30 centile surveillance centres are lifestyle disease diagnosis centers have been ex- available at hospitals to monitoring the mosqui- panded from family health centers to the four to breeding disease. general hospitals. The population based screen- All facilities are available at the public health ing started experimentally in four districts will labs and district labs for the diagnosis of dengue be expanded to all the districts. The awareness fever, scrub typhus, hepatitis A. regarding lifestyle diseases is given in all the health centers. The treatment for liver and kid- Bacterial culture for the discovery of diseases ney diseases is given free of cost in the health such as cholera and typhoid is currently avail- department institutes. able at all medical colleges and public health labs. The rapid screening test to discover den- gue, leptospirosis at the community health cen- 271 a. public health issues will be included tres. in the school and college curriculam. The education department is conducting aware- With the cooperation of medical 269 ness programme in schools. The ‘child doctor’ and health departments, social project is implemented to execute this. health professionals and professional organisations conducting health b.To monitor the surveillance and so- awareness programmes for the cial control of the diagnostic centres prevention and early detection of the central government accepted ‘The life style diseases. Programmes will clinical establishments‘(registration schedule for monitoring and ensuring and regulation) Act with appropriate treatment for every citizen. amendments were setup. Activities to control lifestyle diseases through Kerala clinical institutions (registration and reg- family health centres have begun already. Free ulation) Act, 2018 was introduced in the state. medicine distribution will started from this year. In the first phase, modern medicine institu- tions (including dental therapy) effective since The training procedures begun with the corpo- 1/1/2019of clinical establishment act for reg- ration of local self-government health depart- istration has been made. Actions has been ini- ments, experts and professional organisations. tiated according to this law in certain districts including Palakkad Malappuram, Thrissur, Kol- Drugs for diabetes and blood pressure 270 lam, Kottayam, Wayand, pathanamthitta, and are available at low cost. Compulsory Kasargod. review check-up is made in every

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 85 Other therapeutic system of institutions that Prepared the draft of these laws and submitted work based on registration procedures will be to the laws department for the approval of the started as possible. As part of registration, each bill. clinical institution will have the treatment rates b. Kerala Nurses and Midway council for the institutions including technical staffs act will amend and will update timely. and employer’s qualification should be upload- ed.initially temporary registration is provided. The amendment to the act has been initiated. Permanent registration is provided after 2 years. District registration committes have been estab- 274 Will implement strict rules to ensure lished for the registration of instituitions of ev- better standard in nursing education ery districts. The instituition without permanent sector. registration is not permitted under the clinical Allotted deputation for those who work in gov- establishment act. ernment sector and in for those who doing spe- ciality nursing courses and stipend for others 272 a.By collaborating with hospitals allotted deputation for post basic nursing. Cre- and ESI and conducting study about ated post for teaching and non-teaching staffs in occupational diseases and bring Ernakulum nursing college. antidote treatment. Determining the occupational disease in the traditional 275 Ensure its own building for all sector and special emphasis will aganavadi centres with the help of local be placed on the treatment plans if bodies. Provide good nutritious food. required. Actions has taken to ensure building for every Occupational disease detention camp were or- anganvadis .The Amrutham nutrimix distrib- ganised by collaborating insurance medical ser- uted to the children as a part of take home ra- vice department (ESI) the factories and boilers tion with the cooperation of World Food Pro- department in all district. Conducted survey gramme. This has expanded state widely with 11 camp for the workers to make them aware about micro nutrients since 2018-19. various occupational disease. It is designed to prevent malnutrition a proj- Steps have been taken to set up an expert com- ect introduced called ‘Sambushttakeralm’ pro- mittee to conduct research on occupational dis- gramme (NNM) by live momentum tracking eases. and timely intervention through a life cycle. Ad- b. Will develop and establish interven- olescence aged girls, pregnant ladies, breast feed- tion center for early detection of child- ing mothers, children below age 6 are the benefi- hood diseases. ciaries of this project.currently this programme is facilitated in Kannur, Wayand, Malappuram, Kerala has been allocated Rs 3 crore to estab- Kasaragod district. And there is a plan to ex- lish early intervention centres for detecting the pand this to whole districts in this year.various childhood diseases in children with the help of schemes were implemented through ‘sambusht- social security.25 mobile clinics were started. In takeralam’project to prevent malnutrition. addition to this,regional early child intervention centres had started in five medical colleges. 276 Special system will be created in the Government have chalked out plan to make ev- PSC for appointing the doctors and ery children free from disabilities as a part of nurses in govt. hospitals and medical ‘anuyathrapathathi’. colleges without getting this delayed. If needed, Medical Service Recruitment 273 a. Kerala Public Health Act, Premedical Board will be started. council Act, Pharmacy council Act will It has been notified to the attention of the PSC be implemented.

86 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT that it is necessary to appoint the employees b. The facilities for improving the dif- without getting it delayed. Nowadays, the ap- ferently abled and their health issues pointments do happen without much delay. will be expanded. For the differently abled, many activities have The problems of the specialty cadre in 277 started with the combined efforts by health, so- the health service and administrative cial justice departments. Anuyathra programme cadre will be resolved. includes 22 activities which have the prelimi- In order to carry out the preventive health mea- nary activities and rehabilitation that aims at sures in a better way, it has been decided to diagnosing the disability at the early stage itself. establish public health cadre. Administrative As the brand ambassadors of the programme, a cadre will be split into public health cadre and magic team was made by comprising 23 kids ( hospital administration cadre. M-Power). c. Actions will be taken to strictly con- 278 Under the health department trol the usage of the tobacco products. institutions, the problems in the dual In these matters, the existing laws will control in the health department and be strictly enforced. LSGDs will be resolved. In the global adult tobacco survey (GATS) con- Regarding this, the actions have been taken by ducted by WHO, it was found that the usage of conducting talks with LSGDs. tobacco in kerala declined from 21% to 12 %. Behind this achievement, health department 279 a. Special administrative system has a key role. In order to control the usage of will be setup in the health service the tobacco products strictly, the coordination for dealing with the health issues of committees have been setup in state level and the marginalized people like tribals, district levels. There are enforcement drives in fishermen, women, and older people regular intervals in all the districts for assessing etc. if the laws ensure the control of smoking in pub- lic spaces. Through the NSS units in schools and The medical treatments have already started. colleges, anti tobacco activities and yellow line Actions will be taken to carry out a new admin- campaign are ongoing. There are Tobacco Ces- istrative system. There is a programme named sation centers in all the main hospitals in all the “Oorumithram” which was started in the Adi- districts. vasi tribal villages. “Vayomithra” project aimed at older people has been started. Actions have 280 a. There will be special scheme for the been taken in order to create older friend- rehabilitation of the AIDS patients. ly wards in a main hospital in all the districts. Older friendly clinics and special OP are active Actions are being taken. in almost all the hospitals and medical centres. b. There will be special help for the re- Through the central govt. programme meant habilitation of the patients who under- for elderly people, national program for health went organ implantation. care of elderly, elderly friendly wards have been Actions are taken for availing the medicines for created in five districts with all the facilities. In the follow up treatment in cheaper rates. the district hospitals of these districts, special el- derly OPs and physiotherapy units do function. a. Upto the taluk hospitals will be made The products such as Artificial teeth, artificial 281 speciality hospitals. The cath labs and hearing aids aimed at elderly people have been facilities for heart surgeries will be distributed through the project of the health de- ensured in these places. partment. Elderly health camps and clinics are active in the sub district level. General hospitals, district hospitals, taluk hospi-

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 87 tals are renovated by including the departments been established in Kozhikode medical college of operation theatres, anesthesia, dermatology, and inaugurated. ENT, gynaecology, orthopedics, pediatrics, ra- Kerala cancer control strategy was created for diology, laboratory, neurology, urology. Apart the cancer treatment and control by the guid- from this, as part of strengthening the hospitals, ance from WHO. Kerala cancer grid system in the general/district hospitals, the actions are creation is progressing for availing unified can- being undertaken in order to start the anesthe- cer care for everyone by combining the cancer sia, ENT, general medicine, gynaecology, lab- treatments in both public sectors and private oratory, operation theatre, orthopedics, pedi- sectors. Kerala cancer registry will be created atrics, radiology and also buy the equipments, by including the details of all the cancer patients hospital furniture, beds, pillows for the same as in the state. well as setting up generator and air conditioner. 14 storied building is being built in RCC with As part of Ardram mission, the procedures to the cost of 187.22 crore rupees for improving the upgrade one hospital in each district into a dis- facilities in the cancer care treatment. This will trict hospital and upgrade one hospital into a be over by 2020 December. Apart from this, in better hospital with ample criteria in each taluk. order to set up the equipments and construction The activities to avail the infrastructure and hos- works in various projects, around 150 crore ru- pital equipments have started under one mas- pees has been spent. ter plan. These procedures are progressing via KIIFB, plan fund, NABARD, MLA/MP funds, Through KIIFB, 385 crore rupees was sanc- asset expansion funds etc. The doctors and tioned for buying equipments and building the paramedical staff needed here were appointed infrastructure in the Cochin cancer center for by creating extra vacancies. In the coming years availing treatment for around 25000 people. too, there will be lot more appointments by cre- 10 crore rupees was spent in Malabar Cancer ating new posts. As part of these activities, the center for setting up medical equipments. Apart super specialty facilities like cardiology, cath lab from this, the construction of pediatric oncolo- facilities, nephrology, neurology, urology ar- gy and laboratory as given in the master plan is rive in the district hospitals. Enabling the cath being completed. labs in 8 district level hospitals and 2 government medical colleges is ongoing now. Including in the District cancer care programme started in the same scheme, 44 dialysis centers will be activated hospitals under the state health department. extra in the taluk level hospitals. Via stroke clinics, These centers function by giving training to the district cancer care treatment the activities of the doctors who work under the health department district/ taluk hospitals are expanding. at RCC as there is deficit of the oncologists in the department. Through these centers which b. The facilities of cancer treatment will work in 21 hospitals, 60000 chemotherapies be doubled. There will be system to di- were given and 3000 new cases were found out. agnose this in the taluk level itself. In order to avail the kind of treatment as avail- 282 a. The vacancies of the doctors will be able in RCC in the medical colleges too, 105 new filled up. vacancies were created for starting oncology and 2059 doctors ( assistant surgeons ) and 57 as- oncopathology in 5 medical colleges. The qual- sistant dental surgeons will be appointed in the ified ones were appointed here from other de- vacancies. partments. As part of preventive measures of the diseases, diagnosis camps and awareness class- b. The delayed promotion of the staffs es are happening in the medical colleges. The will be carried out soon. The doctors permission to establish linear accelerator and will be given opportunities for research. cobalt machine in Trivandrum medical college Actions have been taken for carrying out pro- are progressing. Tertiary cancer care center has motions in time bound manner.

88 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT c. Those who are ready to work in tribal doctors, nurses, pharmacists in the sector will be specially considered and health service. CUHAS will also help be given incentives. the LSGD to draft the health projects. Those doctors who work in the tribal fields are The infrastructure construction for the ayurve- given extra twenty thousand rupees per month. dic research at the Trippunithura Ayurveda College is progressing. School of Health poli- 283 Cheaper hospitals will be set up by cy and planning has already started. School of combining the cooperative sector and family health studies also started functioning. 8 voluntary organizations with the name research centers have started at the health uni- social hospitals. versity campus. For this end, 175 vacancies have Not started yet. been created in the health university. b. MRI scanning will be conducted with 285 Medical colleges will be made center of cheaper rate by combining the volun- excellence. Three medical colleges will tary organizations. be upgraded to the AIIMS level. As of now, MRI scanning is being conducted The master plan has been started functioning in with cheaper rates by combining KHRWS, HLL, order to make the medical colleges into center of Rajiv Gandhi Center for BioTechnology. CT excellence. The construction works have started scanners were set up in Thrissur, Manjeri medi- in Ernakulam Medical College by giving recog- cal colleges under KHRWS. In Kozhikode medi- nition and the fund of 368.75 crore rupees via cal college, spectre CT gamma camera worth 5.8 KIIFB. crore rupees and 128 size cardiac CT scan worth 6 crore rupees in the nuclear medicine and ra- The project worth 717 crore rupees was granted diology departments respectively. to Trivandrum Medical college by KIIFB. At the first stage, 58 crore rupees worth construction Once this govt came into power, 4 new MCR works have already started. labs were set up in koothuparamb taluk hospi- tal, kanhangad district hospital, kollam Victoria HLL, INKEL have been appointed as the SPV hospital, and Trivandrum general hospitals. for starting the works by preparing the master plan at Thrissur and Kottayam medical colleges. New CT scanners were set up in Alappuzha and Kottayam medical colleges. Mammogram was From Trivandrum, Alappuzha, Kozhikode, set up in Manjeri medical college. New MRI thrissur medical colleges, 72 seats in the last scanner was set up in Alappuzha medical col- year ( apart from the existing numbers) and 75 lege. MRI was sanctioned in kottayam medical seats in this year have been made available by college. 25 crore rupees was allotted for setting the MCI recognition. up MRI included image center in Ernakulam The expansion works of the OP in all the med- Medical Center. Two ultra sound scanning ical colleges as part of Ardram project is at the machines, endoscopic machine were set up in last stage. At the SAT, the vacancies to start the Trivandrum medical college and echo machine, speciality courses like paediatric cardiology, re- video endoscopy machine, 16 slice CT scan were productive medicine, paediatric medicine, pe- set up in Kozhikode medical college. diatric medicine have been sanctioned. For the first time in the govt sector, DM Endocrinology According to the suggestions by the 284 started at Govt college, Trivandrum. drafting committee of the medical university, research centers will be The govt sanction has been given for the pro- started under the university. CUHAS gramme “ patient friendly transformation of will initiate the procedures to conduct outpatient service” with the fund of 51.8184 the follow up education for the crore rupees.

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 89 DM nephrology course started at Alappuzha partment have been created. The defunct teli co- medical college. The procedures to set up MRI balt machine has been repaired by spending one scan with the cost of 12 crore rupees is ongoing. crore rupees and the radiation treatment was For the first time in the state, the permission was restarted. Chemo day care center is constructed. given to start state institute of dental technology CT scanner was set up. connected with Trivandrum Dental College. For 99 lakhs was allowed to Manjeri medical college the first time in kerala,It was sanctioned to start for buying the equipments for diagnosing the BAC dialysis technology course in Alappuzha, cancer. The actions have been taken in order to Kozhikode medical colleges. buy ultra sound machine, arthroscope and relat- The super specialty buildings are being construct- ed equipments, ENT HD set, computer radiog- ed at Alappuzha, Kozhikode medical colleges. raphy etc. Cath lab started functioning at Man- jeri medical college. At the Trivandrum medical college, the plan to set up level 2 trauma care system is progress- Cath lab started functioning in ernakulam med- ing. As part of the complete trauma care system ical college by spending 8 crore rupees. Super carried out in the state, Trivandrum medical specialty included with nephro, cardio, neuro college was given 11.27 crore rupees of com- departments is also functioning by creating prehensive administrative was sanctioned and vacancies. 25 crore rupees was sanctioned for as part of the first installment, 7.5 crore rupees setting up image center including the modern was sanctioned. The procedures to recognize the equipments like MRI. proposal and MoU of the state of the art simu- Tertiary cancer center started functioning after lation center with financial aid worth 10 crore the completion at Kozhikode medical college by for the installment of better trauma care are pro- spending 44.50 crores. Spctre CT gamma cam- gressing. In order to strengthen the emergency era was set up in the nuclear medicine depart- medicine department at Trivandrum medical ment by spending 5.8 crores and 128 size cardiac college, 106 vacancies have been allotted. The CT scan was set up in the cardiology department multispecialty block has been activated. To im- by spending 6 crores. prove the convenience of the patients, token sys- tem and appointment system have been enabled Cath lab is being constructed faster at Parippal- at OP through the e-health system. Cath lab was ly medical college by spending 8 crores. The CT started functioning at pediatric cardiology de- scan was set up by spending 2.5 crores. partment. a. By solving the issues faced by KSDP, New CT scanner was set up at kottayam medical 286 production will be increased. New college, spending 5.31 crore rupees. New casu- medical centres will be constructed in alty block ( 36 crore rupees) started functioning the public sector. including the trauma care. It was permitted to buy the MRI scanner. For the first time in kerala, The orders needed by the KSDP are available op system started exclusively for the transgender from KMSCL. at kottayam medical college. The second cath lab b. The function of medical services cor- started functioning. 17 vacancies were allotted poration will be made better. for starting emergency medicine department. By allocating more amount in the budget, the State trauma care unit started being constructed function is being expanded. The distribution of with the fund of 21.47 crore rupees at Alappu- the medicine is efficient. The action is taken in zha medical college. order to conduct the cancelled audits. On the Cath lab at the cardiology department has start- aggregator model, setting up the chain of 315 ed functioning at thrissur medical college by ambulances is at the last stage. Through this, the spending 8.60 crore rupees. For this end, 19 va- people who get into accidents will be quickly cancies and 14 vacancies for cardio thorasic de- brought to the hospitals and will be given treat-

90 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT ment too. has signed a contract for the patent rights with CSIR- TKDL (New Delhi ). This was helpful in c. The criteria for treatment and guid- preventing fake patents in the ayurvedic sector. ance will be carried out by the help of professional organizations, academic Traditional knowledge ( as written on the Thali- experts with the consensus of opinions. yola) is compiled and published as book titled “ Keraleeya Oushadha Vinjanam” by TKIK. As The procedures to carry out these are ongoing. part of this, three books have been published. The health policy which includes this is accepted by the government. By national ayush mission, 10 ayush wellness ( yoga and naturpopathy ), centers, 3 ayush ho- 287 The nurses who work in the private sec- listic centers, ( ayurveda, homeopathy, siddha, tors will be given minimum wages and yunani treatment systems ) have started. Mizhi, other incentives. The procedures to the eye treatment programme, santhwanam, the ensure the job protection will be taken mobile medical unit for the endosulphan affect- into account. ed people, Pranashakthi, for the control of the diseases, and ayush villages were started in 8 The circular is brought out stating the minimum districts. A special project titled as Nisargga by wage of private hospital employees including the homeopathy department aimed at transgenders nurses. The wage has been renewed to be 20000 has also started. rupees. Apart from this, the other legal incen- tives are also ensured. By calculating the beds, b. The basic facilities in the ayurvedic there will be marginal increase in the salary. The colleges will be improved by the CCIM hike in the wages is from 39 to 102 percent for guidance. the nurses and the other staffs. 36 new vacancies viz, medical officers, RMO, Emergency medical officer, professor, nursing A modern herbal research center will 288 superintendent were created in Kannur, Trip- be set up by combining the research punithura, Trivandrum ayurveda colleges. The centers in kerala. new payward block became fully functional at Under consideration. Trivandrum ayurveda college. At the women’s and children’s hospital at , new la- 289 The diseases will be prevented using bour room and operation theatre with modern the Ayush systems in prevention meth- facilities started functioning. The women- chil- ods and the health preservations. dren’s hospital at kannur ayurveda college is in the final stage. The treatment in the Ayush system has been ex- panded. 10 new homoeo dispensaries and 4 new Including the traditional methods ayrveda dispensaries started functioning. With 290 of Ayurveda, the relevant ones in the this, kerala became the state that has ayurve- ayush system will be utilized for pre- dic treatment centers in all the panchayats. In vention of diseases and health preser- order to strengthen the ayush system, 157 new vation. vacancies were created. From 15th february to 19th february 2019, International ayush conclave Ayush has carried out an effective intervention was organized in order to strengthen the scien- in the epidemic control. Sports ayurveda hos- tific basis of the ayush treatment systems and in- pital (Kerala institute of sports ayurveda and troduce them to the world. In the international research ), the first in Asia was inaugurated by seminar that was a part of the conclave, the par- the ownership of government. 28 vacancies nec- ticipation of the ayush system of treatment and essary for this were created. Giving emphasis to scopes in the public space was discussed. Un- the Pain and palliative care, thyroid diseases, der the ayurvedic education department, Tra- infertility eradication, life style diseases, elderly ditional Knowledge Innovation Kerala (TKIK) care, new clinics were setup. Ayush holistic cen-

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 91 ters were created by incorporating homeopathy, been started.15 panjakarma units were started ayurveda-naturopathy-yoga in order to prevent in various hospitals. life style diseases and treat them. Ayush wellness centers were started by comprising yoga, natu- 292 An ayurvedic research center will be ropathy systems. The foundation stone was laid set up for the complete research on the for building yoga and naturopathy institute at traditional medicines and expanding kasargod with the help of central government. ayurveda scientifically as an evidence Homeopathy: Rapid Action Epidemic Control based medicine. Cell in Homeopathy (RAECH) was expanded In order to start international ayurvedic re- throughout the state for fighting the epidem- search center in Kannur, 20 lakhs in 2016-17, 5 ics. The fertility programme related with Kan- crore rupees in 2017-18, 6 crore rupees in 2018- nur district hospital will be made into a center 19 were allotted. The foundation stone was laid of excellence as it is going to be expanded. 10 for this international ayurvedic research center homeo dispensaries were started in the pan- in February at Kalyad, Kannur. chayats where there was none. Pain and palli- ative care center for cancer started functioning 293 Through the local cooperative societ- in all the govt homeopathy hospitals in all dis- ies, herbal cultivation will be expanded tricts. Ayush holistic centers were started in all in order to resolve the ayurvedic me- the district homeopathy hospitals by combining dicinal herb deficiency. naturopathy and yoga to prevent and treat the modern lifestyle diseases, diabetes, blood pres- Under the guidance of state medicinal plant sure, cardiac diseases, etc. The active geriatric board, medicinal herbs cultivation is decided care centers with physiotherapy units have been to be expanded. Aimed at cultivating one neem started in Trivandrum, Kollam, Alappuzha, and one curry leaf plant in every household, Wayanad, Kottayam, Kozhikode, and Kasargod the Grihachaithanya programme has achieved districts. Specialty mobile clinics were started cultivating 16 lakhs of neem and curry leaves. for the people in the marginalised regions like As a programme encouraging the cultivation of Idukki and Wayanad. After this govt came into herbs, for the last three years, herbs were culti- power, 42 homeo dispensaries were upgraded vated in 200 acres in the industry level. As part into model govt homeo dispensaries from the of preserving the Kavu, herbs are cultivated in basic level. The activities to upgrade 14 dis- in120 acres of land in 65 kavus. Under the lead- trict homeo dispensaries into NABH level are ership of Oushadhi, in the 5 hectare of space by progressing. Floating homeo dispensaries have pariyaram subcenter, a new herbal garden was started for the people at coastal areas like Kut- created. This year, herbal garden will be started tanad, Harippad, and Chapakkulam. in five more hectares. 291 In the district hospitals, all clinical b. Programmes will be started in the specialties and selected two special- collection, distribution, production of ties in taluk ayurveda hospitals will be value added products with the help of equipped with ashtanga specialty treat- public. ment. Through the forest preservation committees, The action has been taken to develop the district forest development agencies, the gathering of hospitals and selected hospitals by starting new the tribal folks, the project of making the me- specialties under the Ardram programme. In all dicinal herbs into a value added product and the district hospitals, Prasmruthi, Koumaram, collecting them is carried out. The modern way elderly care, yoga specialty treatment has been packaging system was started in Oushadhi. As started. In the selected hospitals, “manasikam”, part of awareness, the herbal knowledge center palliative care ( snehadhara) treatments have was started in Thrissur Oushadhi.

92 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 294 Academic audit will be conducted at the university level in order to assess 298 The human resource in the field of tra- the educational quality at the self fi- ditional herbal sector will be enhanced by conducting permanent medicine nancing medical colleges. making technician course, medicine The decision to conduct the academic audit has storage training, pharmacist, panja- been taken by the medical university. karma technician etc. in this field, the priority will be given to the people who are from traditional sector. 295 An ayurvedic medicinal policy will be prepared in order to develop the field In the field of yoga and naturopathy treatment course was started newly in the field of ayurve- of ayurvedic medicines and conse- da. One batch of therapist course completed quently, to utilize this for the economic their training. The new batch of Paramedical development of kerala, to ensure the certificate courses like Therapist, pharmacist, availability of raw medicines, to pre- nursing, started in the year of 2018-19. vent non scientific medicinal usage and encourage the use of scientific medi- 299 Not in all the panchayats could the cines. govt ayurvedic and homeo hospitals In 2019 February, there was a seminar in the be started. Action will be taken to start international ayush conclave at Trivandrum re- them. garding the ayurvedic policy which was attend- New dispensaries were started in four pancha- ed by experts. Compiling the suggestions in the yats where Govt/ NHM / Ayurvedic dispensa- seminar, the procedures to create the Ayurvedic ries were not available. With this, kerala became Policy were started. the state that has ayurvedic treatment centers in all the panchayats. 10 new dispensaries were 296 The human resource in the field of tra- started in the panchayats where there were no ditional herbal sector will be enhanced homeo dispensaries. by conducting permanent medicine making technician course, medicine 300 Unified kerala medical practitioner’s storage training, pharmacist, pancha- bill will be enforced. karma technician, and this will in turn Draft is being prepared. ensure the employment and develop- ment of skills of the people who work 301 Cooperating with public organiza- in these sectors. tions, a social health mission will be created to encourage healthy food hab- In the field of yoga and naturopathy treatment its, exercise, sports, cultural activities course was started newly in the field of ayurve- to reduce the high chances of diseases da. One batch of therapist course completed in kerala. their training. The new batch of Paramedical certificate courses like Therapist, pharmacist, These things have been included in Ardram nursing, started in the year of 2018-19. mission. Ayush holistic centers have been start- ed combining various ayush fields by consider- 297 The positions of drug inspector, senior ing such issues under the guidance of National drug inspector, additional drug con- health mission. troller will be sanctioned in order to strengthen the ayurvedic drug control 302 Procedures will be carried out to avail department. the siddha – yunani services where they are popular via Ayush mission. Strengthening action has been taken.

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 93 Eight new siddha units have been started. The the homeopathy medicine production will construction works of the existing siddha hos- be developed into a center of excellence. pital is complete. In the ayush holistic centers As part of developing Homco, the institute that by national ayush mission have included siddha produces homeo medicines into a center of ex- and yunani treatment systems. With the central cellence, the development project worth 52.88 government’s help, new yunani research center crore rupees was sanctioned. By conforming has been started in Kannur. the WHO, GMP guidelines, the construction of the new factory at Alappuzha in 1.84 acres is at In order to encourage the research and 303 the last stages. New modern equipments have development in homeopathy, a state been set up as part of strengthening the quality institute and a training center to train checkup department of Homco. the doctors and paramedical staff will be started. b. by using the plots at homeopath- ic college, Homco, pharmacy college, A training program was conducted for para- the herbs needed for the production of medical department and teachers by the leader- homeo medicines will be cultivated. ship of Homeopathy College. The procedures have started in order to start permanent training center. The cultivation of the herbs needed for the pro- duction of medicines started in the lands of ho- b. PG courses, nursing, D.Pharm. cours- meopathy college, pharmacy college etc. The cul- es will be started in different subjects. tivation of herbs is ongoing in the land of homco. In ayurvedic department, three PG courses in The decision is taken in order to expand this. various subjects were allotted and two PG cours- es in homeo were also allotted in two colleges. 305 Programmes to protect the people Ayurveda PG diploma course was sanctioned. from stray dogs will be implemented. The new batch of Ayurveda nursing, pharmacist The ABC project to castrate the dogs is being courses started. Certificate course in Pharmacy conducted effectively through the LSGDs. The (CCP) also started in homeopathy. health department could deliver the medicines in time for the people who were attacked by the a. Homco, the institute that works in 304 stray dogs.

GENERAL EDUCATION 306 According to each class and the ability development. Even before the beginning of the of the student, it will be ensured that new academic year, books are distributed, and the student acquires necessary lan- uniform is given free of cost. The atmosphere is guage proficiency and mathematical made better for the student to develop the lin- abilities. Instead of being a method guistic and cognitive abilities through the public that assesses the student whether he/ education task. she acquired the primary qualities in In order to improve the linguistic abilities, “ each stages, continuous evaluation has Malayalathilakkam, Hello English, Surali Hin- become a method that gives 20 percent di” was conducted. “Sradha” was implemented of marks for the terminal exams. A re- for the students who are backward in studies till solving committee will be set up for the 10th standard. SCERT has done studies for this. making the continuous evaluation. Draft of this The action plan has been set up for empower- has been developed. The improvements accord- ing the public instruction or general education. ing to this draft have been made in the academic More importance is given to the basic facility year of 2018-19. In the last year, the emphasis

94 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT was given to the linguistic development. This (1000 hours ) . The teacher – student will continue. Along with this, maths will be ratio will be restructured. given priority in the primary level in the aca- The practical suggestion for this has been drafted demic year of 2019-20. by SCERT and has been sent for recognition by the curriculum committee. Though the unex- The movements to destroy the curric- 307 pected flood and natural calamities have created ulum reformation of the last LDF gov- some issues, because of the local intervention, ernment will be rectified. The changes 200 academic days were ensured in primary, made in the text books and academic high school, and higher secondary levels in the activities will be scrutinized. academic year of 2018-19. The academic calen- SCERT has scrutinized the reformations done in dar for 2019-20 has been designed by keeping textbooks and curricular activities. On the ba- 203 working days. sis of this, necessary changes have been made in the changes. The procedures for the follow up 310 a. The structure of the vocational in- reformation have already started. Details about stitutes like ITI, Polytechnic will be Renaissance, agriculture, flood and the activities restructured according to the skills after the flood are included in the text books. suited in both our homelands as well as abroad. Mother tongue learning will be made 308 Technical exchange programme was implement- compulsory from pre-primay level to ed for providing training in foreign institutes for higher secondary level. English, being the trainees who study in the government insti- the connected language is an attractive tutes. The first batch consisting of 57 students thing in the public schools which needs was given training in Singapore for 5 days. to be improved in the curriculum too. b. As the labour department, general The procedure to implement this is progress- education department, and technical ing fast. Malayalathilakkam, the project for im- education department are not inter- proving the mother tongue, was accomplished linked and conduct different train- successfully. English language training has been ing programmes, this system will be given special consideration in the vacation stopped and a modern unified technical training. In the primary stage, Hello English is skill training system will be implement- being implemented on a vast level. The activities ed. to improve the linguistic abilities were the ones implemented through the master plan and ac- State skill development mission was implement- tion plan by each school. For the spread of Ma- ed in order to incorporate the skill development layalam learning, Malayalam language law has programmes conducted by various departments been implemented. in the state. KASE (Kerala Academy for Skill Excellence) has been reformed into state skill b. There are already many models avail- development mission. The incorporation of the able in Kerala for improving the level of skill development programmes is ongoing. English learning. These will be expand- ed. c. Technical education will be restruc- tured according to the national criteria. By analyzing the activities already conducted in Kerala, this will be spread better. This will be Steps are being taken. implemented in a better way this year. 311 The community skill parks with the 309 The study time of the students (teach- industrial partnership as conducted ers- student communication time ) by Additional Skill Acquisition pro- will be ensured to be 200 working days gramme will be restructured by mak-

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 95 ing it with a better foundation (with preschool teachers will be hiked and the involvement of the public sector), in-service training will be ensured. A and also keeping the same channel model curriculum will be created on partner model as directed by the skill emergency basis for the preschool ed- development council. The community ucation. The physical facilities in the skill parks under the district pancha- preschool classrooms will be made at- yats will be connected with ITIs, poly- tractive and curious looking. technics, vocational higher second- ary schools in the manner of hub and The discussions are progressing as to connect- spoke. ing preschool education with primary educa- tion. By giving the name Kalippattam ( Toy ), Action has already been taken. the curriculum to improve the preschool learn- ing has been created by SCERT. The training has 312 The inclusive approach that the social- started using this. In the leadership of SSK, the ly and financially backward sections master plan and action plan are undertaken in choose the vocational courses will be the pre-primary centres. The cluster system has accepted. The facilities in these insti- been suggested to improve the preschool sector tutes will be timely updated for the by including the existing anganwadis and prep- benefit of them. rimary systems. The draft of this project will be By completing the curriculum improvement created by SCERT. As part of this, a seminar was and the assessment of the institutions that deal conducted by various departments. The draft with vocational courses,the facilities in these in- developing activity is ongoing. The honorarium stitutes can be improved. More discussions are for the govt. recognized preprimary teachers needed on the The NSQF background in the na- and ayahs has been hiked. tional basis. Including the NQSF, courses were started on the pilot basis in the last year. This 315 a. Schools have to be made into the will be expanded. 10 ITIs have been upgraded to spaces for finding, and developing the international level. the talents of each student. The action plans will be made in which every stu- 313 Nowadays, the vocational students do dent gets art, sport, and work experi- face many problems in order to enter ence education. the mainstream of education. Avoid- ing this, the connection between vo- The attempts to improve these from the curricu- cational and higher education will be lum itself are ongoing. This insight has also been strengthened. For those students who included in the teacher training programmes. do not pursue higher studies will be Through the academic master plan and action given better training that enables them plan, practical application was possible in cer- for doing works here itself. tain areas. Such activities will be given emphasis in this year. Talent lab was implemented in the In order to implement timely changes in VHSE, school in order to find out the talents of the stu- the actions have already started on the basis dents and enrich them, and also Sarga Vidyalaya of Khader Commitee Report. Along with this, by SSK was implemented for enriching the cre- there is a suggestion in the budget for school ativity of the students. work shops in higher secondary schools with the help of vocational spaces and higher educa- b. On the basis of school clusters, on tion centers. holidays, there will be facilities to con- duct training for each item in various 314 The attempts to connect preschool ed- centers. ucation with primary education will No action has been taken yet. be strengthened. The wages of the

96 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT The changing phase of government schools

The new building at GHSS

316 a. Academic monitoring system will be ing of the teachers will be restructured. strengthened. There will be permanent These vacation training has been designed in a monitoring committees which will better way. Hi- tech classrooms also helped for have clear working plan. This commit- this improvement. The ten day teacher trans- tee will include senior faculty and ex- formation programme was implemented as a perts on the level of AEO, DEO etc. residential project in the higher secondary. The The plan has been developed. The monitoring teachers have accepted this in a greater manner. has been strengthened according to the KER The training of teachers from 1st to 10th standard system in the last year. Khader Commitee had is also suggested in the new budget. The primary studied this and submitted a report to the gov- procedures have started for that end. ernment. The actions will be taken after study- ing this. 317 The action plans to make the teachers in to researchers will be implemented b. In the manner in which the new cur- in the academic level. riculum can be implemented in the cor- rect way, preservice and inservice train- On the basis of the proposals from the teach-

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 97 ers who are interested in research, SCERT gives cate the education proofs to the society. academic/financial aid. A certificate course will 3. Basic IT facilities in 4752 schools. be started from August onwards in this year for 4. Broadband internet in 14000 schools. introducing the research methodology to the 45000 schools have been made high-tech teachers. schools. b. The ruling system will be incorporat- 5. 5 crore rupees fund for 141 schools for im- ed according to the insight of KCF 2007. proving basic facilities. The Block, district educational offices 6. 395 schools will be given 3 crore rupees each. will be restructured by giving emphasis for the academic supervision. 7. 444 schools will be given 1 crore rupees each. The first part of the report that included the 8. Challenge fund for aided schools. suggestions for incorporating the systems from 2nd to plus two is under the consideration of the a. Special care will be given to the stu- government. This will be implemented after the 320 dents who deserve special attention. scrutiny. Projects will be made in order to im- prove the educational quality of spe- The governmental activities including 318 cial school. For this, IDC under the appointment of teachers, transfer, and ESI scheme and EIDSS under the ed- promotion will be made via online sys- ucational department will be incor- tem. For the students, CLASS (creative porated. With these, the activities of learning assessment system for stu- social welfare department, health de- dents), a social media platform will be partment, differently- abled welfare implemented. department will be connected and a By June,all the governmental activities will be holistic project will be designed. made online. Transfer has already made online The incorporation under the educational de- mode. partment is already complete. The action has already been taken in order to improve the in- 319 a. The existing PTA, SMC, SMDC sys- corporation among the other departments. tems will unified to resolve the cur- rent confusion. Apart from the public b. State institute of mentally challenged schools, this will be implemented in all that works in Pangappara will be made the recognized schools. into a research center and be given the power to lead all the activities. Once the unification is complete, such issues can be assressed. SMC is a committee that’s part Actions have been started. of educational rights law. PTA is a system that en- sures more people’s participation. The idea of the 321 The undertaking of the central govern- efficient unification of these can be developed. ment financial help projects like Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, Rashtriy Madhyamik b. the necessary short term/ long term Siksha Abhiyan will be restructured. plans will be created for making each The procedures will be activated by school into center of excellence. making panchayat and block level sys- As part of the public education protection task, tems. a holistic plan has been created to upgrade the The central government itself has created a new public schools to the international standard. program named Samagra Siksha by compiling 1. Necessary plans have been developed for SSA and RMSA. According to this, from -2 to plus this. Academic master plan and action plan two is a compiled project. A society has been reg- have been made by each school. istered for the Samagra Siksha Kerala. The follow 2. Education festivals are there to communi- up activities have been taken by the government.

98 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT st th 322 a. A comprehensive master plan will From 1 std to 8 std, lunch is given to all the be prepared for improvement of edu- needy students and milk is given twice in week, cation in panchayat, block and district as well as boiled egg once a week. In many level. schools, with the help of LSGDs and other spon- sors, breakfast, and a small meal is provided. It The methodology for being conducting a master is also considered to provide fruits on the days plan is developed. The compilation of the school where there is no milk/ eggs. level master plans has been done in most of the panchayats. In order to connect this with the LS- 325 The integrated health – nutrition pro- GDs, the performance has to be improved a lot. gramme for the kids will be reformed b. a clear action plan will be made in as and when needed. Replacing the order to avail the funds from LSGDs, headmasters from this responsibility, LSGD department, MP and MLA. LSGD will be given charge. Health- sports education will be changed in the In the institutions which are going to be made way in which this ensures the physical the centers of excellence, the incorporation of fitness of the complete students. the fund is also being undertaken on the pilot level. How to utilize these scopes has been ex- Being scrutinized. plained in the training programme for the edu- cational implementing officers by KILA . 326 Study materials, the printing and distri- c. At least four percent of the across bution of text books, handbooks will be state Domestic Product (USDP) will be implemented in time bound manner. utilized for the general education sector. Regularly monitored. for the first time in the The expenditure of the education has been hiked , on the last day of the yearly to 15,500 crores in 2018-19. Rs 16000 crore is exam, next year’s text books have been distrib- the budget allotment in 2019-20. uted. Just like the last year, study materials were distributed in the vacation itself. There is great 323 The lunch distribution system in school improvement in this. will be made efficient and a stipulated method will be implemented. Nutri- 327 School system will be restructured ac- tious food will be a part of this. cording to the modern education pros- pects. Class rooms will be made smart The attempts to improve the lunch at school have classrooms. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 classes will been progressing by considering the possibilities be equipped with web based interactive of the schools. In order to cook the lunch, LPG video conferencing. price, cooking price and cooking expenditure has been hiked. In order to ensure the quality, Almost completed. Because of the technical rea- the laboratory testing is done for the drinking sons, ( school infrastructure ), the plan was car- water and food items. ried out except certain classes. For 8-12 classes, 60,000 laptops and 43,422 projectors have been 324 The project to carry out free education distributed to make smart classroom. VICTERS till higher secondary will be imple- will be strengthened via web based interactive mented stage by stage. Study materials, video conferencing system. Computer lab for uniform, food, transportation facilities primary schools will be implemented by July of will be made totally free. this year. Free uniform for all the students from 1st stan- dard to 8th standard. ( two pairs ) 328 The school atmosphere should be child friendly and environment friendly. Or- st Free text books for all the students from the 1 ganic vegetable farming, waste man- th std to the 8 std. agement will be implemented with the

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 99 participation by students and social tegrate SIET with IT@SCHOOL for developing support. ‘Institute for Educational Technology, Keralam’. Happens so effectively. Vegetable garden is made popular. School campuses have changed into 331 The children belonging to fishermen plastic free campus. “campus: a text book” was communities, Scheduled Castes and realized in order to educate students and public Scheduled Tribes, are still backward in about the organic diversity and agriculture. Or- studies. The primary reason for this is ganic diversity gardens have been implemented the lack of proper ambience for learn- in 12000 schools in kerala. ing in their homes. As a solution to this, libraries in the nearby region or 329 The structure and responsibility of other avenues shall be converted into the complementary institutions in the ‘study homes’. Special support for each general education sector like SCERT, child shall be provided, taking into ac- CMAT, SIET, IT@school have to be count the requirements of each child. restructured. SCERT will be made a Activities for the same are being carried out. famous autonomous institution that’s The measures have been made to increase edu- known the international level which cational incentives and to ensure timely and effi- will be headed by academicians. cient distribution. Activities in connection with Academic meetings have been conducted under the ‘Study Homes’ are progressing. In co-ordi- the leadership of SCERT by including the ex- nation with the Science and Technology Muse- perts both from and outside Kerala. um, a two-day Science camp was organized for the children in tribal areas with high percent- 330 a. IT @school had a worse and inactive age of students from the Scheduled Castes and phase during 2011-2016. IT@school Scheduled Tribes. Regional talent centers and will be strengthened by making use of tribal village educational centers are functioning the service of the expertise in the IT efficiently. field and the education sector will be renovated in academic and adminis- 332 Comprehensive legislation will be in- trative sectors. troduced as a solution to the problems IT@school has made as KITE. With the initia- existing in the stream of Unaided Ed- tive of KITE 14,000 schools were provided in- ucation. Proper implementation of the ternet facilities. Co-ordinated the activities for pay and service conditions of the teach- converting 45,000 classrooms of classes 8 to 12 ing and non-teaching staff will be en- in schools into high tech. The IT association sured. of the children of KITE, Little Kites IT Clubs Legislation process is in the final phase. started functioning in 1898 High Schools. ‘Sa- magra’ portal for communication in high tech 333 The benefits being provided to the em- classrooms. Arranged online teacher training ployees of the pre-primary workers of facilities Government schools shall be provided b. SIET to be integrated with IT@SCHOOL to the Aided sector as well. Khader Committee report has suggested to in- The matter is under consideration.

HIGHER EDUCATION 334 Legal and administrative measures control and academic excellence in the shall be undertaken for ensuring social self-financing institutions.

100 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT To ensure social justice in the self-financing ed- nanthapuram for flourishing the research inter- ucational organizations affiliated with the Uni- ests in engineering students and to utilize the versities, proper entrance mechanism have been research expertise of the teachers. Universities arranged through the Centralised Single Win- have been initiated to redesign the curriculum dow facility. Admission is purely on reservation including the introduction of multi-academic and merit, and collection of excess fees from courses. Various universities have put forward students could be checked. suggestions on conducting new courses within the annual budget. The activities for the inception of the SAAC (State Assessment and Accreditation Centre) The initiation of journals in all subjects which will ensure the academic excellence of the 337 based on referencing will be encour- self-financing educational institutions are being aged from the state. Intervention will carried out. The sanction for initiating new pro- be done to bring colleges and depart- grammes shall be provided to those institutions ments to the forefront to take initiative that achieve better grades in the NACC, SAAC in the same. Financial support will be evaluations. provided for the mission. 335 Centralized or Central Syllabi are im- Measures are being taken practical in University-level. Syllabus creation shall be assigned to the Uni- 338 a. An exclusive project for raising the versities. Initiatives shall be taken to standard of education and facilities in design study-research activities focus- the affiliated arts and science colleges is ing on regional requirements. inevitable. Project will be implement- ed to give a matching grant for modern Syllabus revision activities have been started in facilities . all Universities. With the participation of ex- perts from Degree – Post Graduate fields, Work- In various projects targeting the development of shops were organized for syllabus reformation. colleges, Rs 143.8 crore was sanctioned in the Training was given to members of the Board of first phase of RUSA followed by Rs. 111.75 crore Studies in all Universities, under the auspices of in the second phase of which Rs. 56.73 crore and the Higher Education Council, for reforming Rs.44.70 crore respectively are the share of the the syllabus to yield maximum results. state government. Fund has been allotted by KIIFB to five colleges a. Focus would be given on Students’ 336 to raise them as heritage colleges. Measures have Projects to find and develop students been formulated at university level for improv- capable and eligible for knowledge de- ing the academic standards. liverance. b.These institutions shall be encouraged Academic master plan has been designed. The to undertake research projects in differ- aim of the mission is knowledge production. ent fields with liberal financial support. b. Students will be posted at research in- It shall be considered that one fourth of stitutions for inculcating interest in stu- the financial support given to such proj- dents to do research. Along with the same, ects can be taken by the institution as a integrated multi-academic courses will be part of the establishment charge. formulated. Research that would meet the Proceedings to be initiated need of the state will be encouraged. Kairali Research Award was initiated for en- 339 a. Training shall be given to teachers couraging serious research activities. ‘Walk before entering service in related laws, With Scholar’ scheme was implemented effi- teaching methods, conducting exam- ciently. TrEST Park was established in Thiruva- inations, evaluation of exam papers,

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 101 students admission and co-curricular versities in Kerala are rising to international activities. standard. In NIRF ranking,4 universities from Kerala are included in the first 100 universities Measures are being taken by the Higher Educa- and 2 universities are included in the first 50 tion Council regarding this. universities. securing the b.Teachers in service shall be given high 22nd position in the list is a remarkable achieve- level training in their respective sub- ment. ject and evaluation every two years. The study modules of the academy and staff 341 More higher education centers will be colleges shall also be revamped in ac- instituted in Kerala. Persuade the Cen- cordance with the same. The vacancies tral Government for bringing higher of university staff shall also be filled. research centers into Kerala. State of The Higher Education Council will conduct the libraries, facilities for the teachers, training to 1,000 teachers in the first phase . Steps scholarships for students, short term have been initiated for filling up the vacancies of visits and programs by global expert university faculty. 1913 people have been posted and laboratories shall be ensured to as non-teaching staff. In Mahatma Gandhi Uni- achieve quality education in the Cen- versity, which lacked an academic staff college, tres. They shall be provided complete a human resource development training center autonomy and the role of the council modelled on UGC has been initiated to provide shall be restricted to review, integra- training to teachers and non teaching staff. tion and deciding a common directive. Projects shall be submitted for the institution 340 a. University centers must be turned of Higher Research Centers of the Central Gov- out to be the axis of higher education. ernment in the state. At Higher Education in- Required vacancies will be created and stitutions, modern facilities and basic amenities existing vacancies will be completely were ensured and smart class rooms established. filled in university centers. New de- Classes by experts are made available through partments and required support sys- video streaming in around half the number of tems will be created. Government Arts and Science Colleges. Vacancies of University non-teaching posts are being filled by PSC Universities have been in- 342 A high-class advanced Biotechnology structed to begin at least two innovative pro- Research Institution based on Ayurve- grammes every year. Measures shall be taken, da is inevitable in Kerala. Centralized if required, to sanction posts based on ‘Tenure Research Laboratories are essential Track’ in such programmes. Facaulty have been for scientific Research. Such Research sanctioned in universities for innovative pro- Labs will be established in association grammes. Bio Informatics Study Center has with universities, primarily connectd been instituted at the Mahatma Gandhi Univer- with the Kochi University. sity. To develop the science of Ayurveda, steps are b.Department libraries, museums, lab- being taken for establishing an international oratories will be raised to international Ayurveda Research Centre in Kannur, to facili- standard. Each university center will be tate research. A national seminar was organized transformed into centre of excellence. including experts and the primary project was prepared. Steps are being taken to raise the standard of department libraries, museums, laboratories to 343 University Libraries will be trans- international standard. As an upshot of these formed to Research Centers of Interna- encouraging steps by the Government, the uni- tional Standard. Old books and docu-

102 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT ments will be digitized. Rather than a after strict evaluation and consensus, center for borrowing books, Libraries in the structure, jurisdiction, member will be made a Study center. The ar- election, of the University Governance rangements for spacious halls that can Councils including the Syndicate, Aca- occupy hundreds of children, internet demic Council, and Senate, taking into facility, will be made available at librar- account all the experiences till date. ies. Democratic jurisdiction and academic councils Exquisite amenities have been arranged in Uni- have been ensured in Universities. Steps are be- versity Libraries, including developments like ing taken to make the Universities more efficient high speed Internet services. The steps to dig- in co-ordination with the council. Measures for itize research publications is being completed. amending and updating the rules and norms of The research students and guide are utilizing the the Universities, keeping the present times and University libraries in Kerala to the maximum scenarios in consideration, is being carried out. considering them to be great research centers. 348 Democracy and academic autonomy 344 Scholarship funds will be revamped will be ensured in the field of higher with contributions and endowments education. The democratic rights of over the government grant. The cur- the students will also be safeguarded in rent merit scholarship will at least be higher education. doubled. Democracy and academic autonomy were en- Steps have to be taken in the Higher Education sured in the field of higher education. Student Stream. representation is ensured in the University councils. 345 Fellowships will be introduced in im- portant research centers and autono- 349 The idea of college clusters will be mous departments. Fellowships will be propagated around Kerala and the ex- granted for a fixed time period for re- isting barriers removed. The clusters search projects that are approved after shall be developed into a tool for aca- expert examination. Chosen fellows, demic organizing and inspection, and over their personal research, would also as a system to ensure the quality of also be responsible to take part in the the colleges in the social context. development of the center they are in. Steps are being taken through the Higher Edu- Directions for the same have been included in cation Council. the Kairali Research mission. Along with this, the Universities are also undertaking steps. 350 The distant education systems in the Universities in the state shall be inte- 346 Steps will be taken to establish a center grated and generalized arrangements in international standards for conduct- shall be made. If required, on consen- ing studies and research in arts and sci- sus, establishment of an Open Univer- ence, and also to integrate various arts sity shall be considered and tried for. and science streams. A special officer has been assigned to study about In the aim of making K R Narayan National In- establishing an Open University in the state. Steps stitute of Visual Science & Arts a center of ex- shall be taken once the report is submitted. cellence, the course structure was amended and expert faculty introduced. 351 a. Steps shall be taken to safeguard the democratic rights and the freedom of 347 Pertinent amendments will be made organizing, of the students, teachers,

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 103 and non-teaching staff, in institutions 353 Five engineering colleges in Kerala will including self-financing institutions. be raised as Institute of Technical Ex- The lawmaking for bringing the service wage cellence. Basic facilities in internation- systems of the teachers in self-financing in- al standard shall be made available in stitutions in accordance to the rules, and for the same. safeguarding the freedom of organizing of the Steps are being taken. teachers and the students, is in the final phase. b. Universities shall ensure that self-fi- 354 Arrears on educational loan and the nancing colleges have minimum basic measures adopted by banks have been facilities. Instructions shall be imple- grave social problems. Repayment mented to make sure that only eligible shall not be enforced till the point of candidates with qualification suggested attaining a job. Even post earning a job, by named by the central agencies and repayment shall not exceed a particu- Universities in the field of higher edu- lar percentage of the wage. Such a de- cation, are posted as teachers and staff. cision shall be tried for. Subsidies shall Examinations have been done by the Universi- be provided for the interest. ties. Laws will be designed to further ensure that A loan assistance mission of 900 crores were im- the posting of teacher vacancies is done only plemented to help the individuals who had ac- with candidates having required qualification. cessed loans for higher education. c. Law systems shall be introduced to ensure fair service wage systems for 355 Those with innovative ideas,from with- the teaching and non-teaching staff at in the educational institutions and self-financing institutions. from outside, shall be encouraged . The measures for a complete law system that And financial support shall be provid- would ensure service wage systems and eligi- ed. Innovative ideas coming from edu- bilities of the teaching and non-teaching staff at cational institutions and University re- self-financing institutions is in its final phase. search centers shall be tried to be made practical in the private sector and the 352 Research centers in Kerala will be de- government sector. signed to give focus to research activities Business Incubation & Innovation Centers were that acknowledge the developmental is- introduced in Universities, as part of developing sues faced by the state. Required correc- the innovative ideas that came from students in tions shall be made on the activity of the colleges and Universities based on business. Ma- Kerala Science and Technological Re- hatma Gandhi University assisted 121 student search Council and research institutions. startups by providing a financial aid of 10,000 Universities have been instructed to conduct INR each, in co-ordination with the center. For partnership research projects and post-activities business-based proceeding of the technology, prioritising the local requirements. Rules were steps are being undertaken for handing over all made to make the activity of research organiza- these startups to businesses. The idea is being initi- tions efficient. ated in other Universities in a similar mode.

SOCIAL SECURITY 356 All workers in the unorganized sector circles. The number of members in the will be brought under the welfare fund welfare fund shall be increased from

104 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT fifty lakhs to one crore. Workers in the rent government distributed 17,510 crores as Employment Guarantee Scheme, farm- social security pensions in a span of three years. ers, various traditional trade workers, fishermen, and others shall be consid- 358 a. Comprehensive Health insurance ered as BPL and shall be brought under shall be provided to all the family the social security circles. members of the welfare fund members. Like in the case of pensions, additional The number of workers in the welfare fund health safe guarding will be provided board under the labor department has grown to everyone on submission of the ad- to 78.91.422. To bring all workers in the unor- ditional premium, over the free mini- ganized section under the welfare fund circles, mum health coverage. steps were taken via the Unorganized Workers Social Security Board. The W.P.S Scheme, under Over the current welfare fund board members, which the wages of the unorganized workers ration card holders belonging to Anthodaya, would be distributed via banks, has been im- Annnayojana and priority classes, individuals plemented around the state. Since the last UDF with an EPF pension of 1000 Rs and less, mem- government had not allowed any financial aid to bers of Kerala Jewelry Workers’ Welfare Fund Kerala Farmers Welfare Fund Board, 130 crores Board, workers not receiving the E.S.I at closed INR was allowed for the distribution of dues. cashew nut factories, 204 senior citizens who are destitute at , ration card owners be- Declaration was there in the budget 2019-20 , longing to the state priority classes list as a result that 30 lakhs workers in the Employment Guar- of medical treatment, Kerala Toddy Workers antee Scheme will be brought under the wel- Welfare Fund Board members (premium / share fare fund circles,. Measures are progressing, in distributed by the welfare fund board), Head the preparation of the Welfare Fund Act of the load workers Welfare Board members who don’t workers in the Employment Guarantee Scheme, receive health coverage from the welfare fund based on it. board, were included in the mission. The benefi- ciaries shall also include the family members of the Minimum welfare pension will be 357 workers who are members of the welfare board. made to 1000 INR in the first year and increased in the years thereafter. Sys- Karunya Health care scheme was initiated which tems shall also be established for creat- a coverage up to Rs 5 lakhs INR. All members of ing contributary pension, the member- the Health care Mission that existed have been ship which can be taken by submitting included in the Karunya mission. The govern- an extra fee every month, for workers ment expenditure as annual premium is around especially permanent wages workers, 1000 crores INR. This is being distributed over their minimum pension. It will through the gain from the state Lottery. be ensured that welfare pensions are b. Health insurances will be developed, distributed accurately. Systems shall be and it will be ensured that all the de- setup to make this distribution direct- serving individuals receive it and bene- ly to houses. Social security pension fits will be raised. scheme will be developed more. Karunya Health care mission was initiated. Minimum pension was increased to 1000 INR in the first year and 1100 INR in the next. Cur- c. Health insurance shall be tried to im- rently, welfare pensions have been raised to 1200 plement, for P.F pensioners who receive INR. Welfare fund pensions distributed with less than 1000 Rs as pension. Strong in- government aid are also done at this increased fluence shall be put on the Central Gov- rate. Welfare pensions are directly delivered ernment to solve problems faced by PF to houses. The number of pensioners have in- pensioners. creased from 35,83,886 to 45,45,358. The cur-

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 105 Health insurance was instituted for EPF pen- 360 The welfare fund for household work- sioners receiving less than 1000 INR as pension. ers will be made more efficient and at- tractive. 359 a. Welfare funds schemes will be al- lowed for cooking employees. Steps The welfare missions for the household work- shall be taken to bring them under ers is being done through the Kerala Unorga- the limits of the E.S.I. Steps shall also nized Workers Social Security Board. Currently, be taken for incepting an Insurance 15,239 employees are members. Scheme. 361 Welfare funds will be introduced for 642 cooks were given membership in the Kera- the workers with low income, in tem- la Unorganized Workers Social Security Board. ples in private sector. Temple employ- Steps are being taken jointly with the Education ees will also be allowed time bound ministry to include cooks, cooking in schools, to grades. be included under the ESI Scheme. Various welfare programmes for temple em- b. The ESI Scheme shall be propagated ployees is being organized through the Kerala around the state and it will be ensured Unorganized Workers Social Security Board. that all the deserving categories avail Currently, 3106 temple workers are members of the benefits. the welfare fund. ESI Scheme has been completely implement- ed in all districts of the state since 01.02.2017. 362 Package will be introduced to provide Draft notification has been isuued including jobs to toddy workers arrack workers the agreement based and casual employees in and bar workers who lost their jobs. municipal and corporation institutions in the Security Self Employment Scheme was imple- scheme. Measures are being taken to include mented for the rehabilitation for the workers more working categories into the Scheme. who lost their jobs when the bars were closed ESI dispensaries have been started at Pathana- down in consequence to the 2014-15 Abkari mthitta, Kattappana, and (Kozhikode), Act. Beneficiaries are - being given Rs 2,50,000 and dispensaries are soon to be started at Munnar, as loan at 4% annual interest, and Rs 50,000 as , Sulthan Bathery, and . subsidy.

CHILD CARE 363 a. Law enforcement and awareness b.Jagratha Samithi Committees will be will be ensured to prevent attacks, ex- formed including representatives of ploitation, and sexual assaults against children, local self-governments, and children. the representatives of committee of par- ents. Steps are being taken to prevent assaults against children in the adivasi regions in Wayanad. Sa- Jagratha Samithis are being formed around the rana Balyam Scheme has been implemented in state. all districts. Measures have been taken to make Kannur as a child-friendly district. Adoption 364 a. Schemes that were introduced in the done without proper legal procedures is being state for the healthcare of children, prevented . District level Juvenile Justice Boards including Arogyakiranam, Thalolam, and Child Welfare Committees have been re-or- Karunya, and Ammayum Kunjum, will ganized. be re-organized.

106 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT Kerala Social Security Mission is organizing the Treatment systems and rehabilitation activities Thalolam Scheme which provides treatment for for children with autism, cerebral palsy, hearing severe diseases of children, through district hos- loss, is being done through Kerala Social Secu- pitals, and medical colleges, and the Cancer Se- rity Mission. Arogyakiranam Scheme is being curity Scheme which functions through R.C.C successfully implemented. Thiruvananthapuram, Malabar Cancer Center, and district hospitals. b. The number of hospitals for mothers and children, and the services rendered, Steps are being taken to implement new Schemes will be increased. for the treatment of all severe diseases faced by children from birth to the age of 18, with regard Completed the activities for special hospitals to the spread of each disease. Hridyam Scheme for mothers and children at the Taluk hospi- which will provide free treatment for heart sur- tals in , Chavakkadu, Ponnani, and geries for children up to the age of 18 is being Thalipparambu, and General hospitals in Irin- implemented. 1341 beneficiaries have already galakkuda, Thrissur, and Thalassery. New vacan- received treatment. cies have also been created for the same. Special interferences have been made to improve the Mitayi Scheme is being implemented to ensure quality of service to children in district hospitals the complete safeguarding of children and ado- lescents who have contracted Type 1 Diabetes. and taluk hospitals. ‘Lakshya’ Scheme, which targets the renovation of labor rooms in all the ‘Dhwani’ Scheme was implemented for upgrad- hospitals, has been started off. ‘Mathruyaanam’ ing the speech processor for those children who Scheme, which takes the mother and child back had their cochlear implantation surgery com- home post-delivery at free of cost, has also been pleted before the implementation Sruthitha- started off. rangam Scheme. HOUSING

365 E.M.S Housing Scheme and M.N Lak- Through the LIFE Housing Scheme which en- sham Veedu Scheme will be rede- sures secure and adequate homes, 90,863 people signed. This will be done by integrat- have already received homes. The construction ing with the central I.A.Y Housing of around 1.30 lakhs houses is proceeding. Scheme. Primarily, the complete list of The families which had received financial assis- the unfinished houses will be prepared, tance under various government schemes, but and steps would be taken for the imple- could not complete the construction, are be- mentation of special Schemes for the ing helped under LIFE in the first phase . such completion of the construction. The 50447 houses are made to living condition. landless will be allowed to buy land at The second phase aimed at constructing homes any desired location, and they would for the homeless who had land. The scheme tar- be given a specific percentage as addi- geted providing a house of area 40 sq. meters tional financial help, above the govern- by giving each beneficiary 4 lakhs INR. 8,744 ment-decided fair value. The govern- people have already finished the construction ment acquiring the land and giving it of their homes, out of which 85004 received the to the landless for housing construc- amount. tion, will also be considered. One lakh houses will be built every year, and in The third phase plans at giving shelter to the five years, housing for everyone will be homeless without any land, by constructing ensured. housing complexes. The measures for con-

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 107 structing these in all the 14 districts after find- houses less than 1000 sq. feet in area. ing appropriate land, are progressing. A housing Under evaluation. complex with 217 flats made with 24 crores INR, was inaugurated in 2019 February in Adimali, 367 CRZ will not be made strict for houses Idukki district. The mission is not to just han- in sea shore areas under 1500 sq. feet, dover the flats post construction. The complexes and those constructed before 2010, provided by the government also include health based on building line. Pressure shall care centers, anganwadis, job training centers, be put on the center for the same, if the libraries, and other facilities for the residents. area comes under the limits of the cen- The government raised the unit cost of the house ter. to 4 lakhs INR by allowing a surplus of 2,50,000 The right to decide on the requests on CRZ dis- INR to P.M.A.Y – Life in cities. Unit cost of the counts for residential houses less than 100 sq. house was raised to 4 lakhs INR by allowing a meters in area, has been handed over to the Ker- surplus of 2,80,000 INR to P.M.A.Y – Life in ru- ala Coastal Zone Management Authority Dis- ral regions. 65,629 beneficiaries started housing trict Level Committee, for pacing up the stpes. construction in P.M.A.Y Life in cities. 10,090 people have completed construction. In villag- The central government has released a new no- es, 16,985 people were allowed houses. The con- tification of CRZ in January 2019. Steps shall struction of 15,484 houses have been completed. soon be taken to prepare Coastal Zone Manage- ment Plan, which would make the discounts an- 366 No permission is required for con- nounced in the new notification available. struction of houses less than 1000 sq. Planning cess will be levied on large feet in a plot of less than five cents. 368 building complexes. The amount thus Permissions will not be required for received will be used for the construc- construction of houses with solar pan- tion of homes for the homeless. els in less than 1500 sq. feet in area ei- ther. Building Tax will not be levied for Has not been implemented.

PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

369 a. The BPL limits in Kerala has creat- teria to include the ration card of the employees ed a scenario where a major category in the unorganised sector in the priority catego- of under privileged individuals is be- ry. ing kept out of the public distribution system. Rice shall be dsitributed free of 370 Ration cards that had to be renewed cost to A.A.Y – BPL families. in 2013, have not been distributed yet (2016 April). Ration card distribution Free distrbution being carried out. As handling shall be completed in one year. The charges, Rs 1 is being charged from BPL cate- complaints arising related to this will gory. be resolved. b. System shall be made to distribute The distribution of the renewed ration cards was free ration to various unorganised sec- completed in accordance to the 2013 National tor worker communities and guaran- Food Security law. The complaints that arose teed job employees by including them in the ration card, that was completed in accor- under BPL. dance to the 2013 Food Security law were han- Re-arrangements were made to the existing cri- dled by organizing the examination camps at

108 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT A.R.D level, conducting field level verification, petition-based. Almost all the debts of Consum- and mapping the details about the other depart- erfed have been settled. ments to the details of the ration card, and 3.16 c. Steps shall be taken to utilize the wide lakhs ineligibles have been removed from the branch of co-ordination groups for the priority category,and including with eligibles. trade interference during periods of fes- tivals. 371 Civil Supplies Corporation will be made capable of market intervention The trade interference done during the last so that the price rates of the market can Onam, Christmas, Ramzan periods, has gained be maintained. a lot of appreciation. For making the trade interferences of the pres- The activities of Maveli Stores will be ent government more efficient, 52 trade centers 372 strengthened. The prices of goods at were newly established and the existing trade the Maveli Stores won’t be increased in centers upgraded with new facilities. the next five years. Newly opened – 40 maveli Stores, 8 Super Mar- Supplyco trade centers sell 14 types of necessary kets, 4 Maveli Super Stores. provisions at a reduction rate of up to 60% with Upgraded – 38 Maveli Stores to Super Markets, respect to general trade, at the subsidized rates 12 Maveli Stores to Maveli Super Stores, one decided by the government. The prices of these Maveli Store to People’s Bazaar. Apart from this in accordance to the announcements made in 3 Super Markets have been upgraded to People’s the manifesto, have not been increased. At the Bazaar. same time, with relation to the reduction in the rertail price, additional discounts have been giv- 26 trade centers were established and 39 upgrad- en to the consumers. The prices of commodities ed in the course of the last one year alone. The at the point of the current government’s com- government has allotted 8 crores INR to Supply- ing-to-power, and now, is given below. co in the 2018-19 financial year plan fund, for the renovation of the trade centers. Renovation Sl Subsidy retail price at Category activities of 86 trade centers has thus been com- No supplyco (price per kg) pleted. 25/05/2016 29/04/2019 The current government has allotted more 1 Green Gram 74.00 59.00 amount in the budget for trade interferenc- 2 Black Gram 66.00 60.00 es than previous governments. In the 2016-17, 3 Bengal Gram 43.00 39.00 2017-18, 2018-19 financial years, 200 crores 4 Big Beans 45.00 45.00 INR each was kept aside for trade intereferences 5 Tur Dal 65.00 40.00 for Supplyco. Bottled water was made available 6 Chilly 75.00 75.00 for 11 INR at Supplyco, during this summer,. 7 Coriander 92.00 75.00 b. Extensive examination shall be done 8 Sugar 22.00 22.00 on the activities of Consumerfed to ren- 9 Coconut Oil 88.00 90.00* der punishment to whoever is found 10 Jaya Rice 25.00 25.00 guilty of corruption, and the debts dealt 11 Kuruva Rice 25.00 25.00 with in a single turn. 12 Matta Rice 24.00 24.00 13 Raw Rice 23.00 23.00 Strong measures have been adopted to see an 14 Andhra Rice 25.00 end to the corruption in ConsumerFed. The way was paved for buying quality goods at low prices **The price of coconut oil rose by 2rs as the by making the purchasing transparent and com- goods service tax has increased.

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 109 The amount distributed to consumers be modernised so as to help it grow as a through trade interferences from 2016-17 fi- controlled rate market chain. nancial years, and the grants given to Supply- As part of renovating ration shops, a single co from the government, are given below. model has been prepared for the shops and for Subsidy Government implementing this, administrative nod was giv- Financial amount allotted amount to en for allotting Rs 3.5 crores so that a shop will year given to supplyco for trade get Rs 2,500 each. This amount was distributed consumers interference in advance to the shop owners. 90 per cent reno- 2016-17 431.60/- 200.00/- vation works have been completed in the ration 2017-18 446.96/- 200.00/- shops. 2018-19 281.93/- 200.00/- The inauguration of introducing variety in ra- tion shops was inaugurated by the CM in Kan- *In 2018-19 financial year, over the 100 crores nur district. Steps are progressing to expand this INR allowed by the government, Supplyco was project to other districts. granted 100 crores INR as loan under govern- ment guarantee for trade interference. As part of Food Security Act 2013, end-to-end computerisation is being completely done in the 373 According to the recommendations Department. Related works are in the final stage in the Justice Wadhwa Committee re- of completion. As the final step, administra- port, a Complaints Redressal Commis- tive nod was received in 2018-19 financial year sion will be formed to put an end to to connect the Electronic Point of Sale (e-pos) the fraudulent activities in the Public machines with electronic weighing balance. This Distribution System, and to stop black project will be completed in the current finan- markets, hoarding, sale on holidays, cial year. artificial price rise etc. The current commission package of small-scale According to the recommendations of ration shop owners in the State have been mod- Wadhwa Committee, a facility was strength- ified and necessary declarations to this regard ened at the departmental-level to prevent have been made. Accordingly, Rs 18,000 will be black markets, hoarding and to put an end to received as basic commission and an additional illegal sale of cereals meant for beneficiaries. commission will be received according to the ra- At the district-level, Additional District Mag- tio of food grains’ sale. istrates have been appointed as officials to A portability facility has been implemented so redress the complaints and this has begun that any card owner can buy ration from any functioning. The officials in the Depart- shop in the State. ment have been conducting checks from b) The State Government will interfere time-to-time and have been taking strict to solve the shortcomings and flaws in action against those found violating law. cooking gas distribution. A Call Centre has been functioning to receive complaints from the public on the rationing Steps are being taken based on the report sub- system. In ration shops, computerisation steps mitted by a Committee which was formed to for introducing Electronic Point of Sale (ePOS) solve the issues in cooking gas distribution and have been completed. Steps are being taken to to suggest possible solutions. The State Govern- make the functioning of the Public Distribution ment has been interfering to solve the short- System more transparent and effective. comings and flaws in cooking gas distribution. 374 a. It is difficult to maintain the chain 375 Kerala will be changed into hunger-free of ration shops in Kerala based on State. A Scheme will be implemented the current minimum profit earned through which all needy will get one through the sale of ration items. So, meal for free in a day. This will be first changes will be introduced and it will implemented in select areas on an ex-

110 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT perimental basis. Steps will be taken so from this, Rs 10 lakhs has been kept aside for that private sector can also be included spreading information about this project and in this. for related activities. Steps are progressing at the State-level to implement projects related In economic year 2018-19, Hunger-free Kerala to this so as to ensure that the benefits of this Project was re-named as ‘Subhiksha’ (Abun- scheme will reach the needy. dance) . From the funds allotted for this scheme in 2018-19 economic year, Rs 1 crore Under the aegis of Kudumbashree, each was allotted for Thrissur, Pathanamthit- 376 a chain of accredited hotels will be ta districts; Rs 61 lakhs each was allowed for formed to give good quality food at Kollam and Kottayam districts. In Alappuzha reasonable rate. district, where the Scheme was already im- plemented, Rs 20 lakhs was allowed. Apart This is under consideration.

IMMIGRANT LABOUR

The housing complex ‘Apna Ghar’ constructed for the migrant labourers at Kanjikode in Palakkad

377 a. For the migrant labourers, the State lakhs. The maximum aid for health care was Government’s Welfare Programme in- increased from Rs 2,000 to Rs 20,000 and the troduced in 2010 will be completely least retirement benefit was increased from Rs modified and made more attractive. 10,000 to Rs 20,000. The maximum retirement Rise in benefits for in migrant labourers, from benefit was increased from Rs 25,000 to Rs those mentioned in the Welfare Programme. 50,000. In case of death of a in migrant labourer The aid in case of a death was increased to Rs within our State, up to Rs 50,000 can be spent 25,000 from Rs 10,000. The financial aid offered so as to take the body to the native place of the in case of a death, while the deceased was at deceased. District Labour Officers were given work, was increased from Rs 50,000 to Rs 2 necessary approvals in this regard.

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 111 b) Based on the Central-State rules, a Kozhikode districts. complete law will be formed for migrant b) As Rashtriya Swasthya Bhima Yojana labourers. (RSBY) is a health insurance scheme Steps regarding this are being implemented. that can be used across the Nation, the migrant labourers will be included in 378 a. For providing a clean home at rea- the health insurance scheme. sonable rate for emigrant labourers, a Social Security Project will be pre- For the emigrant labours, AWAS Scheme was pared. implemented. It will provide free treatment worth Rs 15,000 and assures accident insurance For migrant labourers, a Housing Scheme is worth Rs 2 lakhs. The free treatment has been being implemented which is named ‘Apna made available in assurance model through Ghar’ (My Home). The first project of the scheme has begun functioning at Kanjikode 52 government hospitals. Till now, 3,73,704 in Palakkad. For the project, land was taken labourers registered their names under the up in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Scheme.

SENIOR CITIZENS

379 From public hospitals to other hos- 381 a. The number of adult day care centres pitals offering medical care, special will be increased. Facilities for enter- health facilities will be arranged for the tainment, group activities will be done elderly at all levels. and snacks will be ensured in such cen- tres. Steps have been taken to set up friendly wards for elderly in an important hospital in all Apart from the facilities available now in the districts. Clinics for elderly and special OP are adult day care centres, being run by Local being implemented in the health centres of most Self Government institutions for the elderly, hospitals. Through Centre’s Health Scheme, by utilising the service of care givers and National Programme for Health Care of Elderly, by providing other facilities such as yoga, wards for older people have been set up, with meditation, counselling, medical examination all facilities, in five districts. In the district and protein-rich food, a Project has been begun hospitals of these five districts, a Special OP to convert them to ‘Sayamprabha’ (Evening and Physiotherapy Unit are functioning for the Splendour) homes. As the first step, Rs 1.96 elderly people. crores has been allotted to convert 70 adult Important requirements of elderly people, daycare centres to Sayamprabha Homes. including dentures, hearing aids etc. have been ‘Vayomitram’ (Friend of elderly) Project has been distributed through the Scheme of Health implemented in all regions of the city. This project Department. Health Camps and Clinics for the offers free check up, free medicine, counselling, Elderly are fully functional at Sub-district-level. through mobile clinics, to those aged above 65 years. As the next stage, for implementing the 380 Santhwana (Comfort) Care Chain will project in all Block Panchayats, this was begun be made available for all. in Kozhikode Block Panchayat. Across the State, programmes related to Under the Social Justice Department, there are Santhwana have begun to provide care and 16 Government Care Homes for the elderly. As comfort. the first stage to raise the status of Elderly Care

112 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT Homes to national-level, the Government Care b) A detailed, complete study will be Home for Elderly in Kannur district was selected held regarding the problems faced by and with the title ‘Second Innings Project’, the the elderly and interference will be done Model Old Age Home was inaugurated. to solve their issues. ‘Manthahasam’ (Smile) Project, that provides To study the problems faced in private care dentures to those aged above 60 years and those homes for the elderly, a High-level Committee who have lost their teeth, is being implemented. was formed with Justice C.N. Ramachandran For those aged above 60 years and belonging to Nair as the Chairperson. The Committee has BPL category, a project has been implemented submitted its report. Steps have been progressing to provide free glucometer. This was provided to to study and implement the suggestions in the 14,000 people till now. report. TRANSGENDER ISSUE 382 A Transgender Policy will be imple- Transgender Cell, works have been progressing mented so as to give special consider- fast under the project. ation to Transgenders in the fields of For the operation to change the gender, up to Rs Health, Education and job sectors. 2 lakhs is being given as financial aid. For those A law has been framed for Transgenders in who have undergone the surgery, Rs 3,000 will the State. Several schemes, including those be given per month, for one year, to do follow up for distribution of ID cards, scholarships, treatment and for health protection. continuance of education, providing training in Through the Women’s Development driving, skills development training etc are being Corporation, a low-interest Loan Scheme has implemented. This is being done by forming been implemented wherein Transgenders will several Welfare, Rehabilitation packages. A get up to Rs 3 lakhs as loan, at low interest Transgender Cell was formed. Kottayam Medical rate, for finding out a job of their own. Steps College has introduced a special OP facility have been progressing to begin Short Stay for the Transgenders. As part of the awareness Homes in Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode programmes, it has been decided to conduct and Ernakulam for Transgenders (Transmen, 43 training workshops. For implementing Transwomen) to stay for a short period. Transgender Welfare Programmes, Rs 10 crores An order has been made wherein Transgenders has been set apart in the Budget in this financial were allotted two additional seats in State year. Government/ Aided Arts and Science Colleges For the complete progress of Transgender for Degree and Post Graduate Courses. For the community, ‘Mazhavillu’ (Rainbow) project first time in India, a Transgender Cooperative was begun in May 16, 2018. By forming the Society was formed. DIFFERENTLY-ABLED 383 a. The financial aid given by the State Study Scheme begun by the SCERT. Government for Buds Schools will be b) Social Care and Security will be increased to a great extent. The salary ensured for all Autistic students. for teachers will be increased. For autistic children, Niramaya Health Insurance Rs 14 lakhs has been sanctioned for a new Scheme is being implemented, according to the project that will provide training to the teachers National Trust Act. Through the Social Security in all Buds Schools and Mentally Retarded (MR) Mission, several rehabilitation programmes Special Schools in Kerala, according to the new are being implemented for students who are

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 113 suffering from Autism Spectrum Disorder. Kerala State Handicapped Persons’ Welfare Corporation. This is the first time Kerala is For the complete protection of those suffering receiving such an Award. from Autism, a project ‘Spectrum’ that includes several elements have been formed as part ‘Shubha Yatra’ (Safe journey) Project is being of Anuyatra Scheme. As part of this, Autism implemented for distributing three-wheelers, Centres were begun in five Medical Colleges. electronic wheel chairs etc. to 2.63 lakh persons Apart from this, an Autism Rehabilitation and in Kerala, who face limitations in movement. Research Centre was begun in National Institute As part of this, around 1,000 such equipment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation have been distributed. By working together with (NIPMR) with research facilities, according to Central Public Sector Institution ALIMCO, International standards. camps were organised in various places in the State and different equipment were distributed For establishing an Autism Centre in Kozhikode for the Physically Challenged. Medical College, Rs 26.56 Lakhs has been allotted. A project ‘Hastha Daanam’ (Hand Shake) is c) All deserving Special Schools will being implemented to provide Rs 20,000 as be converted into Aided Schools. Fixed Deposit to differently-challenged boys The government will provide special and girls up to 12-years of age. financial aid to other establishments. Administrative nod has been given for Rs 1 Steps are being taken to provide financial aid crore worth ‘Ashwasam’ (Relief) Project that to Special Schools by dividing them into three will provide up to Rs 25,000 as financial aid to categories: Special Schools having more than differently-challenged for beginning small-scale 100 students will be considered as ‘A’ grade, those job initiatives. This is for those economically-hit with more than 50 students will be considered as physically challenged, who do not have anything ‘B’ grade and those with more than 25 students to mortgage, for loans. will be considered as ‘C’ grade. As per fixed scales, ‘A’ grade schools will get maximum Rs For 1,000 people, who are visually challenged, 83.05 lakhs, ‘B’ grade schools will get maximum steps have been almost completed to provide Smart Rs 51.55 lakhs and ‘C’ grade schools will be phones with Voice Enhance Software. Rs 200 allowed Rs 19.48 lakhs as grant for a year. lakhs has been sanctioned for works to modernise equipment construction centre (Manufacturing, 384 a. The Corporation for Physically Repairing, Servicing and Training Centre, MRST Challenged will be re-organised. Offic- Centre) for differently-abled. es will be allowed in District Centres. b) Like this, Social Security Mission will The Welfare Corporation for Physically also undergo re-organisation. Challenged has been re-organised. Apart Kerala Social Security Mission will re-organise from Thiruvananthapuram, the Corporation its activities so that its service will reach even the had offices in Kozhikode and Ernakulam. lowest-level of the consumers on time. The Mission In this year, district offices will be begun in will accept follow up measures for this. Kannur, Palakkad, Kottayam and Alappuzha. Administrative nod has been given for this and For those aged above 65 years, free medical care, works are progressing. free medicine and counselling were provided through mobile clinics. This was implemented in The Central Government’s Ministry of all regions in the city through ‘Vayomitram’ (Friend Social Justice and Empowerment has been of Elderly) Scheme. As part of implementing it in giving National Awards to those persons all Block Panchayats in the next stage, it was begun and organisations that showed excellence in in Kozhikode Block Panchayat. implementing the Act for Differently-abled. In 2018, the National Award was received by Mobile Intervention Clinics: In the case of

114 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT several people suffering from mental challenges, C) The financial aid for orphanages will especially children, they might not be able to be increased. reach the centres that provide related services. The financial aid for orphanages was increased to For such people, services will be made available Rs 1,100. at their place of residence through this project. It is aimed to implement this project across the Physically Challenged persons will be State. The project was now begun in Kozhikode, 385 given permission to do works by using Malappuram districts. bunks in KSRTC, District Hospital, Col- As part of providing special care to differently- lectorate, Taluk Office, Civil Station etc. abled children, a Special Anganwadi Pilot Kerala State Handicapped Persons’ Welfare Project is being done in Kozhikode district. Corporation has been giving up to Rs 25,000 as With an aim to make Kerala into a disabled- self-employment loan, at 5 per cent interest rate, friendly State, ‘Anuyatra’ (Accompanying) Project for three years, without bail. The loan is being has been formed and is being implemented. This provided to begin jobs from very small-scale works according to an international vision in business, using bunks, to running construction sustaining disabled-friendly. 25 projects, from units. primary defensive works to stable rehabilitation, are under implementation. 386 In government/ semi-government in- The Social Security Mission has been implementing stitutions, the reservation for physical- ‘Mittayi’ (Sweet) project for offering complete ly challenged will be fully implement- protection to children and teenagers suffering ed. from Type 1 Diabetes. Steps are progressing to increase the reservation Before beginning ‘Shruti Tharangam’ (Hearing from three per cent to four per cent. A Wave) Project, for those children who have Government order has been made to provide four completed Cochlear Implantation Surgery, to per cent reservation for differently-abled in Aided upgrade Speech processor, ‘Dhwani’ (Hearing) Schools. For this, Kerala Education Rules’ (KER) Project was implemented. amendment is progressing.

WELFARE OF SCHEDULED CASTES

387 All steps should be taken to make better 388 Scheduled Caste families will be given the land ownership facilities for Sched- the freedom to find out lands in the uled Castes. For this, in each place, area of their choice, through the proj- available government land, excess land ects of Local Self Government Institu- etc. will be distributed immediately to tions, Scheduled Caste Development around 22,000 families without homes. Corporation etc. that provide financial At least a small shelter will be ensured aid to buy land. The rate of the land, for all. coming under the limits of respective Local Self Government office, will be For providing homes to those without land, given to the SC families as financial Life Mission has been constructing flats. This aid. has reached the third stage. In the preferences for this project, much importance is given to During the last three years, Scheduled Caste De- Scheduled Caste category. For the government velopment Corporation had provided financial land in the custody of Scheduled Castes, in some aid to 12,952 landless families to buy land. This places, ‘Pattayam’ (original land record) could work that is done as part of the Life Mission can be given. be completed in two years. 120 families, that be-

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 115 long to really weak category, were given aid to ana Muri’ (Study room) has begun so as to pro- buy land. vide Rs 2 lakhs each as financial aid to a fam- ily to construct study rooms, with all facilities, 389 In already existing houses, if there are including a table, chair, almirah, fan, personal students, financial aid will be provided computer etc. in houses that have smaller di- to construct a study room for them as mensions. Approval has been given to construct part of the house. study rooms as part of houses in all deserving cases. This has been approved in the homes of Permission was given to construct 11,196 study people falling under Vulnerable category such rooms. 4,342 have been completed. The con- as ‘Arundhathiyar’, ‘Chakliar’, ‘Vedan’, ‘Naayadi’ struction of rest of the study rooms are under and ‘Kalladi’ groups. progress. Pre-matric, Post-matric hostels for For each place that offers shelter, basic 392 390 Scheduled Caste children will be mod- facilities required will be fixed. Apart ernised. Apart from ensuring better from this, the speciality of each place staying facility and food, it will be en- will be taken into consideration and to sured that the hostels will have a com- avoid water logging, additional facili- puter lab, internet facility in rooms etc. ties that may be required will be found In the case of Post Matric Hostels, in out. A special programme will be pre- the ratio of at least 1: 20, tutors will be pared so that all these requirements, arranged to help the students in their in all the asylums, will be completed studies. These hostels will be working within five years, as a package. under the District Panchayats which For the development of 280 asylums, having at will be responsible for running it. A least 40 Scheduled Caste families, Ambedkar Social Audit Committee will be decid- Village Development Project is being imple- ed by the District Panchayat which will mented. The works in five asylums have been monitor the activities in these hostels, completed. The development works in 104 asy- every three months, and make neces- lums have been completed. These were earlier sary changes. left by the previous government in the middle This was done fully in previous 3 years. of works. a. In Model Residential Schools (MRS) A facility will be arranged in schools so 393 391 meant for Scheduled Caste students, as to give continuous special training classrooms with multi-media facility, for students who are lagging behind in play grounds, protein rich food etc. studies. This will be done taking into will be ensured. From High School-lev- consideration the fact that the num- el, students will get their own comput- ber of students who fail and the num- ers. ber of drop outs are more among the Scheduled Caste students and the aim The construction of a new building for a Mod- is to solve this issue. Apart from this, el Residential School was begun in Peringom in focusing on centres where more than Kannur district through Kerala Infrastructure 25 Scheduled Caste families are stay- Investment Fund Board (KIIFB). Smart class ing, a Study Home Project will be es- rooms were established in eight out of nine ex- tablished in necessary regions so as to isting Model Residential Schools. Playgrounds help Scheduled Caste students study, are there. Protein-rich food is being given. Com- by staying away from their homes. puter facility is there. The plan to give computer to each student will be considered. The rise in standard of Public Schools have helped reduce the dropout rate. A Scheme ‘Pad- b. School Management Committees will

116 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT be formed for running Model Residen- Local Self Government institutions and Sched- tial Schools. uled Caste Development Corporation have been implementing this project. After this gov- Currently there is a Management Committee, ernment came into power, these facilities were PTA, Executive Committee etc. freshly made available for degree courses in MBBS,BAMS, BHMS,BDS, Computer/ Elec- a. The financial aid provided for stud- 394 tronics and MBA courses. ies of Scheduled Caste students will be increased to Rs 750 in Primary, Upper 397 Except in case of those working in the Primary-levels, and it will be increased organised sector, all other Scheduled to Rs 1,000 in Higher Secondary-level. Caste families will be considered as In every year, this fund will be changed, BPL and ration, other facilities etc. will based on the rising Budget require- be made available. ments in day-to-day life. Steps are being taken. Rs 2,000 each has been allowed as Primary Special Projects for Scheduled Castes, Education Aid for all classes (from Class I to 398 coming under Local Self Governments, VIII) . In Classes IX and X, students are getting will be completely analysed based on Pre-Matric Scholarship. the experiences during the last one- b. For students studying Degree, Post and-a-half decade and the guidelines Graduate courses, at least Rs 3,000 will will be timely modified. be given as stipend to stay in College GIFT was made in-charge of conducting studies Hostel. College students will be given in this regard. Steps will be taken in the order of computers. receiving the reports. The grant allowed for students staying in col- Steps will be taken so that the Local lege hostels was increased from Rs 3,500 to Rs 399 Self Governments will be able to spe- 4,500. Considering the fact that students are cially consider Scheduled Caste fam- more in Thiruvananthapuram hostels, a Scheme ilies in their region and can accept, has been begun so as to provide Rs 4,500 to provide a family based approach in 200 students who are staying in private hostels. the planning and implementation of Through Local Self Government institutions, all Scheduled Caste Development Proj- students studying Degree courses are being pro- ects. For planning Scheduled Caste vided laptops. For studying professional Degree Development Projects, Special Grama and Post Graduate Courses, Scheduled Caste Sabhas of Scheduled Castes will be held Department has been providing laptops. at Panchayat/Municipal-levels. 395 Finishing Schools will be begun for Arrangements have been made for creating Scheduled Caste students who had to complete development projects that will give stop their Professional course studies. importance to providing necessary basic facili- ties, jobs and education to each family. A scheme that was begun to provide coaching to students who failed in B.Tech courses, to write 400 Special courts will be established in their Degree exams again, is being continued. each district to handle cases that come under Scheduled Castes and Tribes 396 Free Laptops will be made available to (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Scheduled Caste, Aadivasi (Tribal) stu- Currently, Special Courts are there in only four dents who are studying in Professional districts. When economical state improves, these Colleges. Brilliant students studying Special Courts will be included in the list that in other Universities will be given the will consider the establishment of new courts. same benefits.

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 117 401 a. Special financial package will be im- Castes/ Scheduled Tribe Development Corpora- plemented in each district for Sched- tion, a project has been begun to sanction up to uled Caste-Scheduled Tribe business Rs 50 lakhs as loan. 28,375 people were provided entrepreneurs, to begin new business jobs in different sectors. initiatives. b) Projects will be prepared to begin Sched- Scheduled Caste Development Department has uled Caste-Schedule Tribe start ups in all dis- begun ‘Start up Dreams Project’ for beginning tricts. Start ups. After this government came into pow- Start up Dreams Project is being implemented er, for beginning start ups, under Scheduled under the Start up Mission. WELFARE OF SCHEDULED TRIBES

402 a. For the development of basic facili- 2018-19. Apart from this, under various projects ties in Tribal (Aadivasi) villages, proj- in the Department, 9,961 houses that got ap- ects will be formed on a cluster basis in proval for construction were completed in 2016- 34 villages. 17 and 2017-18. Under Life Mission, houses will be constructed for 9,896 people. As part of implementing works for the devel- opment of basic facilities in Aadivasi villages, a. Steps will be taken to protect the works in 101 colonies, that were selected ac- 404 rights of tribals in their lands and to cording to Ambedkar Settlement Development ensure their protection. Project, will be completed this year. After this government came into power, 3,123.62 b. It will be ensured that the tribal vil- acres of land was distributed to 2,824 people un- lages will have roads, potable water, so- der the Forest Rights Act, project for buying and lar facility in regions that do not have sale of land, distribution of notified forest land power supply, Anganwadis, houses, etc. Currently, steps are progressing in 5,723 study houses, soil conservation activi- new applications. ties etc. b. For the complete development of Ambedkar Settlement Development Project is Aadivasis (tribals), it is inevitable to being continuously implemented. solve land issues. Steps will be taken so as to give at least one acre land to all Other than concrete houses, the Hous- 403 landless Aadivasi families. ing Scheme will be planned after an- alysing the needs and interests of the According to the estimates prepared by the Life family. The model that was successfully Mission, there are 12,666 landless Aadivasis in implemented in Attappady will be ac- the State. Lands were distributed to 2,824 among cepted. them. Steps have been progressing to provide land to 5,723 people based on Forest Rights Act. After understanding the needs and interests of Land will be made available to 4,119 people un- families, necessary changes are being made in der Notified Forest Land Distribution Scheme, the construction of houses, in deciding the floor project under which land is bought and sold etc. width and a Housing Scheme is being planned. Like this, land issues of Aadivasis will be solved There are special directions regarding this in timely. LIFE project. Among the 12,205 houses that got approval in 2016-17 and were completely c. For taking up barren lands and doing constructed, 6,572 houses were constructed in cultivation there, the respective Grama 2017-18 and 3,320 houses were completed in Panchayats will give opportunities to

118 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT the Aadivasis. groups have been formed and job training is be- ing provided. In the building construction sec- By finding out barren lands in Scheduled Tribe tor, training was given under seven categories. sector, Self-Help Groups of land owners will be Aid is being provided to begin entrepreneurship formed and a new scheme, worth Rs 10 crores, in a new job sector. Apart from this, by provid- will be implemented for utilising the lands for ing training in Attappady Cloth Production Sec- farming. Steps have been progressing under the tor, Apparel Park Project was implemented. In Department to do several types of cultivation, the farm sector, steps are being taken to find out on an industrial basis, at the farms of Scheduled various types of jobs. Tribe beneficiaries in Aaralam, Cheengeri, At- tappady Farming Society etc. b) It will be ensured that Aadivasi peo- ple will get all Welfare Pensions. Ration d. In districts that have orchards, the or- Cards will be ensured for all. chards for which the lease period have ended will be utilised for this. Deserving Welfare Pension has been made avail- able for all people belonging to Aadivasi cate- Steps are progressing in this regard. gory. Steps have been taken through the Civil e. Along with this, the Forest Rights Act, Supplies Department to make ration cards avail- 2005 will be scientifically implemented able for the Scheduled Tribe families. Necessary in Kerala. directions have been given to ST promoters and Forest Rights Act is being effectively implement- district-level officials to make ration cards avail- ed. According to the Forest Rights Act, steps are able to those families that have not received it. progressing to make land available for 8,112 ap- plicants. Forest Rights records were given to 164 407 In each district, Social Help Centres people for 757 acres of land. will be formed to give special training to Aadivasi children who drop their 405 In Aadivasi villages, projects will be studies, due to various reasons, and implemented so that those who have to provide housing facility to them, to own land will be able to do farming help them complete their studies. Fin- and produce food products for them- ishing School Programmes, that will selves. In this way, food security and last for 23 months, will be centralised availability of nutritious food will be and implemented in these Social Help ensured for a long period. Centres. In 2018-19, for ensuring food security and avail- Steps are being taken to begin Finishing Schools ability of nutritious food, food grain kits were based on Model Residential Schools. To prevent distributed for 77,445 families. For expanding students from becoming drop outs, and to im- farming activities in Scheduled Tribe sector, prove the quality of education, Gotra Bandhu several schemes are being implemented. For (Mentor teacher), Gothra Saradhi (Vehicle facil- encouraging traditional farming, Millet Vil- ity) and group study rooms were implemented. lage Project was implemented in Attappady. At Aaralam, Sugandhagiri, Cheengeri and other 408 Based on forest zones where tribal pop- areas, it was decided to implement a special ag- ulation is more, collection/ business ricultural package. centres will be begun to scientifically gather and sell forest products that are 406 a) By forming Labour Committees of collected from the forest areas, consid- Aadivasi young men and women, they ering it as a traditional job sector. will be given training in small-scale Steps have been begun through Scheduled farm mechanisation. Caste-Scheduled Tribe Federation to scientifi- According to Gotra Jeevika Project, various cally gather and sell products that are collected

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 119 from forests, considering it as a traditional job For students from Classes I to V, special tuition, sector. In ‘Gaddika’ market exhibitions, products Spoken English class, Career Guidance class etc. are being sold on a huge scale. Steps have been are provided. Special classes are being held for completed to begin Tribal Aboard Complex in Er- all students before and after the school time. nakulam for marketing forest products. In schools having Higher Secondary Science batches, Medical/ Engineering Coaching classes 409 a) It will be ensured that the accom- are being provided. modation facility, food, entertainment facilities and study facilities in Resi- 411 Study Homes will be formed under the dential Schools are of high quality. In- leadership of Grama Panchayats, fo- ternet facility, Computer lab, scientific cusing on villages that have more chil- laboratories, and facilities for study re- dren coming from home for studies. lated activities will be ensured. For each village, a trained facilitator will be appointed by giving a decent As part of raising Model Residential Schools to salary. Children will be given food in international standards, projects are in the fi- the mornings and evenings and study nal stage of implementation to introduce Smart facilities will be arranged. Classrooms, Computer Labs, Multi-Sports Play- grounds, Science Labs, Public Address System, In the State, 600 Community Study rooms will steamer in the kitchen etc. in all schools. be begun. 100 Community Study rooms have begun functioning. In all the centres, the re- b) The number of tutors, teachers in quired number of facilitators have been ap- Resident Schools will be increased and pointed. Steps are progressing to complete the the ratio of students-teachers-tutors remaining community study rooms. will be increased. Along with increasing the number of students, 412 In Pre-matric, Post-matric hostels for teachers’ posts are being created, matching the Aadivasi children, modern building fa- ratio. cilities, study facilities, nutritious food c) For teachers from Aadivasi commu- and internet facilities will be ensured. nity, preference will be given to appoint It was implemented in 2018. them in schools in their region. To prevent dropout rate among students and to In Aadivasi villages, monthly visit by provide education in their tribal language (‘Go- 413 Medical team and health monitoring tra Bhasha’), Gotra Bandhu Project has been im- will be ensured. For the needy, special plemented. At schools in Wayanad district, 241 care will be given through Anganwadis. Scheduled Tribe teachers have been appointed Through Anganwadis, the distribution and in Attappady, 26 teachers have been ap- of iron tablets will be strictly ensured. pointed. Medical units have been functioning under the 410 In the case of students studying in Department. In this year, six new mobile med- Model Residential Schools, Hostels ical dispensaries were begun in Kannur, Kasar- etc., their studying capacities and abil- god, Wayanad, Kollam, Palakkad and Idukki ities will be analysed in each class and districts. This was begun through Kerala Med- necessary activities will be done for ical Services Corporation. Currently, 14 units improving their awareness, based on have been functioning. Through Anganwadis, centres. For this, some teachers will be iron tablets are being distributed promptly. given responsibility. Teachers will be Apart from this, iron tablets are also being dis- made available according to the ratio tributed through Medical units. of students. Aid is being provided to 11,880 under Janani

120 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT Janma Raksha Scheme (Mother’s Protection will be given more power. In matters Scheme) and for 711 Sickle Cell Anemia pa- related to their villages, a system will be tients. Rs 25 crores was spent for Samagra implemented wherein their decision will Health Scheme. be approved by three-tier Panchayats. After this government came into power, strong 414 Basic facilities will be ensured in Aadi- steps have been taken to strengthen Village vasi villages. The facilities in the health Assemblies. For conducting Village Assembly centres of Aadivasi sector will be ex- meetings, the expenditure rate has been in- panded and more doctors, staff mem- creased to Rs 2,500/- from Rs 500/-. Schemes bers will be appointed. are being formed based on the decisions taken The Health Department has taken necessary by the Village Assemblies. measures through Aardram Mission. Steps are b) Village Assemblies will be given the progressing to convert five OP clinics under the power to examine all developmental department to IP clinics. activities taking place in the respective villages. 415 a) In the existing Public Distribution System, along with rice, cooking oil, The directions for conducting Social Auditing pulses, ragi, pigeon pea etc. will be in- will be released soon. cluded as kits and will be distributed c) Village Assemblies will have a dem- through ration shops. ocratically elected Executive Commit- Steps will be taken to distribute ration items, at tee. Like this, Panchayat-level Grama door steps, in connection with the Civil Sup- Sabha will have the Executive Commit- plies Department. In 192 villages in Attappady, tee members of all Village Assemblies of Community Kitchen Scheme was implemented. the Grama Panchayat. Administrative nod has been received to imple- Steps are being taken in this regard. ment the above mentioned project in Wayanad district. Steps are progressing to implement the 417 a) A report will be prepared by the same in Malappuram. Slowly, the Scheme will State Government every year, analys- be implemented in other districts. The Scheme, ing the situation of Tribals (Aadivasi) through which ration items will be directly in the State. brought to Aadivasi villages, was implemented in Thrissur and Pathanamthitta districts. Steps have been implemented to collect basic data related to Scheduled Tribes in the State and b) Biometric ration card system will to store it digitally. All promoters have been giv- be implemented. Along with this, nu- en necessary facilities and training for this. In- tritious food will be made available at formation is being collected. houses for all 18-year-old girls, preg- nant women, feeding mothers, those b) Expenditure for schemes, materialis- aged above 60-years and for children tic gains and scarcities will be analysed below six years in all villages. in these reports. Block-level expendi- tures will be available in these reports. Through Community Kitchen Scheme, the Social auditing of these reports will be above mentioned 18-year-old girls, pregnant done by a Jana Sabha that will include women, feeding mothers, those aged above 60 Tribal Committees (Aadivasi), Civil So- years and children below 6 years are being pro- ciety Groups, Political Groups and repre- vided nutritious food. sentatives of Tribal Village Assemblies. 416 a) Tribal (Aadivasi) Village Assemblies Guidelines for Social Auditing will be implemented.

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 121 CONVERTED CHRISTIANS 418 Kerala State Development Corporation ment. So, steps will be taken to double for Christian-Converts is an import- this amount. ant facility that will help the converted When this government came into power, around Christians gain aid from the govern- Rs 189 crores was pending in the educational aid ment. Its functioning now (2016) is in given for converted Christian students in OEC a pitiable state. Steps will be taken to category who were studying in post-matric ed- make it more effective. ucational institutions in the State. In last year Steps have been taken to make the functioning (2018-19), apart from Rs 182 crore set aside in of the Corporation for Christian Converts bet- Non-plan category and the Budget share of Rs ter and to begin new Schemes. After this gov- 41 crore under the scheme, if Rs 200 crore can ernment came into power, the amount for loans be additionally sanctioned, educational aid can and financial aid have been increased three- be distributed, without any dues, in the coming fold. Farm loans worth Rs 2 lakhs have been in- years under this category. After this government creased to Rs 4 lakhs and personal loans worth came into power, Rs 932.36 crore was sanctioned Rs 1 lakh have been increased to Rs 3 lakhs. under this category. Like this, the amount for other loan schemes b) All educational aids for Scheduled and educational complimentary gifts witnessed Castes will be equally made available an increase. Apart from this, government staff for converted Christians. of select departments will get vehicle loans up It is being distributed. to Rs 5 lakhs and higher income groups will get up to Rs 5 lakhs personal loan and up to Rs 10 Steps will be taken to write off the debts lakhs industrial loan. Such new loan schemes 420 of converted Christians, as in the case were implemented after this government came of Scheduled Castes. to power. Corporation audit has been pending since 2004-05. Steps were taken to complete In case of loans that were taken from Kerala auditing in a timely manner and the audit till State Development Corporation for Chris- 2009-10 was completed. tian- Converts from Scheduled Castes and the Recommended Communities Ltd. and for 419 a) Non-Plan Fund that has been kept which the return period has ended, the debt aside for sanctioning educational re- interest was completely avoided for those who quirements of converted Christian stu- paid the pending dues from 01.03.2019 to dents is not according to the require- 31.03.2019. WELFARE OF BACKWARD CLASSES 421 a) More funds will be made available For forward-backward classes, lump sum grant for Kerala State Backward Classes De- and stipend are being provided for those who velopment Corporation. have under Rs 1 lakh as yearly income. Special request has been made to the Finance c) Steps will be taken to solve the issues Department for this. faced by Tulu Christians in Kasaragod. Backward Classes Welfare Department b) Educational aid will be increased will be formed. based on Kumara Pillai Commission’s Report. Backward Classes Welfare Department is there at present.

122 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT WELFARE OF THE MINORITIES 422 a) The suggestions of the Paloli Com- Haj Committee. The financial aid for mittee, that is part of the Sachar Com- Waqf Board will be increased. mittee, will be implemented. Rs 29 crore was allowed for Haj Committee’s Steps have begun to implement the suggestions grant-in-aid in 2017-18. Rs 1.2 crores was al- of the Paloli Commission. lowed as Administrative Welfare Grant for Waqf Board. Waqf Tribunal was formed with Kozhi- b) Permanent grant will be allowed for kode as its Headquarters.

FORWARD COMMUNITIES DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

423 Steps will be taken to renovate those ing under various private trusts and families. temples that do not come under the Steps are progressing to renovate those temples Devaswom Board and a scheme will be among them which have financial constraints implemented so as to ensure reason- and to ensure minimum wages to the priests and able income for the priests and other other workers there. The government has given staff members there. Programmes will necessary permission to the Dewaswom Board be planned to protect the economically to implement 10 per cent reservation for eco- backward community members in For- nomically backward among the forward castes in Dewaswom recruitments. Steps are progress- ward Castes. Funds will be kept aside ing to implement the 10 per cent reservation for for this. forward castes in all recruitments, which was There are numerous temples that do not come brought in as an amendment to the Constitu- under the Dewaswom Board and are function- tion, in Kerala’s circumstances.

WOMEN’S STATUS AND DEVELOPMENT 424 A Special department will be formed from 15 per cent to 18 per cent. Neces- for women. Apart from the schemes sary training, encouragement and con- that will come directly under the de- stant monitoring will be done for this. partment, it will be responsible for As part of Women’s Scheme, projects Gender Auditing and will bring to- will be ensured for women’s entry into gether schemes related to women from new job sectors, apart from the tradi- other departments. tional ones. A special department has been formed for With an aim to bring in women to the job sec- women and children. Women and Child Devel- tor, different types of vocational training is being opment Directorate has begun functioning at given for women working in welfare institutions Poojapura in Thiruvananthapuram district. The coming under the Social Welfare Department. Rules of Business has been modified as part of State Women’s Development Corporation forming the department. Officers were appoint- is giving different types of training to wom- ed in the district-level and it has begun func- en belonging to various strata of the soci- tioning. ety and are enabling them to work efficiently. To empower women in jobs that were done only 425 Steps will be taken to increase wom- by men, an agreement has been formed with en’s participation in Kerala’s job sector Uralungal Labour Contract Co-operative Soci-

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 123 ety Ltd (ULCCS), Habitat and Nirmithi Kend- share of each department and how the funds ram to train women in plumbing, wiring, driv- were utilized are being collected with the help ing, carpentry etc. The first training has been of the Planning Board. Gender Audit Report planned with focus on the Gender Park and would be completed by this year-end. Shelter Homes coming under the Directorate of Women and Child Development Department. 430 Hospitals will be made women-friendly and those specialising in delivery will Government’s Housing Schemes and 426 be modernised. Privacy and protection land distribution will be in the wom- will be ensured in labour wards. en’s name or including the names of both members of the family. Rs 7 crore has been set apart for this. To ensure privacy and safety in labour wards, specially ar- This has been implemented. ranged rooms have become functional. In the cities, more women are working 427 Gender Audit and Gender Budget- as domestic helpers. Their welfare fund 431 ing will be re-started in State Budget. will be widened. Nowadays, Home In the Budget, 10 per cent of the total Nurses have become more organised. amount will be set aside for Special Such a facility will be formed for do- Women’s Projects. A special declara- mestic helpers. tion regarding this will be presented in The Unorganized Workers’ Social Security the Assembly as part of yearly Budget. Board has been re-organised and strengthened This was implemented. in which domestic workers too can take mem- berships. Talks regarding increasing their bene- a) Strong action will be taken based on fits are under progress. 432 Protection of Children from Sexual Of- fences Act, 2012, Protection of Wom- 428 For women going abroad, facilities will en from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 be arranged for special registration and Sexual Harassment of Women at and for being in touch with the State Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition for their requirements. and Redressal) Act, 2013. These will be Arrangements are being made for this via Nor- implemented strictly. ka. Under the ICPS Scheme, 14 District Child Pro- tection Officers are working to implement Pro- 429 a) Employees will be equipped to en- tection of Children from Sexual Offences Act sure that there are enough toilet facil- (2012). A scheme named ‘Karuthal’ (Concern) to ities, resting centres, facility for child find out children who are living in non-favour- care, travel facility, time management, able and painful situations and another scheme necessary security and committees named ‘Kaaval’ (Vigil), to provide mental and against Sexual Exploitation. social aid to children, have been functioning Steps regarding this are being taken by the La- efficiently. For giving necessary guidance about bour Department. the rules against sexual exploitation POCSO Act (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences), b) To ensure that government offices todepartments related to children, Police Child are completely women-friendly, a spe- Protection Unit, ICDS functionaries, CWC and cial gender auditing will be held and in- advocates are being given awareness classes. structions will be timely implemented. Using visual media, awareness classes are being Basic information that is necessary for Gender held for Asha workers, health workers, inhabi- Audit has been collected. The details of fund tants of Post- Matric and Pre-Matric Hostels,

124 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT Shelter Homes etc. To prevent atrocities against women, working group ‘Kaithaanghu’ (A Hand of Support) has According to the rules to end sexual exploitation been formed and a scheme of defence is being at work place, all Collectors have been given implemented through the Directorate of Wom- necessary guidance to form Internal Complaints en and Child Development. The Scheme has Committee (ICC) in all work places. As per the been allotted Rs 27,30,000/- for implementing it directions given by the Gender Advisory Board, on a pilot basis in 350 wards of selected 70 Pan- it has been decided to paste posters and stickers chayats in 14 districts of the State. Campaigns related to this in offices, hospitals and other em- are actively progressing across the State to pre- ployment sectors. Steps have been taken to form vent atrocities against women. Local Complaint Cell in unorganised sectors. Through Kudumbashree, that comes under In order to implement Protection of Women self-financing institutions a short-stay home from Domestic Violence Act, Women Protec- called ‘Snehitha’ has been begun. tion Officers are functioning in 14 districts. In order to prevent atrocities against women, a In Thiruvananthapuram, Kannur (Koothu- Working Committee named ‘Kaithaanghu’ (A paramba Hospital), Thrissur (Irinjalakkuda Hand of Support) has been formed by the So- Hospital), Wayanad and Malappuram districts, cial Justice Department and schemes are being Central Government’s one-stop centre ‘Sakhi’ implemented. With the support of Social Justice has begun functioning under the Directorate of Department, ‘Shraddha’ (Being Alert) Scheme is Women and Child Development Department. being implemented to make the people from all Central nod has been received for beginning levels of the society, employees and those in the this in the districts. Necessary steps are being service sector aware about the rules to prevent taken up for this. atrocities against women and children and to in- crease efficiency. 433 a) Women-friendly rehabilitation cen- tres will be begun with upgraded with b) To prevent atrocities against wom- modern facilities. en, Women’s friendly Village/ Town Scheme will be implemented through For those children who were sexually exploit- Local Self-Government Offices. ed and aged below 18 years, 13 rehabilitation

Women’s wall constructed by Kerala women for upholding the Renaissance values

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 125 centres named ‘Nirbhaya’ have been begun in b) Gender Park will be equipped to 11 districts. Steps are progressing to establish conduct various programmes to ensure Nirbhaya centres in all districts. In Alappuzha, women’s skill development and for giv- Kottayam, Pathanamthitta etc. which do not ing them job training that will enable have Nirbhaya centres, it will be begun soon. them to move forward in life. For children aged below 12 years in Nirbha- For the development of Gender Park, it has been ya Homes, a Model Home (SOS) was begun in decided to organise activities in seven sectors. Thiruvananthapuram. Steps are being taken to Preliminary steps have been begun to begin begin an SOS in Kozhikode. works in departments such as Library, Research, b) Short Stay Homes will be established Museum, Law etc. Buildings are also being set by working together with voluntary or- up for these four departments. Through an in- ganisations. ternational seminar, it is aimed to frame an idea ‘Ente Koodu’ (My Nest) Scheme is being im- for three other sectors namely, Cultural Centre, plemented in Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram Skill Development Centre and Production Cen- districts, to offer a safe place for women to stay tre. at night. Kerala State Women’s Development Corporation, with Central Government aid, has 436 a) Permanent Gender Law Awareness begun steps to establish Working Women’s Hos- Training Centre will be established. tels/ She Lodges in all districts. Training will be made available for Judges, Councilors, Protection Offi- 434 The activities of Women’s Commission cers, Advocates who have registered in until now will be monitored based on Legal Services Authority and Para-Le- the joint functioning of the Chairper- gal Volunteers etc. sons till now and steps will be planned A Gender Awareness Mission has been formed to make it more fruitful. Women’s under the title ‘Sadhairyam Munnottu’ (Move Commission’s relation with (‘Jagratha Ahead with Courage). As part of creating gen- Samithis’) Vigilant Committees will be der awareness, special modules have been pre- strengthened. pared for providing training to those practicing Under the leadership of Women’s Commission, law and to help them make the public aware steps are being taken to form Vigilant Commit- about the inseparable relations between law and tees in all Panchayats. Under the Women and gender. Child Development Directorate, four-day-long b) Special laws will be framed for atro- workshops are being conducted to make the cious acts in public places. The number ICDS workers understand the necessity of such of women police personnel will be in- Vigilant Committees. creased. A law will be passed regarding inheritance of wealth after marriage. 435 a) Gender Park was begun aiming over- all development for women. Necessary Steps have been taken up by Internal Affairs changes will be made for preventing a Department (View related chapter). The plan to deviation from the main aim. frame law is under consideration. Steps are being taken to organise the function- A Centre for Excellence will be estab- ing of Gender Park so as to ensure overall de- 437 velopment of women. Meetings were organised lished for women’s study and creating several times so as to help move forward the awareness. functioning of various departments such as Li- At the Gender Park, works are progressing to brary, Museum and Law. To begin activities in convert it into a Centre of Excellence for wom- these sectors, steps will be taken in 2019-20. en’s study, creating awareness, for skill develop-

126 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT ment and giving job training to them. Within a is being provided through Kerala Social Secu- year, it is expected that seven sectors of Gender rity Mission. Higher Education Financial Aid Park will become functional and that the Centre Scheme ‘Padavukal’ (Steps) that was framed will gain international attention. to provide tuition fees for various Professional courses, hostel, mess fees of widows’ children 438 Special Scheme will be framed for pro- was implemented. In Public Service Commis- tecting hapless widows. sion’s postings, age limit was raised for widows. ‘Abhaya Kiranam’ (Ray of Protection) is a Aiming entrepreneurial strengthening of wid- scheme that provides financial aid to the rela- ows and to increase publicity for entrepreneur- tives of hapless widows who give protection and ship, Women’s Development Corporation has a family’s support to them. This scheme which been implementing several development pro- is implemented through the Women and Child grammes at Panchayat-level. Development Directorate will provide financial In each district, through ten centres, three-day aid at the rate of Rs 1,000/- per month. training programme for entrepreneurial develop- ‘Sahaya Hastham’ ( A Supportive Hand) Scheme ment was organised. For those who participated in that provides Rs 30,000/- as one-time financial the programme, Rs 1,000/- was given as stipend. aid for economically challenged widows, aged To help hapless widows, who are in search of above 55 years, for engaging in a self-employ- jobs, attain self-sufficiency and to support them ment of any kind, was implemented. in beginning their own units, Women’s Devel- For economically challenged students, study- opment Corporation has been providing loans ing in government institutions, Rs 3,000/- aid for Self-employment. For initiatives by women, is being given for students from from Classes I with simple conditions, loans are made avail- to Class V; Rs 5,000/- is being provided to stu- able (Self-employment loan-6%, Micro Finance dents studying from Class VI to Class X and for Scheme- 5%, Educational aid- 3 to 4 %) at low those students studying in Plus I, Plus II and ITI rate of interest. A loan scheme has been imple- classes, Rs 7,500/- is being provided. For those mented where in widows will get Rs 30 lakh at studying Degree-level courses and above that, low interest rate and Rs 1 lakh at 4 % interest rate Rs 10,000/- is being provided. This financial aid in the name ‘New Swarnama’.

KUDUMBASHREE

439 a) Kudumbashree will be the Women’s After the LDF Government came into power, Neighbourhood facility that will get around 12 per cent increase was witnessed in the the support and financial aid from the Kudumbashree membership. When this gov- State Government. ernment came to power, 39 lakh families were Based on this view point, steps have been taken members in Kudumbashree, through 2,58,035 to strengthen Kudumbashree. Government’s all neighbourhood facilities. support and financial aid have been ensured for Through the interventions done, aiming to Kudumbashree. The agency also actively partic- strengthen Kudumbashree’s structural facility, ipated in the flood relief works. For those who all the needy people could be made members in lost household equipment, up to Rs 1 lakh was neighbourhood facilities. Along with this, 5,416 given as loan. neighbourhood facilities, that were non-func- b) Now, around 50 per cent families are tional, could be revived. Now, Kudumbashree members of Kudumbashree. This will has 2,91,507 neighbourhood facilities and be increased to 75 per cent. 43,93,579 members.

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 127 572 groups for differently-abled, 1,793 groups It was given. for old-age, 212 groups in ST category, 327 groups among those living in coastal area, 19 442 a) An overall investigation will be groups among transgenders and four groups held regarding the corruption in among migrant labourers could be formed. Kudumbashree and the guilty will be punished. C) Kudumbashree will function as a common platform for Central-State-Lo- Investigation is progressing based on complaints cal Governments’ programmes aimed at regarding Nutrimix, Media Shree etc. women’s empowerment and for elimina- b) All Kudumbashree Mission Staff who tion of poverty. During the last two years, are found to be non-friendly to women Kudumbashree got Rs 50 crore each. This will be removed from service. will be increased to Rs 150 crore. Such staff members have been removed from During the last three years, the State Govern- service. ment allotted the highest funds in Budget for Kudumbashree. In 2016-17- Rs 130 crores, c) The Mission will be re-organised in 2017-18-Rs 161 crores and in 2018-19, Rs in a transparent way, based on guide- 188.62 crores was allowed. For 2019-20, Rs 182.25 crores has been set aside. 440 For Kudumbashree, loans will be ensured from banks at four per cent interest. The gov- ernment will give inter- est subsidy directly to banks. Loans were ensured at four per cent interest rate. The interest subsidy is being given through banks. In 2016-17, 35,689 neigh- bourhood groups; in 2017-18, 49,564 neighbourhood groups and in 2018-19, 1,03,211 groups were given Rs 1,335 crore, Rs 2,259 crore and Rs 4,132 crore respectively as loans. In the last three years, Rs 137.99 crore was given as interest subsidy. 441 Pending funds of Kudumbashree such as revolving fund, joint farming subsidy, finan- cial aid for needy, aid for minor employment initiatives will be re- leased soon. The Women’s Mall, started by Kudumbashree at Kozhikode

128 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT lines, considering the experience in in Supplyco outlets. District-level markets were Kudumbashree. begun in Pathanamthitta and Wayanad. In other districts, Mini Super Market Scheme has been In the district / State Kudumbashree Missions, progressing. In 100 places, steps have been pro- professionals having experience and skills have gressing to begin fixed, continuous market cen- been employed on a contract basis and it has tres in connection with Panchayats/ Corpora- been re-organised. tion. In 28 tourist, pilgrim centres, kiosks were set A scheme will be framed to help en- 443 up to sell products. As part of the government’s trepreneurs who has entered into debt second anniversary, Kudumbashree exhibited after beginning new initiatives. To en- 313 stalls in various exhibitions and marketed sure that such flaws will not occur in products worth Rs 1,26,86,141/-. Apart from future, necessary changes will be made this, Kudumbashree got Rs 2,70,80,832 through in the conduct of such self-employ- 73 food exhibitions held in 107 trade fairs and ment schemes. earned an amount of `2,36,16,686. A scheme has been framed to help those entre- Through Home Shop facility, manufacturers preneurs who have entered into debt after be- from Kozhikode, Kannur districts have been ginning new initiatives. To prevent such flaws gaining around Rs 80 lakh per month. Apart from happening in future, crisis management from this, new marketing techniques, including fund, revolving fund etc. have been formed. A online marketing, were done. In online market- survey has been conducted to analyse in detail ing platform Amazon, 67 Kudumbashree prod- the current state of self-employment initiatives. ucts have been listed till now. For the next stage, Aid was given to renovate 337 units that were in 219 products have been selected for listing. debt till now. 445 Ashraya Scheme will be extended. 444 Government-level market will be en- Complete protection will be ensured sured for Kudumbashree products. For for all needy through the scheme. this, branded shops will be begun in all Panchayats and Cities. Kudumbashree Kudumbashree has begun a Destitute-Free Ker- products will be given priority in Civil ala Scheme wherein all needy and hapless fami- Supplies Stores. lies in Kerala’s self-financing institutions will be found out and they will be rehabilitated. As part of ensuring market for Kudumbashree As part of extending Ashraya Scheme, and to products, monthly markets were organised find out needy people, a decision has been taken promptly in 245 Block, City areas. 544 nano and steps have been initiated to conduct a de- markets were established in several Panchayat, tailed survey. The Scheme will be of use to 1.5 City areas. lakh people. To implement the scheme, the De- Apart from Horticorp, Agri-Hyper Markets, tailed Project Report (DPR) of 932 self-financ- Kudumbashree Products were made available ing institutions was approved.

CO-OPERATIVE SECTOR 446 A State-level Cooperative Bank will be was received for the formation of Kerala Bank, formed by bringing together all district with 19 conditions. On March 29, 2019, by fol- banks and the State Cooperative Bank. lowing these rules, a final request has been made to the Reserve Bank through NABARD. Kerala Steps for forming Kerala Bank are in the final Bank will come into existence in the financial stage. On October 3, 2018, Reserve Bank nod year 2019-20.

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 129 447 a) By working together with various the Agricultural Department, Pancha- self-financing institutions, all-inclu- yat secretary and Panchayat president sive programmes will be developed for etc. as its members. farm development and farm loans will For encouraging paddy farming, vegetable cul- be raised to at least 70 per cent. tivation and organic farming, several schemes The loan amount of Primary Agricultural Credit are being implemented. Steps have begun to es- Societies (PACS) has been increased. 80 per cent tablish modern rice mill in Palakkad for gath- of small-scale farm loanees meet cooperative ering and processing paddy. In Idukki district, societies for loans. The distribution of KISAN to encourage the cultivation of vegetables, an Cards has been extended, according to the regu- interest-free loan scheme is being implemented lations set by NABARD. through the District Bank. Steps are being taken to form a market chain through Super markets b) Loans will be given, based on gener- of Cooperative Societies, Neethi Stores, Con- ous conditions, to Farm Producer Com- sumer-Fed etc. panies and Farm entrepreneurs. By- laws will be amended to provide loans 450 The State Government will increase its in sectors related to farming. capital investment share in State Coop- Steps are progressing in this regard. erative Banks that have collective loss in its funds and loans that were given 448 Schemes will be planned so as to utilise to Apex Societies that have become in- the additional funds in Cooperative active. It will be converted to standard Sector for the social developmental loans. activities of the State Government or Based on the government’s decision, for one- Self-financing governments at the dis- time settlement of inactive loans in the Apex So- trict or state-levels. Steps will be taken cieties of State-District Cooperative Banks, Rs to utilise this for development of ba- 306.75 crore was allowed and released. After 12 sic facilities, like that done in E.M.S. years, Kerala State Cooperative Bank was able to Housing Scheme. settle the collective loss and earn end-profit. The Cooperative Sector has been taking up model steps in areas such as re-construction af- 451 By bringing together the Cooperative ter floods, re-creation of ways to lead a life and Banks in Kerala, Core Banking facili- providing loans with simple conditions. Under ty will be arranged. This network will the CARE Loan Scheme, the State Government have a facility to check the cheque had declared Resurgent Kerala Loan Scheme books, signs etc. of all Banks online (RKLS) in which 34,936 beneficiaries were given and will be able to transfer funds in- Rs 388.10 crores as interest-free loans through stantly. Cooperative Banks. In the ‘Nava Kerala’ (New As part of the steps to form Kerala Bank, tender Kerala) construction, Cooperative Sector has has been invited for implementing Centralised been playing an important role. Core Banking Software. This will become func- tional in the financial year 2019-20. After this, 449 Facilities will be arranged at Pancha- all modern banking facilities will be available for yat-level to solve the shortcomings in the public through the Cooperative sector. the short-period farm loan system for paddy farming, vegetable cultivation 452 In order to bring the Blade mafia to etc., to increase its productivity and for an end, and to strengthen the Cooper- the sale of products. The Committee ative sector, it will be joined with the will have Primary Farm Loan Society Kudumbashree to form a Distribution president, secretary, an official from Collection Network.

130 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT With an aim to end Blade mafia, a Micro Fi- Kudumbashree. As the Scheme that was im- nance Scheme was begun named ‘Muttathe plemented on a pilot basis in Palakkad district Mulla’ (Jasmine Plant in the Garden) in the became a huge success, it has been extended to Cooperative Sector in participation with other districts in the State. WELFARE OF YOUTH 453 Youth Coordination Councils, services A Voluntary Youth Action Force has been of Youth Coordinators, Youth Centres formed which is ready to participate in activities etc. that have been begun in Self-fi- that require immediate interventions such as nancing institutions will be strength- Disaster Management, Disaster Relief Activities, ened. To ensure the participation of Waste Disposal, Palliative Care and other aware- youth in the development field, Dis- ness programmes. As part of this, 1,000 people, trict-wise Coordination Councils will aged between 18 to 25 years, participated in a be formed. The functioning of Youth training programme organised by the Disaster Welfare Board will be strengthened. Relief Sector. It has one lakh members now. Measures required for this will be implement- Aiming to strengthen the functioning of Youth ed soon. Necessary checks are being done re- Clubs, the Youth Welfare Board organised a re- garding the formation of Coordination Council. ality show among the public through Youth Ker- Youth Welfare Board has been taking up new ala Express Scheme to highlight the works of the schemes and accepting measures to implement Youth Clubs in various sectors. the same in an effective way. 455 a) Employment Exchanges in Kerala 454 a) The works of Sports Council, Youth will be fully re-organised. Welfare Board will be unified. Rapid changes, including fresh ideas and mod- Sports Council and Youth Welfare Board have ernisation, were witnessed in the activities of been working together in various activities. As Employment Exchanges. The details of 35 lakh part of FIFA World cup, they have jointly con- people, who had registered across various Em- ducted Quiz contests, mass run, exhibition of ployment Exchanges across the State, were contests on the big screen etc. By working with digitized and to provide e-services to them, an the Sports Department, a new Scheme ‘Kalithat- online portal named e-Employment Exchange tu’ (a platform for games) is being planned, to began functioning. Through the online portal, encourage native games. www.employment.kerala.gov.in, services such b) A facility will be formed to bring as registration, renewal, addition of certificates, together youth welfare activities with transfer, re-registration, updating personal de- that of Labour Department, Education tails, seniority list etc. can be done anytime. In Department, Cultural Department and 29 offices, up to district-level, e-office was im- Social Welfare Department. plemented. e Office Scheme was implemented in all offices in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Schemes related to this are being implemented. Alappuzha districts. In the remaining offices, Kerala State Youth Welfare Board and Kerala this facility is being implemented. State Youth Welfare Commission cooperated with CUSAT to conduct a job fair - Career Fest The first Tribal Employment Exchange-cum-Ca- 2009. Out of 4,792 people who participated in the reer Development Centre in India began func- Fair, 528 were shortlisted by various companies. tioning in Palode. The first Employment Ex- change for Differently-Abled (Model Kaivalya c) Kerala Youth Forum will be expand- Centre) in the State began functioning as part ed as the largest get together of Kerala of Kayamkulam Town Employment Exchange. Youth.

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 131 b) Employment Exchanges will be con- Development Centres. verted into a strong facility that will bring together all career opportunities 456 The bar against non-declared appoint- (including the Private Sector) and edu- ments will be withdrawn. The way in cational opportunities. which posts are being cut down will be Through Employment Exchanges, a consider- ended. It will be ensured that Appoint- able rise was witnessed in the temporary post- ment Letter will be received within 90 ings to government institutions and other insti- days of receipt of Advice Memo. It will tutions coming under the government’s control. be ensured that the vacancies com- After this government came into power, around ing up in each department will be in- 33,956 people got permanent/ temporary jobs formed to the PSC within 10 days. through Employment Exchanges. The bar on appointments was withdrawn. All- The functioning of Employability Centres has time record was achieved in postings. Advice been strengthened so as to provide jobs to peo- Memo was given to 1,03,567 people, through ple in the private sector. Currently, Employabil- the PSC, within three years. The way in which ity Centres are functioning in 10 districts. For posts were cut down was ended. 17,916 posts students and job seekers in the village sector, were created within three years. Strict instruc- knowledge and training were provided about the tions have been given to issue appointment or- new trends in education and job sector and they ders within 90 days of receipt of Advice Memo. were also made aware about the timely changes that have occurred. Career Development Centre Steps have been taken to report each vacancy in is a new project that is being implemented by each department within 10 days. A special soft- the government to help people earn favourable ware has been created for this. Strict monitoring education and jobs. 10,909 people have regis- is being done to check whether vacancies are be- tered their names in the existing four Career ing reported to the PSC. DEMOCRATIC DECENTRALISATION 457 a) People’s participation and transpar- in the State was 90.09 per cent and in 2018-19, ency that has been lost in the democrat- the project cost was 92.98 per cent. This is an ic decentralisation will be regained. all-time record. To ensure people’s participation in the democ- b) To ensure protection under law for racy, Planning Committees were formed. Based Societal facilities, that have public par- on this, related people were given necessary ticipation, steps will be taken to amend training. For the progress of its functioning, a Kerala Panchayat Raj Act and Munici- website facility was also begun. This is for reg- pal Law. For this, Grama Sabhas will be istering opinions about Grama Sabhas and to made more active. make better, the functioning of self-financing To make the Grama Sabhas more active, Min- institutions. As part of this, the practice of giv- isters, MLAs and other people’s representatives ing approval for the formation of various devel- were included and a special programme was opmental projects and its implementation were arranged to give a new vigour to the Grama made on a timely basis. Effective monitoring was Sabhas. To increase people’s participation in the also arranged for activities related to formation Grama Sabhas, an extensive campaign was also of schemes and activities related to its imple- organised. For this requirement, steps are under mentation. The projects for 2019-20 were made consideration for modifying the law. ready by December 31, 2018. In the year 2017- 18, the project cost of self-financing institutions c) As supportive, sub elements of Grama

132 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT Sabhas, neighbourhood facilities, Res- 460 a) Right to Information, Right to Ser- idents Associations, Male Self-Help vices and Citizens’ Rights will be im- Groups etc. will be approved. Steps plemented in its true sense. will be taken so that these groups will receive the agenda ahead of the Grama Special facility has been arranged in all the de- Sabha. partments to fruitfully implement Right to In- formation and Right to Services. Steps were tak- This is under consideration. en to publish Cabinet decisions on the govern- ment website, along with a notice. 458 To make democratic decentralisation more fruitful and to unify the activities b) Steps will be taken to strengthen a of self-financing institutions, all such people-centric governing system at the institutions in different-levels will be Local Government-level. brought under a single department. A record of Citizens’ rights was published in Three divisions -Panchayats, City De- 941 Grama Panchayats. In Corporations, it was velopment and Village Development re-published. All Panchayats in Kollam and Kot- will be joined together into a single tayam were declared as People-friendly Pancha- department and will have a Minister, a yats. To make local planning more people-friend- Secretary and a general cadre. ly, second-level democratic planning was begun. For the creation of ‘Nava Kerala’ (new Kerala), Departments such as Panchayats, Village Devel- and to implement various Missions in a peo- opment, City Affairs, City and Village Planning ple-friendly manner, steps were taken under the coming under Local Self-Government Depart- leadership of Local Self-Government Depart- ment and Local Self-Government Engineering ments. To strengthen the governing system, and Department were brought under a single Minis- to bring together various departments, different ter. All these departments mentioned above were activities have been progressing. joined together and Local Self-Government Public Service was formulated and a Principal As part of bringing activities to strengthen peo- Director was appointed as its head. The draft ple’s representatives at government-level and rules were prepared by the Local Government development-level to the public, five training Commission and submitted to the government. centres that come under the Village Develop- ment Department have been joined together After holding talks with employees’ societies, with KILA. Corporation Staff members were approved as Government staff. As part of strengthening LSGD’s Engineering wing, 194 engineer posts were created and the services of engineers were made available in all Development Authorities that are 459 Local Self-Government Institutions. functioning in parallel with Corpora- tions are against the idea of decentrali- a) Decentralised Training Activities sation of power and Local Government 461 will be made full-fledged at Zonal-level facility. Such parallel institutions of and District-level. Training activities power will be reduced to the maximum will be planned and implemented in a extent possible. timely and effective manner. Apart from Thiruvananthapuram Development After this government came into power, the first Authority (TRIDA), Greater Cochin Develop- decentralised government training centre in the ment Authority (GCDA), Goshri Islands Devel- State Kerala Institute of Local Administration opment Authority (GIDA), the functioning of (KILA) got a full-time Director. The training all other development authorities were stopped programmes for next five years (13th Five Year by March 2017. Plan) have been prepared. In accordance with

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 133 this, timely training activities are planned and form a new law regarding this. being implemented in zonal and district-levels. b) The move to form a District Scheme For this, a yearly training calendar has been pre- under Town and Country Planning De- pared. To improve the quality of training, new partment is against the policies of de- trainers are being utilised. centralisation and Constitutional set b) The Study Scheme of training centres up. This step will be corrected. functioning under various departments District-level Planning Committees were re-or- and that of Local Self-Government De- ganised by including Technical Experts and So- partment’s training study scheme will cial activists, with experience, as government be brought together. nominees. A new draft proposal to prepare the State Institute of Rural Development, Kera- District Scheme was approved. Based on this, la (SIRD), Attappady Hill Area Development District-level Scheme was prepared for 14 dis- Society (AHADS) and Centre for Comprehen- tricts. For the implementation of district-level sive and Participatory Resource Management schemes, Rs 40 crores was set aside in the Bud- (CCPRM) are three Extension Training Centres get. that came together with KILA and took mea- sures to bring the study scheme together. Sub- 464 a) District Planning Committee will be jects related to various departments, People’s strengthened. Participation and Planning, Haritha Keralam, District-level Planning Committees were re-or- Aardram; Life, a Mission to Protect Education ganised by including Technical Experts and So- etc. are being included in the training schedule. cial activists, with experience, as government nominees. A new draft proposal to prepare Dis- Steps will be taken to ensure timely 462 trict Scheme was approved. ISO Certification to all Local Self-Gov- ernment Offices. b) Collector will be changed from the Appeal Authority Post in matters of dis- With an aim to earn ISO certification for all pute related to the Project. Panchayats, it has been included under RGSI Scheme and necessary steps are being taken. Decision has not been taken. KILA was made in-charge of the consultation. c) DPC will be responsible for prepar- Panchayat Directorate, Deputy Director Offices ing District-level Scheme. DPC will and 700 Grama Panchayats earned ISO certifi- try to the maximum extent possible to cation. re-organise the steps to examine and ap- prove the draft proposal of the project. 463 a) To implement the Scheme in the Dis- trict, existing laws will be cancelled. Based on the District Schemes’ guidelines, the projects for the District were prepared under the Steps have been taken to completely modernise guidance of the DPC. The entire responsibility Kerala City-Village Planning Act-2016 that was for examining and approving the Draft Proposal brought in during the last term of the previous was given to the DPC. government. The Committee that was chaired by former Chief Secretary S. M. Vijayanand had 465 A maximum limit will be set up for submitted a draft law regarding this. The gov- spending towards arranging support- ernment has been holding discussions based ive facilities on roads and a minimum on this with various departments and steps are limit will be set up for spending in the progressing to give a final form to this. Principal Production Sector. Secretary-level talks have been completed with Town Planners’ Association, CREDAI and relat- The limits for both sectors were decided. In the ed organisations. Steps are progressing faster to Public Sector, in Village, block and district Pan-

134 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT chayats, it was decided to spend 30 per cent of ing done, by including these under Employ- Public Sector Development Fund in the Produc- ment Guarantee Scheme and under the projects tion Sector. For developing background, sup- planned by Local Self-Government institutions. portive facilities, it has been decided to spend 30 In the financial year 2018-19 itself, 14,174 such %, 25% and 40 % respectively in Village, Block activities were completed under Employment and District Panchayats. In the city, it has been Guarantee Scheme in 152 blocks in the State. decided to spend 10 per cent of Public Develop- As part of Haritha Kerala Mission, all Lo- ment Funds in the production sector and a max- cal Self-Government Institutions of the State imum of 50 per cent for background, supportive and different departments were arranged in a facilities. ground water protection campaign and the ben- efits mentioned below were gained: 466 Apart from the State Budget share, Local Self-Government Institutions 18,840 km rivers, brooks and canals were re- will be given required freedom to find vived. 8,675 ponds were constructed and 9,889 an income of its own and to utilise the rivers were renovated. As a result of all these, opportunities for gathering extra re- 80,66,058 cu.m. (m3) of water could be collected. sources. In necessary situations, per- 14,72,39 acres of rainforest region could be con- mission will be given to take loans with served. government’s guarantee. Steps have been taken to use water that gets Steps need to be taken regarding this. As steps collected in quarries for construction activities, were taken to completely collect funds owned by farming and industrial use, after proper exam- Local Self-Government Institutions, more than ination, and to prevent using fresh water for half of Local Self-Government Institutions col- these purposes. lected 100 per cent tax in 2018-19. 12,892 ponds were constructed. 9,889 ponds 467 Under a Scheme, the grants of Local were renovated. Self-Government Institutions used to On Environment Day, 1.97 lakh tree saplings be given as 12 monthly installments. were planted. For this requirement, two crore This will be reinstated. saplings were produced under the leadership of A Scheme was accepted under which three Haritha Keralam Mission. months’ development fund is given in advance as four installments. 469 In each Local Self-Government Insti- tution, young men and women who 468 By bringing together land, water and are ready to do small-scale mechanised biodiversity, a joint and complete plan- farm jobs will be included and Employ- ning for utilising land and water will be ment Groups will be formed. Members taken up in local-level. of such groups will be ensured perma- nent salary and social protection. By Conservation of land, water and biodiversity are ensuring all technical know-how relat- the most important developmental aims of Lo- ed to farming, they will be made into a cal Self-Government Institutions. For the main- service centre. tenance of natural resources, based on wetlands, various activities are being implemented on pub- In Thrissur, Palakkad and Malappuram districts, lic land, with scientific planning, under Employ- 43 Labour Banks were formed to do works re- ment Guarantee Scheme. Works are being done lated to paddy cultivation. Necessary training to help maximum rain water seep into earth and was given to form Labour Banks in Kozhikode, to prevent soil leaching. Rainwater pits, condor Alappuzha and Ernakulam districts. Project is trench, condor terracing, mud walls, stone walls, being prepared to begin the Scheme in Thiruva- check dams, afforestation activities etc. are be- nanthapuram and Kollam districts.

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 135 470 a) A grand, popular campaign will be ple-friendly plan, democratic decen- generated in connection with imple- tralisation in Kerala will be taken to mentation of the Scheme. new heights. By successfully completing Projects in Local The Haritha Keralam Mission was begun to Self-Government Institutions through Peo- regain cleanliness, rich water sources, and or- ple-Planning project, in 2017-18 and 2018-19 - ganic farming. In the Employment Guarantee 90.09% and 92.98% of respective project share Scheme, this sector is given more strength and could be spent. projects are being planned and implemented. In Local Self-Government Institutions, activities b) Projects from all sectors will be con- are progressing by giving importance to dispos- nected to this. But mainly, waste dispos- al of waste at source. Local Self-Government al, organic farming, job guarantee etc. Institutions have been taking up projects in Peo- will be the basis of this people-friendly ple-Planning programmes to utilise the organ- plan. By utilising the new environment ic manure produced like this to spread organic and will power guaranteed by this peo- farming. WELFARE OF EXPATRIATES

471 Government will provide assistance faced by Malayalis due to high air ticket rates for those trying to go abroad for work. and efforts are being taken to seek help from the To end the disparity being shown to Centre regarding this. expatriates in many areas, including high air travel rates, intense work will 472 State Government will provide details be done for Central Government’s in- regarding new job opportunities to job tervention. Kerala’s own airline com- seekers and will take up matters such pany will be begun. To ensure welfare as conducting finishing schools and and encouragement for migrants, will will make available loans in a generous make efforts to frame an All-Inclusive manner, that is necessary for migra- Migrant Law. tion. To protect those trying to go abroad from get- Norka Roots has a training programme for job ting deceived, necessary instructions are being seekers, going abroad from Kerala, to face the given in an extensive manner through newspa- various challenges in the job market. Skill Up- per, television and other media. Currently, Nor- grading Training and Certificates are provid- ka has made the necessary arrangements for get- ed through various IITs, Polytechnics and LBS ting Embassy attestation for job seekers going to Centres coming under the Industrial Training UAE, Saudi, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar. Department in technical know-how, soft skills For those seeking jobs abroad, a job portal fa- etc. cility will soon come into being. Nurses, doc- tors, paramedical staff, Engineers and domestic 473 A complete database of expatriates helps are being recruited through Norka Roots will be prepared. Arrangements will to GCC Countries at a very low rate, when com- be made so that the new generation pared to that charged by private recruiting agen- of Malayalis, whose parents have been cies. Steps have begun for Nursing Recruitment constantly staying abroad, especially in to England. Steps are being taken for recruit- Western Countries, will be introduced ment to Germany. to Malayalam language and Steps are afoot to begin an International Migrant culture. Apart from this, the functioning Study Centre soon. The Central Government is of Malayalam Mission for encouraging constantly being alerted about the difficulties Language Study will be expanded.

136 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT For collecting complete data related to Malay- gin job-based initiatives in Panchayat-level . alee expatriates staying abroad, a grand online 3) NRI Bank database will be prepared soon. Through the Cultural Fests being planned as part of Loka The practicability of running an NRI Bank is Kerala Sabha, Kerala’s language, art and cultural being examined. values can be transferred to the new generation. 4) NRI Construction Company The activities of Malayalam Mission are actively progressing. This is for projects such as Old-Age Homes, Housing projects, Road/ Building projects 474 Zonal-level, Global-level meets of etc. Non-Resident Societies and commu- 5) Women’s NRI Cell nication exchange will be organised at least once in a year. To solve the issues faced by migrant women. The first get-together of Loka Kerala Sabha was 6) Migration Facilitation Centre, Pre-Em- held in January 2018. The second meet has been barkment Orientation Centre planned in January 2020 first week, in the Leg- To end the exploitation of women working in islative Assembly Complex. The Zonal meet of foreign countries. Loka Kerala Sabha was held on February 15, 16, 2019 in . 7) High Power Committee In the first meet of Loka Kerala Sabha, the most To conduct studies in areas such as improv- important decisions were to form the Loka Ker- ing skills, to raise the standards of higher ed- ala Sabha Secretariat and formation of seven ucation, to establish Skill Development Cen- subject-based Standing Committees. tre, to establish Foreign Language Institutes, to organise Student Exchange Programmes • Taking Kerala’s native situations into consid- for encouraging communication with Uni- eration, to solve various issues being faced by versities in foreign countries etc. non-resident Malayalis, experts from various sectors were included and seven subject-based 8) International Migration Centre Standing Committees were formed. For encouraging migrant studies. • Loka Kerala Sabha Secretariat was formed as 9) Youth Festivals. a separate facility with a Chief Secretary as By avoiding strong competitions at zon- the Secretary and Norka Department, Princi- al-level, youth fests need to be held. pal Secretary as the Convener. It will receive the suggestions of the Standing Committees, 10) Publication will analyze and implement those suggestions A publication, including the write ups of that are feasible. NRIs. • From the 48 suggestions submitted by the The above mentioned suggestions were present- Standing Committees, 10 that could be im- ed in the Zonal Meet held on February 15, 16 plemented were selected. 2019 in Dubai and it has been approved by the 1) NRI Investment Company members of the Loka Kerala Sabha. Steps are being taken to implement the above mentioned It was decided to form NRI Investment Com- suggestions. pany as a model company. It will include tourism, NRI township, Public Sector Insti- Apart from this, to find intrinsic solutions for tutions, Airport, manufacture of medicines the problems faced by the NRIs, District-lev- and other medical equipment etc. el NRI Grievances Redressal Committees have been formed in each district, with the District 2) NRI Cooperative Society Collector as the Chairman, and have been func- It aims at the growth of NRIs and plans to be- tioning effectively.

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 137 475 A Scheme will be formed to protect Currently, the non-resident Keralites Rehabilita- those affected by diseases, those who tion Project is being implemented through the suffer accidents and those who lose financial institutions mentioned below: jobs. In countries where there are more 1) State Bank of India. Malayalis, an official from Kerala will 2) Union Bank. be recruited for this. The delay involved 3) South Indian Bank in taking dead bodies to native place will be avoided. For those who are in 4) KSBCDC jail, those involved in cases, those who 5) Kerala State Cooperative Agricultural and were denied lawful justice, a panel of Rural Development Bank lawyers will be formed in each sector to 6) State Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes provide judicial help. Development Corporation. To help those suffering from diseases to return 7) Kerala State Pravasi Welfare Development to their native place from abroad, and to bring Cooperative Society the dead bodies of those Malayalis who pass 8) Bank of Baroda away while in abroad from any airport in Ker- 9) Syndicate Bank ala to their homes or to the hospitals suggested by them, a free scheme has been implemented 10) Federal Bank by Norka Emergency Ambulance Service. Apart 11) Kerala State Financial Corporation from this, a new project is being implemented 12) Indian Overseas Bank. this year wherein the mortal remains of Mala- 13) Calicut District Cooperative Bank. yalis who pass away, while they are in abroad, will be brought home, without incurring any 477 Perfect Schemes will be formed to expense. attract the abilities and savings of Steps for appointing a Legal Liaison Officer is in Non-Resident Indians to development the final stage to provide legal help to non-res- sectors. ident Malayalis, who are facing imprisonment In order to invest the savings of non-resident abroad for small crimes or in cases where they Indians in various initiatives/ business sectors are innocent. This project will be implemented in Kerala and to help utilise it effectively, Nor- this year. ka Business Facilitation Centre has begun op- erations. It aims to effectively present before 476 For those returning from abroad, ar- non-resident investors the various initiatives/ rangements will be made to register sectors that offer investment opportunities in their names in advance and to discuss Kerala and to enable them to invest here. their needs and problems with Norka. Special arrangements will be made to 478 Kerala Development Fund will be rehabilitate those who lost their jobs formed. For those non-resident Ker- before their Emigrant period ended. alites, who are ready to offer a fixed amount as deposit share in declared Norka Department Project for Return Emi- non-resident initiatives, they will have grants (Non-resident Keralites Rehabilitation the rights to gain a job, according to Scheme) has been implemented for rehabili- qualifications in an institution, when tating non-resident Keralites. The expatriates they return from abroad. This initiative who have returned are being treated as special will be very much attractive as it is an consumers. They will be provided necessary investment that ensures a job while one support to begin own job initiatives, following returns to native place from abroad. government’s rules. Accordingly, for loans up to Rs 30 lakhs, 15 per cent Capital Subsidy (maxi- Through the Kerala Academy for Skills Excel- mum Rs 3 lakhs) and 3 per cent interest subsidy lence (KASE), a project is being formulated to is being given. help non-resident Malayalis search and get a job

138 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT when they return from abroad. trepreneurs abroad. Separate cham- bers will be formed for each foreign 479 Apart from savings, with the govern- zone. A friendly relationship will be ment’s participation, industrial ini- nurtured between them and the cham- tiatives will be begun following Inkel bers in Kerala. model, a joint initiative of non-resi- It has been decided to form NRI Investment dent Malayalis. Company. The proposal for this is in the final It has been decided to form an NRI Investment stage. As part of the follow up steps, a Subject Company. Analysing Committee has been formed from among the non-residents. 480 Special loan facilities will be increased for non-resident Indians to begin ini- 484 Non-resident Professional Societies tiatives. An agency will be formed to will be formed in all countries. These hold discussions with those non-resi- societies will be connected to various dents, who have chances to become en- research institutions and industrial trepreneurs, especially Professionals, initiatives in Kerala. before they return to their native plac- Steps are being taken to find out the profession- es. Investors will be accorded necessary als in each country. permissions through single-window facility. 485 Separate categories like those working For giving guidelines regarding this to inves- abroad, returning from abroad and tors and entrepreneurs, Non-banking Finan- working in other States will be formed cial Company (NBFC) has begun functioning in Norka for all Malayalis. For those through based INT Advisory Council non-residents working abroad, sub at the Norka Centre. departments will be there for special zones. Professionals will be asked to Pravasi Cooperative Societies will be 481 run this. encouraged. The special categories have been formed in Nor- Active steps are being taken to expand the func- ka. A separate committee has been appointed to tioning of non-resident groups in Kerala. For widen and include all the expatriate groups. this, a project has been formulated to provide financial help to Cooperative Societies. In 2019- The works of Welfare Fund will be ex- 20 financial year, Rs 100 lakh has been kept aside 486 panded. Share benefits and retirement for this. pension will be increased. For the development of educational 482 When this government came into power, the institutions and hospitals, the funds number of members in Non-Residents’ Welfare of non-residents will be of good help. Fund was 1.5 lakh. It has now increased to 4 lakh. To encourage such contributions, a To increase the membership in Non-Residents’ scheme will be formed where in for Welfare Fund and to help more people enjoy each rupee deposited by the non-res- its benefits, active awareness programmes and idents, the government will offer campaigns are being organised by the Board. an equal amount or a proportional amount. The non-resident pension being given by the Non-Residents’ Welfare Board was increased Experts are being consulted to form the draft to Rs 2,000/- from September 2017 by this guidelines for such a project. government. As the current pension amount is found to be insufficient, investment-based Kerala Non-Resident Business Cham- 483 monthly income scheme Non-resident Divident bers will be formed to be in constant Scheme has been given government’s approval. touch with the industrial/business en- Since digitisation has been implemented, mem-

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 139 bership in the Welfare Board can be taken from ernment is now inactive. This institu- any corner in the world. Besides, membership tion will be renovated and expanded. card, identity card etc can be taken out as prints Steps have begun to remove the legal hurdles for using digital portal facility. this. To solve the problems faced by non-residents and to deal their issues, a toll-free number facil- 489 When expatriates will have to return ity has begun. due to problems in laws or other irreg- In Malappuram district, that has more num- ularities affecting the region, to help ber of non-residents, a liaison office was begun them begin a job of their own, for mov- during this government’s tenure. Steps are being ing ahead in life, a Self-Employment taken to make the Board Office more non-resi- Initiative Support Project will be be- dent friendly. gun to provide loans with simple con- ditions, by joining together with other 487 The budget share for Non-resident financial institutions. Department will be increased great- Norka Department Project for Return Emigrants ly. From the income earned through (Pravasi Rehabilitation Scheme) has been imple- non-residents’ income abroad, a small mented for the rehabilitation of non-residents. per cent will be kept aside each year for Those non-residents who have returned are being the welfare of non-residents. considered as special consumers and are given the In 2019-20 fiscal year, Rs 81 crores has been kept necessary support to begin job initiatives of their aside for Norka Department. own, according to the government’s guidelines. Accordingly, for loans up to Rs 30 lakhs, 15 per 488 The interest-free financial institution cent subsidy (a maximum of Rs 3 lakhs) and 3 per begun by Left Democratic Front Gov- cent interest subsidy is being given. ARTS, CULTURE, MEDIA 490 The works of State Institute of Lan- and to improve the reading habits of guages, Thunchath Ezhuthachan Ma- children from Public Schools in Mala- layalam University and State Institute yalam language and also to form Class- of Children’s Literature will be expand- room libraries. ed to solve the shortage of scholarly In the name ‘Vayanayude Vasantham’ (‘A Spring books, children’s literature etc. of Reading’), a grand project has been prepared. The new Governing Committee has taken nec- To strengthen school libraries, a campaign was essary steps to expand the functioning of State begun as part of Reading Day in 2018, to con- Institute of Languages, State Institute of Chil- tribute a book to the library of the school one has dren’s Literature etc. As part of this, activities studied. This year too, as part of World Reading have been expanded in each district through Day, this was implemented in a grander manner. Campus Seminars. Publication of scholarly arti- This will be continued in the upcoming years. cles is actively being done. Based on a commit- Library in all class rooms was implemented in tee report to expand the works of State Institute Kozhikode district. of Encyclopaedic Publications, expansion works are progressing. A project has also been begun 492 Necessary amendments will be made in to teach Kerala History online. Library Rules to utilise the opportuni- ties offered by Information Technolo- 491 ‘A Book for a Child’ Project will be gy, new media etc. Like Complete Lit- implemented to expand the idea of eracy, to convert Libraries to an insti- spreading reading habit in the society tution that offers Complete Readership

140 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT will be initiated so that abilities will c.) Schemes will be formed to convert be earned in Right to Information and schools into artistic study centres in direct intervention will be possible in evenings and holidays. Communication Exchange. The grant A project has been prepared to make the idea of for libraries will be increased to three Arts and Sports Cultural Park functional. times the current rate. The honorarium for librarians will be increased to help a) Steps will be taken to re-organise lead a decent life. A special scheme will 494 on the lines of be formed to digitise the rare books in Kendra Sahitya Akademi. libraries. The Akademi can be re-organised only after de- Based on Information Technology, a Project is tailed discussions. This is to be examined. being implemented to modernise libraries. The grant for libraries has been increased. To begin b) Grants should be provided to Local Reading as a complete Enterprise, steps are be- Sahitya Akademis. Welfare Schemes ing taken. should be begun for authors. Steps were taken to modify the existing rules so 493 a) In schools, situations will be that government will be able to fund the current strengthened for nurturing artistic tal- activities of Local Literature Societies, Art and ent. In government schools, art teach- Cultural Societies etc. Kerala Cultural Council ers will be appointed. was formed. In Government UP Schools, with more than 100 The welfare funds for Art and Cultural activists students, steps were taken to appoint teachers were increased to Rs 3,000 from Rs 1,000, after for arts, sports and other extra-curricular activ- this government came into power. Medical care ities through Samagra Shiksha Keralam (Com- aid was increased from Rs 75,000 to Rs 1 lakh. plete Education). In 2018-19, the service of 2,510 teachers was ensured. To include material- For joining more people, camps are being or- istic surroundings favouring arts and sports ed- ganised. The artist pension that is given by Cul- ucation, and to develop schools as the basic cen- tural Affairs Department was increased to Rs tres for healthy, mental-cultural development, a 1,500 from Rs 750/-. Rules of Medical Scheme Project to begin Arts-Sports-Cultural Parks was for Artistes were modified. The maximum med- allowed Rs 7 crore in 2018-19. This year, it will ical care fund was increased to Rs 1 lakh from be implemented in a more fruitful way. Through Rs 10,000/-. Samagra Shiksha’s project this year, an approval c) Translation to other languages and has been received for appointing 2,685 teaching translation from other languages to Ma- staff. Through Cultural Department’s Fellowship layalam will be made possible. Project, the project for children’s participation in art and cultural activities was implemented. Steps are being taken through Sahitya Akademi. b) The manual of School Youth Fests, d) By deviating from the original set of its conduct etc. will be completely mod- rules, Literary Fests will be organised in ified. Expenditure will be reduced, de- Kerala, in a different style. centralisation will be done and compet- Under the leadership of Sahitya Akademi, In- itive spirit will be reduced. ternational Book Fest will be conducted on the The manual was modified. Earlier, Youth Fest lines of IFFK. funds were collected from students studying from Classes I to VIII. This was stopped. For 495 a) Folklore Academy will be enabled the conduct of youth fest, government allotted to conduct official and non-official re- funds. searches.

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 141 Folklore Academy will take up this activity. b) In order to help such societies and clubs gain aid from Kendra Sahitya Ak- b) A grand and well-arranged Folk- ademi, a Special Cell will be formed in lore Museum will be established. In the the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi. main centres of Kerala, funds will be made available to conduct Music and Sangeetha Nataka Akademi has accepted execu- Dance Fests. tive procedures. In Palakkad, under the Folklore Academy, a C) In order to help the artistic societies Dance and Art Museum is functioning current- present their own dramas, special fi- ly. At main centres, Music and Dance Fests have nancial aid will be made available. Doc- been organised. umentation will become an important responsibility of the Kerala Sangeetha 496 a) A permanent platform will be made Nataka Akademi. available for Thiruvananthapuram The Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi has been Film Festival. helping local drama societies to stage their dra- Steps for this are being taken through KIIFB. mas for free and has been providing financial Steps are progressing to make land available for aid for this. This is planned as one drama per this. day. More than 300 drama societies were pro- b) The financial aid for Film Societies vided financial aid. will be increased. 498 Opportunities will be made to study To help the Film Societies and to exhibit good Kerala’s native culture, history and movies at the village-level, the State has been di- life. For this, a Scheme will be formed vided into four zones and four Touring Talkie to make Cultural Corridors that will facilities have been established. serve as common platforms that will c) The government will provide finan- help create general awareness through cial aid for Local Film Festivals. art, science and education. The government has been providing encourage- A scheme named ‘Naatarangu’ (a Stage for the ment for Local Film Fests. Country) has been prepared to form cultural corridors. A permanent drama stage will also be d) Permanent galleries will be estab- lished in important cities of the State. established. Artists will get financial aid for con- ducting painting exhibition. The finan- 499 The activities of Kalamandalam will be cial aid for Kochi Biennale will be con- expanded and modified. tinued. As per the new UGC regulation in 2016, admin- The Cultural Complex being constructed in all istrative re-organisation and expansion were districts will have this facility. For this, in total, done in Kalamandalam. A new Vice-Chancellor KIIFB has approved Rs 480 crore. Steps for ten- was appointed. der have begun. In 11 districts, DPR got approv- al. For construction works in Kasargod, Palak- 500 A chain of museums will be estab- kad and Kollam districts, KIIFB gave approval. lished, based on new viewpoints that Construction activities have begun. have several sub-levels of ideas. The government has taken a decision to estab- 497 a) Government will provide financial lish Heritage Museums in all districts in Kerala aid for Artistic Societies and Clubs. for protecting the native heritage structures and For providing financial aid to Cultural Societies to transfer it to the next generation. As a first and Clubs, the Budget share was increased. step towards this, administrative nod has been

142 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT received to set up District Heritage Museums building owned by Hanveev, that was construct- in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Pathana- ed during the period of British rule in India, and mthitta, Thrissur, Idukki, Wayanad, Malappur- which was constructed in colonial model. Steps am and Palakkad. are being taken to renovate, protect this through In ’s Chembookkavu, District Archaeological Department and it will be later Heritage Museum has been opened to the pub- transferred to the Museum and Wildlife Depart- lic. Facilities are being arranged in Thiruvanan- ment and a museum will be set up in the place. thapuram SreePaadam Palace, Palakkad District Museum Band Stand that was lying non-func- Heritage Museum, Her- tional since several years in the Museum Botan- itage Museum in Konni, Ernakulam’s Bastion ical Garden was renovated and made functional. Bungalow and Wayanad District Heritage Mu- seum in Idukki. Steps were taken to completely renovate that was established in 1880. In the building that is planned to be converted to Malappuram District Heritage Museum, Ta- Along with steps to begin the conservation of fa- luk Office is functioning now. As soon as the mous artist Raja Ravi Varma’s paintings, prelim- building will be made available, arrangements inary steps have begun for the construction of a for opening the museum will be done. new building for Shri Chitra Art Gallery. According to the Chief Minister’s announce- The museum is being made diffrently ment for a Kerala that will be differently-abled abled-friendly by arranging ramps, toilet facili- friendly, (‘Bhinna Sheshi Sauhrida Keralam’), ties, wheel chairs, video and audio facilities. the museums are being made differently-abled It was declared that in 2019-20, a renaissance mu- friendly. For this, ramps, toilet facilities, wheel seum will be opened. Steps necessary for this are chairs and necessary audio, video arrangements being taken. are being done. Administrative nod was given for conservation of Heritage buildings such as Kannur English Kanakakunnu Palace in Thiruvananthapuram for Church, Payyambalam Girls High School Build- Rs 10 crores. ing, Hanveev Building, Vazhuvelil Tharavadu (Vazhuvelil House) etc. were declared as monu- 501 Welfare Fund will be made available ments under protection. for journalists working in local dailies. Apart from the works that were done to scientif- This is being examined. ically protect around 180 historical monuments, steps were taken to modify the normal exhibi- 502 A general structure will be formed for tion halls in the museums here to a new idea of Journalism courses in the State. The Thematic Museums. Steps are being taken to es- State’s history, culture and other sub- tablish Payyannur Gandhi Memorial Museum. jects will be included in this. The study To create a vast awareness about Heritage mon- scheme will be re-structured with a uments and Museums, short films and features view point that journalism is a social were made using latest technical knowledge. service. Under the Museum Department, foundation For this, Media Academy conducted an experts’ stone was laid for opening a Museum at meeting. The new syllabus upholds a viewpoint Chanthappura which comes under Kadannappal- that journalism is social service. ly-Panappuzha Grama Panchayat in Kannur. Final form is being given to this syllabus. At Kottam in Kannur district’s Peralassery A historical journey through media was organ- Grama Panchayat, necessary steps are being tak- ised to transfer knowledge to young generation en to establish AKG memorial museum. and journalists about the role played by the Ma- In Kannur, there is a 200-year-old heritage layalam media for more than one century for

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 143 bringing in changes in the society. ment has been taking necessary steps for digitis- ing more information. 503 Media Literacy will be included in the Study Scheme from Upper Prima- 505 Separate departments will be formed ry-Level. in Universities for media studies. More Graduate and Post Graduate Courses Media Clubs are being formed in schools by will be implemented in this field. Kerala Media Academy and General Education Department. For introducing media to students, Steps have been taken for modifying the syllabus 25 hand books have also been prepared. in all the Universities. As part of this, in Univer- sities that do not have separate departments for 504 State Government will take up devel- media studies, steps will be taken for beginning opment of basic facilities for media Graduate and Post Graduate courses. studies as its responsibility. For this, now in Libraries and other institutions, 506 Digital Kerala Network will be estab- a general archives will be formed with lished by using the poles of Electricity the details of all media products avail- Board. Through this, internet connec- able in organisations and with people. tion will be made available within five This will be made into a reference fa- years, for Rs 100 in houses, for Rs 300 cility which can be used by students, in small-scale business centres and for researchers and others interested in Rs 1,000/- in industrial centres. For gaining knowledge. small-scale cable operators, special consideration will be given and the Media Academy and ASAP have been joint- rent will be reduced. ly conducting diploma courses in the district. Apart from digitising four lakh media pages and KFON Project has begin functioning through a storing it in archives, Public Relations Depart- consortium led by BEL, RailTel etc.

MALAYALAM AND LANGUAGE TERMINOLOGY 507 Steps will be intensified to make Mala- 508 Based on the directions given by Nar- yalam as the official language for gov- endran Committee, steps will be taken ernance. Steps also will be taken to im- to change the language used in courts plement e-governance in Malayalam. to Malayalam. Opportunities will be All the rights of language minorities made so that in Kerala, competitive ex- will be protected. All facilities will be amination tests, medical, engineering ensured for them to learn and use their entrance tests can be written in Malay- own language. alam. Facilities will be arranged so that research papers can also be written in A declaration was made in governance that only Malayalam. Malayalam should be used for all requirements, except in situations where English or other lan- As part of changing the court language into guages need to be used, according to law. Gov- Malayalam, the High Court formed an Expert erning Language Awareness Programme was Committee and included those with technical organised in all districts. ‘Bharana Malayalam’ knowledge in it. Necessary follow up steps are (Malayalam used in governance) online dictio- being taken regarding this. Steps were taken to nary and mobile application were made func- include Malayalam in PSC Exams and other De- tional. gree-level exams. Now, knowledge of Malayalam

144 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT language is essential to get a government job. Thanjavur Malayalam University. It was decided to publish an Arabic-Malayalam Encyclopedia 509 Till Degree-level, it will be strictly im- in cooperation with Moyinkutty Vaidyar Me- plemented that students will have to morial. Cultural Heritage Museum has been set learn Malayalam. Special encourage- up. ment will be given for studying courses Steps will be taken to modernise lan- in Malayalam language. From primary 511 guage usages so as to ensure demo- class, Malayalam computing will be cratic equality based on opposing caste made a part of study material. influence in language, ensuring gender Apart from in Kerala Syllabus, Malayalam lan- equality, without taste of religion, in- guage was made an essential part of the sylla- dependent of religion and variety in bus in schools functioning within the state and creation. following Central syllabus. Steps are progressing Kerala Bhasha Institute has been functioning to make Malayalam computing a part of study based on these factors. material. From 2018-19 academic year, study- ing Malayalam has been made mandatory till Creative interference will be done so as Class X. 512 to make available in Malayalam, all the 510 Malayalam University will be given the Scientific write-ups written according charge for finding out the changes in to world ratings, philosophical writ- the field of knowledge and to imple- ings etc. Encouragement will be given ment it in Malayalam. The function- for translation of writings, including ing of Malayalam University will be those from Third World Countries, and re-organised to find out completely the variety will be appreciated. For this, opportunities offered in usage of lan- a rule for translation will be created. guage and its development and to uti- Steps will be taken to use the services lise the same. Other Universities and of institutions like the State Institute all Cultural Institutions will be linked of Languages for this. Steps will also be to this. Translation among Indian lan- taken for presenting new research pa- guages will be encouraged to the maxi- pers in Malayalam. mum extent possible. Along with translating and publishing world fa- Works to take up land for Malayalam Universi- mous books and those books in other languages ty is in the final stage. Most modern library and from India into Malayalam, steps are being tak- publishing centre were established. Malayalam en to translate the books from developing coun- is the medium of instruction in institutions. Re- tries. search works are also done in Malayalam. The work of online Malayalam lexicon has attained 513 Steps will be taken to make Malayalam good progress. as the basic language in computers, mobile phones etc. Under the aegis of the MHRD, the State Gov- ernment directed to establish a Centre of Excel- The Governing Terminology mobile app devel- lence with Malayalam as the Classical Language oped by the State Institute of Languages is a step and Malayalam University’s name was suggest- towards this. An online dictionary and mobile ed for this. Preliminary steps have been taken app ‘Bharana Malayalam’ (Malayalam used in for translating works of knowledge from other Governance) has become functional. languages and English to Malayalam. Some clas- sical works in Malayalam were presented again 514 The Tribal languages (Aadivasi) that is and some could be translated into English. Pre- communicated within Kerala does not liminary steps were taken to establish a Chair in have groups outside Kerala to protect

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 145 the language system. Linguistic rights 515 A Literacy movement will be begun so of such groups, their protection and de- as to help the migrant labourers, who velopment will be ensured. For Linguis- come to Kerala, become equal citizens tic Minorities, including tribals (Aadiva- and become a part of Kerala’s cultural, si), a facility will be arranged so that they political set up and turn knowledgeable. can carry out their education and other Projects were implemented aiming to remove il- activities in their Mother Tongue. For literacy. These were implemented by the Literacy such groups, Malayalam will be consid- Mission as ‘Akshara Laksham’ (Lakhs of Letters) ered as their Second Language. programme; in coastal areas, it was named as ‘Akshara Sagaram’ (ocean of letters) ; for Sched- Steps are progressing to create a Tribal Language uled Tribes ‘Samagra’ (complete); for Scheduled Encyclopedia to protect the knowledge from Castes ‘Nava Chetana’ (new knowledge); ‘Chan- around 40 tribal languages used for speech in gathi’ (friend) for in migrant labourers and ‘Sa- the Tribal sector. manwaya’ (union) for Transgender groups. SPORTS

516 Facilities will be timely arranged for All District Stadiums and Panchayat Stadiums conducting International Sports Con- that were declared as being included under tests. A Master Plan will be prepared KIIFB, were included under the Project share for this. of Sports Department and steps have begun to construct tracks and grounds in all Panchayats For the development of sports facilities in Kerala, and Municipalities. Currently, 57 stadiums have State Sports Department has prepared projects been included in KIIFB project and its works, for developing basic facilities through KIIFB. various other project works under the Sports This is being implemented. The DPR for 46 proj- Department have been progressing. ects, including those for developing multi-pur- pose play grounds with facilities having inter- Under the Kerala Sports Council, national standards, 33 Panchayat Stadiums etc. 518 sports hostels, schools and colleges are were submitted to KIIFB and 37 projects were functioning for various sports activi- approved by KIIFB. The construction activities ties. The funds being given for its func- of 20 projects have begun. Other stadiums that tioning will be increased and the facil- were constructed as part of National Games ities will be made equivalent to that of and those stadiums that are under the Sports Sai Sports Hostels. Department are being renovated. Apart from this, new play spaces have been included under Under the State Sports Council, 28 Centralised the Project share of the Sports Department and Sports Hostels, 54 College Sports Hostels, 26 works in this regard are progressing. After these School Sports Hostels etc. have been function- projects get completed, synthetic track will be- ing. Here, the daily DA of sportspersons have come a reality in all districts and Kerala will be- been increased from Rs 150 to Rs 200. Part from come the venue for more National-International this, daily Rs 100/- was given as washing allow- sports events. More training programmes can be ance. Apart from the hostels mentioned above, planned through this. Elite Training Centres are there for Athletics, Volley Ball, Fencing etc. For the Sports per- 517 Interference will be done so as to es- sons there, Rs 400/- has been allowed per day as tablish a 200/400 track and associated Boarding Charge. ground in all Grama Panchayats and Municipalities, to be used for training. 519 A huge project will be formed to make

146 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT use of sports for protecting people’s planned which will help find and give effec- health. tive training to small children and make them good football players. For providing training for On the lines of Kerala Literacy Mission, for school children in swimming (Splash), Grass- all people in Kerala to attain sports skills and root-level Tennis Training Project for giving ef- health, and to improve the physical strength and fective training to children aged between 4 to 9 sports skills of all people, from nursery-level years and Basketball training project are being to elders, steps have begun to form the Kerala implemented. Sports Skills Mission, with the help of Local Self Government and Health Departments. Kerala b) By including those who become win- State Sports Council has taken necessary steps ners in Keralotsavam contests, training in this regard. camps will be begun. Named Sports Life Fitness Centre, the Sports Training projects are being prepared by modify- Department has opened health clubs in nine ing Keralotsavam contests into new forms. stadiums. c) Projects will be formulated to pro- vide jobs to outstanding sportspersons 520 Sports and related Scientific branches each year. have been gaining growth per day. A Currently, there exists a project through which facility will be made wherein scientific the best 50 sportspersons are appointed in State inventions related to Sports could be Government service each year. As part of this, used fruitfully. steps have begun to publish a rank list for 248 By working together with Universities, a Centre vacancies that have been existing from 2010 to for Excellence has been established and neces- 2014 and to begin appointments. Steps to invite sary follow up steps are being taken. Sports De- applications for appointing people for the va- partment has been taking up necessary projects cancies from 2015 to 2018 are at the final stage. for expanding Sports Medicine. The State Government has in principle decided to reserve one per cent seat in State Public Ser- After International University Con- 521 vice Commission appointments for sports per- tests, a joint University Team will be sons. 72 sportspersons who earned Gold medal selected and activities will be planned in the 35th National Games held in Kerala were so as to make them participate in State appointed to service. Similarly, steps have begun League Championships as a team. to appoint sportspersons who won in Santosh Including various Universities in the State, Col- Trophy Football and for those who were medal lege Games Contests are being conducted. winners in Asian Games. 522 a) Projects will be implemented so as to 523 a) Sports Teams will be formed in Pub- train talents found from Village Sports lic Sector and Government Offices in and make them Professionals. Kerala. Several programmes are being implemented. Steps are being taken in this regard. In Electric- To engage each child in sports activities and ity Board and , teams have been to develop a taste for sports in them from pri- formed and training has begun. As part of this, mary-level, space and facilities are being made 25 sportspersons got appointment in Kerala available in the respective schools itself. For this, Electricity Board and 60 sportspersons were ap- Play for Health Project has been initiated which pointed in Kerala Police. By creating 146 Havil- will help each child select a sports activity suit- dar posts in Kerala Police, appointment proce- able for him/her in future. In cities and villages, dures have begun. Football Training Project (Kick off) has been b) Facilities will be made in Kerala vil-

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 147 lages to bring together various sports (Kerala Fests), from the athletic meets sectors for its easy progress. This will be organised for Universities in Kerala, on the lines of Grama Panchayat Sports from School Athletic Meets and State Councils that began functioning in cer- Junior Athletic Meets organised by the tain Panchayats during the tenure of Association. People’s Planning Scheme. ‘Operation Olympia’ was a project formed by the Kerala Sports Act was modified timely. Steps Kerala State Sports Council to provide interna- have begun to form Sports Councils at Pancha- tional-level training to sportspersons, keeping yat, Municipality and Corporation-levels. in mind the Olympics medal in 2020, 2024. It is a project that provides training to 225 sportsper- Steps will be taken to democratically 524 sons in around 11 activities, including Archery, re-organise Sports Councils. This facil- Athletics, Badminton, Boxing, Canoeing and ity will be arranged in such a way that it Kayaking, Cycling, Fencing, Rowing, Shooting, will work even below the district-level. Swimming, Wrestling etc. These sportspersons Kerala Sports Act was modified timely and were selected in the presence of experts in the Sports Councils came into being in the dis- Kerala State Sports Council. tricts in a democratical manner. In the State, as part of democratisation of the Sports 527 Timely changes will be made in the Council, re-organisation is in the final stage. Sports Act that was introduced by the Like this, it has been planned to LDF Government in 2006 and it will be re-structure Corporation, Municipali- reinstated. It will be ensured that dem- ty and Panchayat-level Sports Councils. ocratic rules exist in this. Currently, Kerala has been presenting exempla- Sports Act is being timely modified and imple- ry performance which is a model to the entire mented. India. Kerala is the only State that has formed a Sports Council based on the Act passed by the UDF Government in 2016 had frozen Assembly. 528 actions on Sports Skills Programme, Sports Education Programme, Sports Sports Clubs have been functioning in 525 Commission Report etc. Steps will be a much praiseworthy manner in Ker- taken to implement the directions in ala’s Sports Sector. A project will be the Sports Commission Report. begun to provide financial aid to the Sports Clubs. As part of implementing the directions in the Sports Commission Report, on the lines of Ker- Under the leadership of the State Youth Welfare ala State Literacy Mission, a ‘Kerala Sports Skills Board, works have been progressing to strength- Mission ‘ will be formed with the support of Ed- en the clubs. Like this, thousands of Youth Clubs ucation, Local Self Government and Health De- were formed which are functioning now. Finan- partments. Kerala State Sports Council has been cial aid is being given to these clubs for PSC taking necessary measures for this. It aims at training, Sports training etc. Financial aid is be- providing sports skills and good health to all the ing given to Sports Clubs for purchasing sports people and to improve the physical efficiency for equipment. sports in all people from nursery-level to elders . Aiming the 2024 Olympics, Special 526 Sports activities that help in self-de- Training Centres will be begun. For 529 fence such as will be en- this, sports persons will be selected couraged. through a Special Selection Process which will be done by inviting select Kalaripayattu, Wushu, Taekwondo, Karate etc. sportspersons from Keralotsavams have got the approval of Kerala State Sports

148 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT Council. The Council has been giving necessary from the Sports Quota from 2010 to 2014 with encouragement for its promotion and growth. immediate importance. As part of this, a rank list was published for appointing 248 sportsper- 530 Sports Directorate, Sports Council sons and steps are being taken in this regard. etc. have been existing as two separate Rules are in force to appoint 50 sportspersons in entities. The democratic set up of the Government service every year. Steps have been Sports Council will be regenerated as progressing to implement one per cent reserva- a single structure and will be made a tion for sportspersons in PSC appointments. model for entire India. a) A long-term training programme Necessary steps for this have begun. Steps have 533 will be formed to provide primary begun to construct a Sports Bhavan by bringing training to children from different-lev- Sports, Youth Welfare Office, Sports Council, els in Kerala and to find out the talent- Olympics Association and several other Associ- ed among them. ations under an umbrella organisation. To provide primary training to the children, 531 Existing Sports Education Study 108 Day Boarding Centres are functioning un- Scheme (BPEd, MPEd, NIS Coaching der the Council. Apart from providing training, Diploma) will be re-structured. Nec- to give snacks to these select sportspersons, Rs essary steps will be begun to raise the 25/- has been allowed, per person, as financial standards of education. aid per day. Various Universities have begun necessary steps To engage each child in sports activities and for this. In Sports Colleges, more research cen- to develop a taste for sports in them from pri- tres have been begun to raise the educational mary-level, space and facilities are being made standards. available in the respective schools itself. For this, Play for Health Project has been initiated 532 a) Steps will be taken to bring G.V. Raja which will help each child select a sports activ- Sports Schools, Kannur Sports Divi- ity suitable for him/her in future. In cities and sion, Ayyankali Sports School etc. un- villages, Football Training Project (Kick off) has der the Sports Council. been implemented which will help find and give effective training to small children and make G.V. Raja Sports School, Kannur Sports Divi- them good football players. For providing train- sion etc. are under the contol of the State Sports ing for school children in swimming (Splash), Department. Steps have been taken to raise the Grass-root-level Tennis Training Project for giv- standards of these schools to international-level. ing effective training to children aged between It has also been decided by the Sports Depart- 4 to 9 years and Basketball training project have ment to form three new schools on the lines of been implemented. Kannur Sports Division. b) A grand sports website will be begun, b) Special interference will be done for including all the details regarding Ker- arranging study facilities for sports stu- ala’s Sports Sector. It will include all de- dents. tails of Kerala’s tournaments, coaching Steps have been taken to make available the ser- facility etc. vice of teachers and other staff members through The existing website of the Council will be mod- the functioning of Parent-teachers’ Committee. ified and a new website, with more details, will c) Interference will also be done to en- be formed. An online facility will be arranged sure jobs for them. to make easier and transparent the Association A Special Cell was formed to appoint people contests that come under the Sports Council.

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 149 CORRUPTION-FREE KERALA

534 a) A popular, public campaign will be d) Vigilance will be made an indepen- begun against corruption and ineffi- dent investigation agency. Giving nec- ciency. essary guidance for this will also be the In order to avoid corruption at administrative responsibility of the Commission men- and official-levels, sudden inspections were tioned above. held Statewide in Village offices, Consumerfed Regarding Vigilance, the suggestions of ‘Bha- godowns, Scheduled Caste/ Scheduled Tribe rana Parishkara Commission’ (Administrative hostels, Corporation/Municipality, Police Sta- Reforms Commission) are under examination. tions, Wood depos under the Forest Depart- Vigilance Manual modification is also being ment, Kerala State Beverages Corporation, Con- considered. sumerfed outlets and private tuition centres of government staff. As part of this, a decision has 535 During the last year of UDF Govern- been taken to suspend 79 officials of various ment’s tenure (2015-16), several per- departments and to take departmental action mits were given for filling paddy fields against 1,118 officials. A secret report has been and several cases were excepted from prepared regarding corrupt officials and secret City Planning rules. These will be investigation has been progressing regarding re-examined. this. Vigilance facility has been strengthened in government departments and Public Service of- The Cabinet re-examined all directions. Some fices. were cancelled. Some others were modified. b) To ensure transparent Civil Service 536 e-tender will be made compulsory for and corruption-free public service, all construction activities. e-procure- complete changes will be introduced in ment facility will be implemented. laws to prevent Corruption and in Ker- ala Lokayukta law. All construction activities, having more than Rs 5 lakhs as estimate, are being done through As part of making Vigilance into an independent e-tender. For computers and IT equipment, agency, the draft of Vigilance Act was formed. unified e-procurement has come into force. For Steps are being taken to convert this into a law. buying other equipment, permission is being c) The facilities available now are insuf- given to purchase it through Central Govern- ficient to give details about the financial ment’s software ‘Global e-market’. details of politicians and other activ- 537 For all construction activities, a mon- ists to the public in a transparent and itoring facility will be created on the trustworthy manner. The current facil- lines of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak ities are not enough to throw light on Yojana (PMGSY). All construction ac- their savings in other States or in other tivities will be brought to Geographic countries. A Commission will be made Information System (GIS) platform responsible to gather details regard- and photos related to the progress of ing this and to give necessary guidance works will be made available for the within three months. public. Social audit will be strictly im- The financial details of Ministers are available plemented. on the website since the first year of the new The construction activities that come under the government’s tenure. Plans to introduce another project are being examined through the IT fa- facility is under consideration. cility Plan Space. In Plan Space, there is also a

150 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT facility to make geo-tagging/ photos available. status of complaints and applications submitted Special projects that have been taken up by vari- to the Chief Minister’s Office. A project to make ous departments are being examined in this way. help available from the Disaster Relief Fund, Decision has to be taken regarding opening up within 100 hours, has been progressing. e-gov- Plan Space for the public. ernance is being implemented to make gover- nance efficient and transparent. a) In all departments, a draft for 538 b) Every year, social audit will be or- Citizen Rights will be prepared at lo- ganised at local-level, regarding the cal-level. functioning of government offices. The draft for Citizen Rights has been already The most important step taken was to include implemented in Local Self Government offices social auditing facility in all projects which are will be implemented in all Service Departments part of Kerala’s re-construction. Strict steps of the government. Steps are being taken in this were taken to end corruption in Public Works regard. An online facility is in force to know the Department. Social auditing was implemented.

POLICE & MAINTENANCE OF LAW AND ORDER

Tribal youths, who has been appointed to Kerala Police, are with the Chief Minister. Chandrika, sister of the late Madhu, standing on the right of the CM.

539 Strict interference will be done to make actively participated with the public in relief ac- the law and order situation better. All tivities. The police force maintained a peaceful false propaganda being spread related situation by taking strong action against efforts to casteism and moves to create such to destruct the values gained by Kerala and by violent situations will be strictly dealt offering protection to people’s life and wealth. 12 with. Strict action will be taken against new police stations became fully functional in land mafia, blade mafia, gangsters, 2018. 390 new posts were allotted in 11 Police gangs involved in sale of liquor-narcot- Stations. Apart from this, 80 new posts were al- ics, sex rackets etc. and safe life will be lotted for two control rooms. ensured for people. With an aim to make crime investigation more During operations done for flood relief, Police efficient, the Crime Branch was re-organised at Department functioned like a machine and re- the district-level. To handle more serious cas- ally became a people’s service. Police personnel es, special facilities were arranged in the State.

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 151 As part of giving more importance to women’s safety, new Pink Control rooms began function- ing in six districts. Along with this, approval has been given to establish new control rooms in Payyannur and Thanur.24-hour functional Control room facility has been arranged and is connected to the toll-free number 1515. For providing coastal security, 200 coastal war- dens were appointed in 14 Coastal Police Sta- tions. For these appointments, families that were hit by Ockhi were given preference. Six Child-friendly Police Stations were begun. This will be implemented in 54 more Police Stations. Four Coastal Police Stations were begun. The Robot at the police headquarters salutes the Chief Minister Approval was given for implementing ‘Central Intrusion Monitoring Scheme’. This can be im- some stations as Station House Officer. plemented by connecting CCTV facilities of Banks, other financial institutions, jewelleries 541 Citizen Rights Draft will be published and factories with the Police. in Police Stations. Police took strict action against the unexepted The steps to give and accept complaints have hartals that were announced from time-to-time been made more transparent by the use of mod- and helped reveal the conspiracy behind it. An ern, technical knowledge. Steps are being taken Ordinance was brought in to protect private to form separate websites in each Police Station. wealth and to take strict action against those Steps are being taken to publish the draft of Cit- who damage private wealth during hartals. The izen Rights. Whenever wrong measures were ordinance has conditions through which those taken by the Police, strict actions were taken. involved in damaging private property and wealth will be responsible to pay for the dam- 542 People-friendly Safety Scheme (‘Jana- ages caused. maitri’) will be expanded to all Police Connecting five cities in the State, an Emer- Stations. Kerala Student Police Cadet gency Response Support System (ERSS) has Scheme will be expanded and imple- been begun. Public can contact the Police for mented. With the support of Residents immediate help using the Emergency Number Associations, Janamaitri facility will 112. Through this system, Police help is being be effectively implemented. It will be ensured very fast and more efficiently. Investi- ensured that Police will behave with re- gation in Cyber cases were made more effective. spect to people and it will be ensured Investigation procedures were modernised. that human rights will not be violated in lock ups’. 540 Law and Order and Crime Investiga- Janamaitri Scheme was expanded to all Police tion will be separated. For this, sepa- Stations. After this government came to power, rate facility will be arranged in all Po- Student Police Cadet (SPC) units were allowed lice Stations. in 145 government schools. Among them, the Steps have begun to make Law and Order, scheme was implemented in 120 schools and 25 Crime Investigation as two separate wings. In schools have begun the preliminary steps to im- Police Stations, CIs were appointed as Station plement the scheme. House Officer. The government is considering a direction to appoint higher police officials in 543 A Women Battalion will be formed in

152 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT the State. The Women strength in Kera- installed in the main roads to strengthen the la Police will be increased to 15% of the surveillance. The government is also in its initial total strength of the force. steps to make a combined traffic system in the state by connecting the National Highways and In the State, a Women Battalion was already other important roads. As a first step,this system formed. The Battalion has started functioning at will come up in Kochi city.. in Thiruvananthapuram. A spe- cial 21 posts have been made in the Special Re- The mobile application developed by the Kerala cruitment category for Schedule Tribe in the force. Police ‘Traffic Guru’ has been awarded the Best 200 temporary posts have also been formed. ‘M’ Government Service Award 6th edition by the UAE. The prime minister of UAE has award- The government has taken steps in increasing ed this award to the force. the woman force to 15% of the total strength of the police. 546 A digital petition Monitoring system Moreover, the Kerala Police has become the first will be implemented in such a way that force in any Indian state to own and seek the the common people can also avail the service of a Robotic Cop. service. To give petition online ‘Thuna’ a people friendly 544 State Industrial Security Force will be portal by police has started functioning in last formed in the state year itself. Through this portal, people can send The service of the SISF has been made available their complaints. They have also the facility to at the newly opened Metro Railway in Kochi, download FIR through this website. They can Airport at Kannur and at the Vizhinjam harbour also access the portal for Employment Verifi- in Thiruvananthapuram. cation and the conduct certificate issued by the Kerala Police. Permission for conducting var- 545 A police troop will be formed by giv- ious programmes, processions, protest march, ing special training to reduce the toll of microphone permission can also be sought road traffic accidents. The fine for Traffic through this website. The government has also offenses will be made through electronic decided to start a website each for every police devices and cameras will be installed to station in the state. The force has also got the stop any chance for corruption. FICCI Award for Best Practices in Smart Polic- ing 2018. Strong intervention had made in bringing down. Many plans have been made by the State 547 An Anti-terror squad will be formed in Government, Police Force, and the Motor Vehi- the state by combining the Commando, cle Department to stop and bring down traffic Intelligence, and the Investigation de- accidents. partments. The force will be enhanced ITES (Integrated Digital Traffic Enforcement with facilities to deal cybercrimes. System): This is a new project that the Kerala According to an order dated 16 February 2019, a Government intends to introduce in the nab- special anti-terror task force has been formed in bing those who violate traffic rules and over the state. Commando force training is in prog- speeding. The system will make the road secu- ress with 210 members. The training for the first rity more accurate and nabbing and fining those ever State Women Commando Force has come traffic rule violations. out of their training successfully. The forma- An online system has been made in place for tion of the Cyber Crime Investigation Cell has fining traffic rule violations. Steps have also been on its final stages. This would enable each been taken in forming a special wing to control police station in the state in seeking the help of and prevent accidents and to control the flow the Cell in probing the Cyber Crimes more effi- of traffic in the state. CCTV cameras have been ciently. The Cell will look after the increasing cy-

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 153 ber crimes in the state and will keep a tab on it. available with the fire force. Inorder to execute The Cyber Dome that was opened at the Techno rescue operations efficiently for the future disas- Park in Thiruvananthapuram has fetched an in- ter or accidents, the steps for the formation of ternational recognition recently. civil defence system is on its final stages. 548 Modernization of Jail will be executed 550 Efforts will be made to solve the prob- lems of the paramilitary forces. Inter- As part of the moderization of jail department, vene in the issues faced by the Kerala the newly built jail at Muttam has started its Home Guard function. The high-security jail at Viyyur has already set for its opening. The Thavanoor Jail A special department has been functioning in too has completed its first phase construction the state to deal with the issues of the retired and the second phase, which is already under- military personnel of the state. The house tax way, will be completed within eight months. has been exempted for the ex-military people. The Malampuzha District Jail is ready for its The help that has been given to the martyred opening. The Special Jail at Irinjalakkuda has army men to bring their dead body home has completed 80% of its construction. The cab- been improved from Rs 15,000 to 50,000 from inet has given nod for a 302 lakh rupees for the Chief Minister’s relief fund. The help given the construction of the Koothuparambu spe- to the nominee of the deceased army men has cial subjail and the construction of Thali- been improved from Rs 5000 to Rs 10,000. The parambu sub jail has been included in the cash award for the Bravery Award winners have yearly programmes of 2019-2020. The video also been increased. The help for constructing a conferencing facility by combining the jails home has also been increased from Rs One lakh and courts of the state will come into force on to Rs Two lakh. October 2, 2019. 551 The basic facilities at the courts will be 549 Fire and Rescue Services to be revived improved in time found manner. and the force will be expanded The construction of the court complexes in The service that the department has rendered Chengannur, , Haripad, Vaikom, during the Kerala floods has received worldwide Changanasseri, Muvatuppuzha, Perinthalman- acclamation. The Force has helped along with na, Kalpatta, Pala and Kozhikode has been com- Kerala Police in finding those stranded during pleted. A new project has been approved to con- the floods. The department has, however, been struct an additional block at the Attingal court. equipped with modern vehicles and equipment The KIFFB has given nod for Rs 50.14 crore to during last year itself. State of the art facilities construct a court complex at Thalassery. From which are used for rescue operations and fire this financial year’s onward, more such projects fighting activities in high-rise buuilding are now will be given approval. ABKARI POLICY

552 a. The liquor has become a dangerous sumption of liquor in the state. The thing to society. The Left government government is planning to form a mas- in the state is looking forward to imple- sive awareness campaign in the lines of menting a policy that would bring the the literacy programme with the help liquor consumption to a lower level by of the people. a step by step procedure. This govern- ment would ensure the measure more The government has started de-addiction cen- aggressively than the previous UDF tres in the government hospitals in 14 districts government to encourage the non-con- of the state with the help of Kerala State Mission

154 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT for De-addiction. These centres have been do- District Hospital 13 Malappuram ing counseling and treatment to those who are Nilambur addicted to liquor and drugs. To build a model Thaluk de-addiction centre in state,actions have been Headquarters, 14 Ernakulam taken to takeup land in Kozhikode district. Hospital, In order to coordinate the functioning of ‘Vi- Muvattupuzha mukthi’ in various districts, 14 district mission In Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Kozhi- coordinators, 14 district managers, 3 research kode regional counseling centres have also start- officers have been posted anf took legal actions. ed. b. De-addiction centres to be installed. The cooperation between the absti- 553 The use of drugs and ganja is on the in- nence societies and government will be crease and is posing an equal menace to strengthened the society as the liquor does. Strict ac- tions to be taken against the offenders In all the 14 districts of Kerala, de-addiction centres have been started. The list is as follows The excise department has in the state takes strict action against the use and the spread of Sl Hospital District drugs and ganja. The Shadow Force of the de- no partment along with Intelligence Wing and spe- Taluk Headquarters cial squads are working on an equal measure to 1 Hospital Kollam put a stop to the menace. While after the gov- ernment has come into power, 16,000 of NDPS Taluk Headquarters 2 Thrissur cases have taken so far; this is a record. Hospital Chalakkudy Taluk Headquarters The awareness campaign against liquor 3 Kannur 554 Hospital Payyannur will be included in the curriculam Taluk Headquarters of classes from 8th to 12th standard. 4 Pathanamthitta Hospital Rani The consumption age of liquor will be General Hospital increased to 23 5 Kottayam Pala Awareness Campaigns against liquor and drugs Taluk Headquarters are conducted through the Anti-Drug clubs of 6 Hospital Thiruvananthapuram high schools and higher secondary schools in the state. In the state, at present, there are 3272 General Hospital 7 Wayanad anti-drug clubs. (In schools 2761 and in Col- leges 511) District Hospital 8 Alappuzha Chengannur In the seventh standard science book, awareness Tribal Specialty subjects has included in the chapter titled 9 Palakkad Hospital Kottathara ‘Oxygen,blood and Oesophagus. In the 14th chapter ‘ For the continuation of Generations’ Taluk Headquarters of 8th standard science book awareness subjects 10 Hospital Kasargod has included. In first year higher secondary Neeleswaram Home science awareness subjects has included in Beach Hospital 11 Kozhikode the unit ‘ Adolescence Charms and Challenges’. Kozhikode Actions are in progress to include the topics in District Hospital 12 Idukki the textbooks of 10th and 12th standards with Painavu the help of SCERT.

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 155 FINANCE 555 a. The budget expenditure would be in- situation has continued during the present gov- creased accordingly to 17-18 percent of ernment’s time. And after the implementation the total income. And it is also planned of the GST in 2017-18, this has increased to 14 to increase the tax revenue of the state percent including the compensation. It has also so as to end or low the revenue deficit witnessed that there is an increase in stamp duty, of the state. The money that is taken as registration, motor tax, state excise. Efforts have loans will be used on capital spending. been made to increase the revenue income to a 20 percent high and to bring the revenue deficit The budget expenditure has increased gradual- to a percent decrease in the total income. ly. In 2015-16, it was 87,032 crore rupees had increased to 1,41,980 crore rupees in the year b. A kind of progressive revenue pol- icy to take loans from outside the state 2019-20. This increase has happened on the ba- revenue to mobilize infrastructure de- sis of giving fund as per the promises made in velopment of the state. the election manifesto. Kerala Infrastructure Fund Board has made in- The expense in the developmental zones and so- novative steps regarding the financial mobiliza- cial security was 35,000 crore rupees in 2015-16 tion for the development of infrastructure . The and it increased to 44,400 crore rupees in 2017- activities that are sanctioned by KIFB are men- 18 and it increase to 49,000 in 2018-19. In 2019- tioned below 20 68,728 crore rupees was the expenditure.In the agriculture sector 4,380 crore increased to cost in No of 7,322 crore rupees. In the health sector,5,500 Department lakh / projects crore rupees increased to 15,525 crore rupees. In crores education sector 14,100 crore rupees increased PWD Roads 147 6299.20 to 21,089 rupees. PWD Bridges 52 1407.06 UDF has spent Rs 9,270.10 crore for social secu- PWD Overbridges 24 789.42 rity pension in five years. Meanwhile, the LDF PWD flyovers 9 635.51 government has spent three years Rs 17,510 PWD High range crore. The pensioners have also increased from 17 1506.25 35, 83,886 to 45,45,358 in March 2019. Highways PWD Coastal Highways 1 52.78 The expense in PDS and paddy procurement has also increased. KSRTC was given Rs 1000 crore PWD Underpass 1 27.59 in the last year. Energy 15 5200.00 The salary and pension revision were withheld Water Distribution 68 3489.29 during the UDF government’s time and the Education 76 2037.91 present Left government has disbursed it with- Health 16 1615.70 out delay. In 2017-18 along it was 19 percent. IT 3 1174.13 This has increased the salary, pension to 10 per- Water Transport 1 566.51 cent from the normal expenditure. Higher Education 26 562.02 However, to meet all these expenses it is esti- Sports-Youth Welfare 29 601.38 mated that a 20 percent increase in income. In 2006-11 period the income was increased to Transport 3 556.49 20 percent. LDF was in power at that time. It Forest 4 441.67 slumped and only grown to 10 percent below Culture 8 194.34 during the last UDF government’s time. This SC-ST 9 186.60

156 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT Fishing and Harbour 3 194.24 e-way bills. The tax services have all taken to on- line making easy. Efforts have also been made Devaswom 1 141.75 to the officers to get in touch with the chang- Registration 6 89.88 ing technologies and in helping file returns. For Employment 5 82.50 these classes have been conducted by the de- Tourism 3 72.47 partment. Home Affairs 1 50.14 557 a. The government will follow a trad- Local Self Government 3 31.69 er-friendly policy. The cases against Agriculture 1 14.28 those traders who have not taken the Revenue 1 10.09 registration even after their sale has ex- Industrial Background ceeded 60 lakhs were given the reprieve facility 1 12710.00 by writing off the cases taken against (Land Acquisition) them. Moreover, an amnesty scheme has been made for them. Life-Science Park 1 301.17 Second Phase The amnesty scheme has been implemented. This would give those traders who have default- Petrochemical 1 ed in filing income tax returns. A special am- And Pharma Park 1264.00 nesty package has been made for the small-scale Total of 536 536 42306.06 traders. A special instruction to avoid the tax The government has given nod for 533 con- imposed on the areca nut traders of the state has structions with a total amount of Rs 28030.89 been included in the VAT. crore. KIFFB will make background facilities on b. Report of the CAG has found thou- Rs 50,000 crore outside the state revenue during sands of tax evasions financial appro- this government’s tenure. priations. And this would be settled The financial mobilization outside the state rev- amicably in a single sitting. enue has also kicked off. With the help of Masala Government has taken steps to solve the cases of Bond, a revenue mobilization of Rs 2150 crores financial appropriation found in CAG reports. have already taken. The accumulation of reve- nue through banks, national financial institu- c. Social Audits will be done at the Tax tions have also met the target. The international offices by including the traders as a part acclaim that the KIFFB has attained during this of it. The government will strength- period would help Kerala in building the infra- en the e-governance system to ensure structure that would further the growth of the transparency. state. As part of the goods service tax, a total revamp of the system is taking place. The State Good 556 The fundamental thing that needed to Services Tax council was formed. Complaint increase the tax revenue is put stop to cells and tax corners have also started. It assured corruption. With this aim in mind the that complaints are dealt with and necessary second edition of the Corruption Free corrective measures are taken. Steps will be tak- Valayar will be implemented. The un- en to solve complaints and arrears on VAT. necessary intervention into the reve- nue administration will be stopped. 558 The tax software developed seven years The revenue administration has gone for a steep ago has not gone a step further from change in the state with the implementation there. It has found several glitches in of GST. Check Posts have been stopped opera- the software which demands immedi- tion. The government is making efforts with the ate attention. The present government’s help of technology to check and cross-check the aim is to revive the software to present

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 157 day standards. The data that is received have to be done with accurate data collection. through the e-governance will be used in the future to stop tax frauds in the It is expected that the GST will do good state. 562 to Kerala. By bringing all the stake- With the implementation of the GST the use holders together and will discuss on it of present software has limited to conduct VAT to implement the new tax system. arrear assignments. There has been a drain of The GST system was implemented in the state. tax in the areas of gold compounding, contract The Central Government failed in implement- jobs and to fix it there has to be a special module ing the information system in implementing the developed and with that the additional demand GST. They have shuffled the tax rates frequently, of tax to be created. The effort for this has been not to give data regarding the returns and other going. statistics, the laxness in implementing the e-web has all contributed to making the GST a flop in The return scrutiny will be complet- 559 the state. The revenue as expected has not come ed. According to the demand, more after GST implementation. officials will be deployed to finish the work. The service of more officials will The strictest stand taken by Kerala in the GST be made available if found necessary. It council has helped the state to a great extent. is desirable to do the audit visit by the GST facilitation Committee has been formed so scrutiny wing itself provided any mis- as to conduct a discussion with all types of ben- take was found prima facie. eficiaries. The committee is being formed and implemented. The service of the officials, worked in the erst- while check posts, together with the newly The intervention of the state government has formed scrutiny modules is being used to do the made us fix the GST rates of other state lotteries retun scrutiny of the previous years in selected to 28% while it has been fixed to 12% to our lot- commercial sectors effectively. teries. Taxes could be maintained at 12 percent. The efforts of the other state lottery mafia to top- 560 To strengthen the internal audit de- ple the system are strongly resisted by the state partment. The aim is to bring the government. counter check system so as to make the tax revenue increase. 563 The state government will resist the Central Government’s plan to impose By merging the internal audit assessment with a percent of the tax to the manufactur- the internal audit department the efficiency of ing states and to bring amendments to the internal audit wing in the state has been in- the GST tax rates. The Interstate Coun- creased. cil has to be given the power to set tax rates. The state should be changed that A special team of data miners will be 561 any decision relating to the GST should formed in the headquarters. They will be taken by the concern of the Central check the scrutiny and returns accu- Government. rately and thus improve the efficiency of the department. The strong intervention of the state in the GST council has helped to stop the one percent tax A data mining team has been formed in the imposed on the manufacturing states. For small headquarters of the department. The reports of business entrepreneurs with a turnover of Rs the tax drain found by this group will be des- One crore a percent of compounding rate has patched at the same time to the assessment of- been established. The GST rate in the hotel and fices and are monitoring developments on those restaurant has been decreased to 5% from 18%. reports. The aim is that the tax return checks These decisions have been made by the state

158 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT government’s strong intervention in the GST With the help of KIFFB, for creation of infra- Council. structure development fund outside the budget, will be collected and a large scale infrastruc- a.The modernization of the Treasuries 564 ture work is progressing. 533 projects worth Rs will be implemented. Not only in the 28,030.89 crore have been sanctioned and start- core banking but in the whole struc- ed construction. During the LDF government, a ture of the treasury will be moderized. background infrastructure development worth ATM system will be implemented. Rs 50,000 crore will be made through KIFFB The Integrated Finance Management System is outside the state budget. fully implemented. Treasury accounts are con- Funding outside the budget has started success- nected with banks and their facilities. Treasuries fully. Rs 2,150 crore has been raised through are equipped with utility payments and other fi- masala bonds and fund raising through banks nancial services. Treasuries have been provided and national financial institution are also effec- high bandwidth connections. Renewed comput- tive. The international approval won by KIFFB er equipment were given. Treasury construction globally has become a major milestone in Ker- program was revived. ala’s infrastructure development. The LDF gov- b.Salary and Pension will be made ernment is creating an all-time record by devel- through treasury savings bank account. oping general infrastructure facilities. By this way, a substantial portion of cash ‘Pravasi Chitti’ has started at November 2018. balance will be available for the govern- The European edition of the same has been ment in Ways and Means adjustment. inaugurated in London in May 2019. ‘Pravasi The efforts to pay the pension and salaries of the Chitti’ is run entirely web-based. From joining government employees through Treasuries have the chit to the drawing and bidding, it is entirely made in place. computer-based. KSFE’s Pravasi chit is a virtu- c. A scheme, which will sanction new al branch. checking the bailiffs, approval, chi- capital-intensive projects in various ti registration and other legal processes are all fields in order to ensure proportion- Web-based. The most comprehensive economic ate deposits in the treasury, will be re- exchange computer programme to be used in started. Government departments and Kerala is of the Pravasi Chitti. semi-government agencies must keep b. The joint venture for the railway de- their money in the Treasury if they do velopment will be enlarged. not have special permission. A separate company has been formed by the The central government has made strict rules Central and the State for the development of to keep cash in the public account. From State’s railways. compiled fund the tendency of money to be Additionally, some associations have also been transacted in different accounts is now strictly targeted for the renovation of the railway station controlled. It takes steps to hand over money to in conjunction with the private sector. contractors, consumers, and suppliers. Econom- ic discipline is given a strict priority. c. By taking loans the housing scheme will be resumed by the LSGD. a. A scheme to borrow loan outside the 565 With the Government guarantee, loan has budget will be prepared. The most im- avialed from HUDCO for life mission. The portant of these will be the agency to building is under construction. modernize state-district roads. For the development of public sector institu- In the hands of co-operative societies, tions,they will be enabled in borrowing 566 there is a large amount of surplus fund. funds. The lack of reasonable expenditure af-

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 159 fects its fiscal system also. This will be tion will be taken against those depart- utilized for setting up a special compa- ments that fail to follow the steps. ny for rural infrastructure developed The officials who fail to file the account state- based on the Annuity Scheme. Since it is ments to the Public Accounts Committee were the annuity scheme, it is precise that the asked to give an explanation from their account repayment of the amount and its interest statements or action taken against them. Steps in the society’s money are assured. have been taken to avoid the delay. There is no importance for the project as KIFFB is investing a huge amount in the development 570 The incentives given to Panchayath pri- of the background infrastructure development. or 12 months fund will be reinstated. Executed. 567 Financial procedures will be simpli- fied. Detailed and accurate schemes It is now common to announce mega made before budgeting and approved 571 projectplans without any concern of priority will be devoid of the inter- future expenses. A project that lasts vention of the Department of Finance. more than one year must be accorded These kind of Projects will be record- sanction if only a report on the expense ed separately in the budgect records. of the working plan for five years is sub- There will be no barrier in implement- mitted. It is ensured that the expense ing them from April 1. Regarding the for the proposed projects in the years to financial transactions, a study will be come will be included in future budgets. conducted in time found manner and required changes will be made. The Five Year Plan set up. Accordingly, the an- nual plan is being implemented. Plan expenditure reached a record scale in 2017- 18. The planned expenditure is over 90 %. The Will be transformed into outcome bud- grant limit for the department working group 572 geting. Not only checking the amount has been increased by Rs. 10 crores. Budget in spend on each plan, but also the materi- 2018-19 was passed before March 31, 2018. al accomplishment and its continuous consequences will be tested. If there are A report should be submitted on the re- 568 two years of preparation, Kerala can go medial action taken within two months to the outcome budget. after the CAG report has been submit- ted to the Assembly. Outcome Budget has been implemented in some departments like agriculture. It will be expanded. The concerned secretaries are instructed. Gender budgeting will be restarted. A After the Public Accounts Committee 573 569 document related to this will be pre- has taken a decision, an action tak- sented in the Legislative Assembly. en report should be given within two months. The completed reports will Gender and Child Budgeting has come up. be discussed in the legislature. Strict 574 An Environmental Report on the pre- actions will be taken who fail in this vious Budget will also be submitted to procedure. The PWD and irrigation the Assembly. The review of the money departments are of the habit to freeze spent currently and a project for fu- the correctional measures by extending ture economy are only to be submitted years on the procedures mentioned in along with the budget. the CAG report. Additional cost should be regularized within the next year. Ac- The action has been taken.

160 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 575 The rate of interest for private investors district against private money lenders. will be raised to a maximum of 3% above This committee comprising MPs, MLAs, bank interest. A clean and tough registra- Judicial Officers, and Police Deputies tion system will be set up to control pri- will examine the rising issues and report vate investors.A complaint solution will to the Judicial Officer will be given. be organized by a judicial officer in each Strong action is being taken LABOUR POLICY 576 Measures will be taken to ensure daily There have been discussions with the Depart- wages upto Rs 500 ment of Education in ensuring low wages fixed for cooks. The honorarium of Anganwadi and Kerala has the highest minimum wage in the Asha employees has been increased. The bud- country. 80 employment sectors are in the min- getary allocations have been made to increase imum wages list. Minimum wages already in 26 the wages of Anganwadi and Asha workers. areas have been decided. Measures to review and decide resume the minimum wages for various The state government will intervene sectors are in progress. The State Government’s 578 Employment Policy with a vision to increase to secure the salaries of the workers in the minimum wages upto Rs 600 per month has the shopping malls, supermarkets, and been recognized. workers in similar situations. The enforcement Department of Labor Com- 577 Steps will be taken to raise the honorar- missionerate has further strengthened. The De- ium of Scheme Workers like Angan- partment of Labor has been actively involved in wadi Workers, Ashaworkers, Chefs and implementing labor laws in a strict manner. Ker- Palliative Nurses in Panchayats. The ala Shops and Commercial Establishment law UDF government has increased the has been amended to ensure more protection honorarium of the Anganwadi Workers. for the workers. Through this, workers in the However, no money was paid for that. unorganized sector, especially women workers This burden is being imposed upon Lo- guaranteed a seat at their workplaces. cal Self Government Institutions. RESERVATION POLICY

579 The RSS is attempting to overthrow the tutional amendment to implement these reservation system that helps the so- two tasks. The LDF is trying to imple- cially backward community to come to ment this constitutional amendment. the forefront. The LDF government is The special inspection was conducted to en- of the opinion that the reservation sys- sure reservation benefits. Decrease of reserva- tem today for the SC ST and other educa- tion for SC/ST has been found. Steps for Spe- tionally and socially backward commu- cial Recruitment for this category of people nities should continue as it is. It should have already started. Along with that 100 from be ensured that all the benefits of the backward scheduled tribes were given special eligible reservation should be awarded appointment in police and excise departments. to the deserved. In addition, we should Economically backward people in the forward give 10% reservation to the poor in the castes were given a 10 percent reservation on the forward castes. It is a necessary consti- Devasom board. No permanent post was filled

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 161 in and Cochin Devaswom Board Christians on the same lines of the res- since 1995 amd through Kerala Devaswom re- ervation enjoyed by SC is reasonable, cruitment board, 26 SC and 180 other backward the LDF feels. When this is implement- class people were posted as priest by complying ed the benefits enjoyed by the Sched- reservation standards. The appointments of Tra- uled Caste should be protected. The vancore Devaswom Board assistant engineer, matter will be discussed with their or- Overseer posts were posted in compliance with ganizations and measures will be taken reservation. The government also raised the res- to form a consensus. ervation for the backward classes. The rise is in Implemented. Converted Christians are given the following order. (from 14 to 17), SC/ educational benifits as enjoyed by Scheduled ST (from 10 to 12) and OBC (from 3 to 6). The Castes. Government has decided to introduce reserva- tion in by transfer appointments. 582 The Nadar community that belongs to the different religious sect has raised 580 SC / ST Reservation will be expanded some allegation regarding the reser- to Private Sector. vation. A decision will be taken after checking it. Reservation for the SC/ST section in the aided sector has been hindered by the HC ruling. An There is a case in the High Court based on the appeal on the matter is at Supreme Court. Hariharan Nair Commission report. Action will be taken in consultation with the Backward 581 The reservation for the converted Class Committee after the High Court verdict.

ADMINISTRATIVE REFORMS

583 The report of the Administrative the transfer of Government officials and teach- Reforms Commission headed by ers. Transfers are being done according to the E.K.Nayanar to be implemented and a above-mentioned criteria. Employees in the supervisory commission to be appoint- non-functional projects and the like were also ed to ensure its timely fulfilment. redeployed. Committee was formed for the re- assessment of the contributary pension plans. Kerala Administrative Service recommended by Measures for the discouragement of working the former Administrative Reforms Commis- arrangement and legitimisation of deputations sion was formed and notifications were released. were taken. A commission chaired by the former Chief Min- ister V.S.Achudanandan was appointed to study The recommendation of the Pay Revi- about the recent administrative reforms. The 585 sion Commission to revise the salary Government has received three reports from the once in every ten years will be rejected. commission and the procedures to execute them are under consideration. The recommendation was rejected. 584 Accurate criteria for the transfer of 586 State Civil Service Cadre including the officials to be conceived, employees to Secretariat to be formed and a common be redeployed based on scientific eval- agreement will be made on discussion uation of their performance, contribu- with the various service unions. tary pension plans to be reassessed. The notification was released after a common Order has been issued asserting the criteria for agreement was reached following the discus-

162 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT sions with the service unions. The procedures online. Measures to convert service books into to amend the rules considering the demand for E-service books are in progression. applying reservations also to the appointments PRICE software has been brought about in Pub- by transfer are in the final stage. lic Work Department. The practice of E–Ten- dering is carried out. E-filing system has been Decentralised and effective system 587 implemented in the directorate of Department like the Central Government will be of Animal Husbandry as a result of which de- brought about at the Secretariat level cisions on different files can be arrived quickly. and the problems faced by the employ- E-office system will also be enforced in the Dis- ees as part of this will be solved. trict Animal Husbandry Offices apart from the Procedures yet to be started. directorate in the secondary stage. The monitoring of the cattle protection pro- L.S.G.D engineering wing to be made 588 gramme which is a major program of the depart- an inseparable part of local self Gov- ment, is completely done through the software ernments. developed by the department itself. Software for The above recommendation which was incor- evaluating the other activities of the department porated in the 2016 budget speech is under the has also been developed. The measures for map- consideration of the State Financial Commis- ping the cattle through geo tagging and also for sion since May 2017. With the setting up of Lo- the farmer registration are progressing. Eight cal Self Government Public Service the L.S.G.D lakh farmers have registered online and about engineering wing will become an inseparable eighty thousand houses of farmers have been part of the Local Self Government institutions. geo tagged till date. 3745 tablet computers have The amendment ordinance for setting up Local been given to the technical staffs of the depart- Self Government Public Service has been issued. ment within the 2 years for the collection of the The procedures for formulating the rules for the above said data. same are in process. b. Amendments in view of E-gover-

nance, M-governance will be brought Administrative manuals to be thor- 589 about. oughly reformed. Under active consideration. Procedures yet to be started. Actions will be tak- en by the Administrative Reforms Commission a. The system of clearing doubts and in this regard. 591 objections through secured emails will be executed instead of the system of re- a. Information technology will be fully 590 turning the files with the written ques- utilised to make the governance more tions. transparent and efficient. Interoffice email system is carried out effectively. Measures are being implemented. E-office has been implemented in more departments. Pro- b. Help centres with access to all the cedures such as online applications, online ap- Government departmental services will provals and so on are being implemented in be set up for providing essential ser- various departments. Punching has been linked vices for the people and corruption will with salary in Secretariat. Measures are being be reduced by appointing a supervisory taken for the time bound implementation of this set up for the same. system also to the other departments. Punching Land tax and water tax has been made payable is to be enforced in all the departments by 2019. online. Order was issued legitimising the au- Confidential records of the employees, salary, thenticity of all certificates from the local self pensions (PRISM) and so on have all been made Governments which are to be collected online.

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 163 More mobile applications are being developed system), was created aiming at the protection of to provide access to Government services. Po- rights and social progress of women. A senior lice, Revenue, Local Self Government, Agricul- woman police officer was appointed as special ture, Electricity and IT departments have played officer for the same. considerable parts in this regard at present. Fa- cilities to pay the fees of Government services 596 The complaints regarding the existing are made through Akshaya centres. A mobile restrictions for building of worship application named ‘M-Keralam’ has also been places to be enquired and solutions to developed. be made. 592 PTD (Proposal To Disposal) system to Legal possibilities to be considered and exam- be implemented in a certain manner ined in this regard. that fixes a target of 60 days for ap- proval and 90 days for implementation 597 Arrangements will be made to solve all from the date of recommendation of an the complaints and problems within initiative. 30 days at Government level. Commit- tees with popular participation to be The system was approved as part of the “ease of constituted for ensuring just and clear doing” system. solutions for problems that are left out 593 Arrangements will be made to carry if any. out the procedures till district courts in Malayalam and vacancies in judicia- The Chief Minister’s complaint redressal system ry to be filled for the quick solving of and the application for the Chief Minister’s Di- cases. saster Relief Fund have been completely com- puterised. Online arrangements are there for the Measures to be taken for carrying out the pro- people to observe and look into the actions tak- cedures in High Court and subordinate courts en on various complaints and applications. in Malayalam with the consultation of the High Court. Judicial vacancies are being filled timely. The complaints and representations to the Pub- 319 new posts in the High Court and 931 posts lic Work Departments are subjected to social in subordinate courts were created including auditing. The quality control system of the de- those which were not allowed even after years of partment has been expanded and strengthened. demand from the courts. The treatment of problems and complaints from the part of every service departments has been 594 Outdated laws to be cancelled and the rest reformed. The recommendation fastened. put forward in this regard will be ex- amined and those that can be approved 598 Strict and thorough laws to be passed will be time boundedly executed. A 5 to ensure protection from exploitation, year program will be formulated by the social security, working condition and Ministry of Law for the same. rights of homely workers. The law commission to be entitled to look into The unorganised worker’s social security board, matters like outdated laws, reformation etc. which also provides membership to homely workers was reorganised and strengthened. 595 Citizenship right (protection) law to be passed. Complete citizenship right to 599 Family courts to be established at all be ensured for marginalised section of Taluks and environmental (Green) the society and women. court / tribunal to be started. A special portfolio, Nirbhaya (women safety Procedures yet to be started.

164 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 600 a. Healthy professional relations to be through the reformation of the labour encouraged and strict measures to be laws. taken against unhealthy practices like Measures to be taken to amend the various la- “nokkukooli”. The LDF Government bour laws for the benefit of the employees. will have a stand against the existing Amendments to be enforced on various laws amendments to the labour laws put such as Minimum Wages law, Kerala Shops and forward by the Central Government. Commercial Establishment law, Industrial La- The employment policy aiming at encouraging bour Conflict laws, various welfare schemes and a healthy employee-employer relationship in the so on. Actions are being taken to amend vari- state was announced. ous laws such as Payment of Wages law, Kerala Industrial Establishment (national and festival The unwanted tendencies of the employment holidays) law etc. The enforcement wing of the sector were put to an end. Notifications banning labour Commissionerate has been strengthened “nokkukooli” was released with effect from May st1 so as to ensure that the minimum wages an- 2018. Strict measures to be taken against those vio- nounced by the Government reaches the work- lating the Government recommendations. ers. The fine amount for violating the labour b. Employment and wages to be ensured laws has been increased.

THE POLICIES OF THIS GOVERNMENT

• Kerala Health Policy. • Kerala State Public Work Policy. • Kerala Electricity Policy • The New Science and Technology • State Fisheries Policy. Policy, • Industrial Policy. • Kerala Tourism Policy • Kerala Cooperative Policy • The Government has also published a policy paper on environmental laws. • Information Technology Policy.

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 165 BEYOND THE PROMISES POST FLOOD RECONSTRUCTION

 Kerala witnessed a natural disaster that is  It is the speciality of the society that has incomparable even in the history following grown out of the secularist reformative view a heavy rain fall and flood in August 2018. points that has led to the said survival. Even This disaster that claimed the lives of about strangers came together and put together 483 people has accounted for a loss of 25000 their knowledge and talents without expect- crores of rupees across different sectors. ing any returns for the cause of social wel- There are also other irreparable environ- fare. This speciality of the state is the base mental loss that could be accounted to the strength of the reconstruction activities. The disaster. The state is overcoming all these. impetus that they provided for the rescue Kerala survived the flood that divested the mission is expected to continue in the devel- land without any hesitation. About 14,50,707 opmental programmes that are ongoing. The people from 3,91,494 families were rescued Government has carried out a number of and brought to relief camps at a stage. schemes for providing emergency assistance  Kerala has set a model to follow by taking dif- with popular participation. ferent and unique steps . The way we handled the devastating floods is not an exception. Emergency Assistance The way we handled the devastating floods is  Emergency financial assistance of Rs.10, 000 not an exception. The state was appreciated each for 6, 87,843 families were provided. by the United Nations Organisations and the entire countries. This survival was a result  Kits of essential items – about 10,50,838 kits of the togetherness of the people of the state of essential items (including food grains) keeping aside all the differences. were distributed to 7,24,352 families on re- turning home.

166 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT  The documents and certificates that were lost struction of house for 1100 landless people were returned through special arrangements. staying in Government property are also in initial stages. A sum of rupees 10 lakh is giv-  About 2.57 lakh electricity connections that en to those who are deprived of their houses were deferred were restored. and property and rupees 4 lakhs is given to  3, 00,956 wells were cleaned. those who lost their houses. Construction of  Interest-less loans were provided through houses are carried out under the Care Home Kudumbasrees for people to meet their project of cooperative sector and also with emergency needs. Rs.1272 crores were given sponsorships. to 1,44,422 families as loan. Training pro-  The provision of financial helps for the own- grams were initiated for 50,000 people who er of partially ruined houses are also pro- were rendered jobless. 246 sub construction gressing. A sum of rupees 122.09 crores was groups were formed under Kudumbasrees. given to those houses which had a damage of 63,285 more families were opened to em- below 15%, rupees 441.972 crores was giv- ployment opportunities through membership en to those with a damage of below 30% and in the National Rural Employment Guarantee a sum of rupees 379.38 crores was given to Programme. 50 additional special working those with less than 60% of damage and for days were approved. Working days, worth those with less than 75% damage, a sum of about 1400 crores, were created post flood. rupees 328 crores was given away. A total of  The construction for those who lost them rupees1272.17 crores was spent and this was in the floods was a difficult task. The recon- received by 2,39,254 families of the state. struction of 14,888 houses which were com-  The survival met its pletely ruined in the state became unavoid- aim in the agrarian able. The construction of 2879 houses have sector. The pad- been completed. Another 9257 house are in dy cultivation post different stages of construction. The con- flood is scaling re-

Jaisal, the resue operator presented one of the extra ordinary momemts during the mission. He let people step on his back so they could embark a boat on flooded ground.

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 167 cord heights. As per the status of the Agri- culture Department 6,89,305 tons paddy was harvested in 2018-19 in Kerala as against 6,17,260 tons the year before.  Rupees 176 crores was given as compen- sation for 2,38,376 farmers. Rupees 18.04 crores was given from the Government’s crop insurance scheme. Rupees 197.78 crores was spent for making the fields cultivable and to re-establish irrigation facilities. Money was also spent to solve the problems which arouse due to the failure of traditional check vival programs. 400 cattle were distributed dams (madaveezhcha) in 270 areas in the under the initiative of the Dairy Develop- districts of Kottayam and Alappuzha. 5650 ment Department and also a sum of rupees metric tons of seeds was distributed freely to 6.65 crores was given away to the dairy farm- the farmers. About one crore vegetable sap- ers by the department. Apart from these a lings were also distributed along with 12 lakh special rehabilitation program of rupees 22 pepper saplings together with 50 lakh vegeta- crores is being carried out as part of which ble seeds. Assistance worth rupees 92 crores 100 cows were distributed. 134 cows and 108 was given to vegetable farmers. Moratorium other cattle were distributed under the “Do- was announced for agricultural loans for a nate a Cow program”. period of 1 year with effect from 31.01.2018.  The department of Animal Husbandry gave  The agricultural sector too coped up with away rupees 21.7 crores to 27,363 farmers as the flood. The milk production of the state compensation and cattle food worth rupees which accounted to 5.69 crore litres in July 2.68 crores was also distributed. 2018 before the flood struck was increased  Projects accounted to Rs 2797.44 crores were to 6.08 crore litres post the flood due to re- started for the renovation of the damaged

168 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT Kerala Government honours the chiefs of Central Forces that engaged in the rescue operations.

roads. Damaged roads were repaired with Kerala Reconstruction Programme war footing and the roads that were dam-  The Government is not aiming to reconstruct aged in and in 2395 places were the flood struck Kerala as it is; rather it is to also made transportation friendly. be reconstructed in such a way considering  State wide respect was given to fishermen the environmental specialisation of the state folks and more than rupees 3 crores were to withstand any further natural disasters. provided for rectifying the loss encountered This is supposed to be done by accepting the during the rescue mission. Revival mea- knowledge and inculcating the experiences sures were initiated in the fisheries sector of the world countries. by spending rupees 40 crores. Revival loan  The Government has put forward a rehabili- plans are initiated and continued by KSIDC tation system without any sort of red tapism for receiving the small-scale commercial en- as part of which the Kerala Reconstruction terprises. Program and its system have been framed.

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 169  The reconstruction programs are planned 1. Institutional and financial level frameworks with a view to ensure better living condition to be formed for reconstructing Kerala with for the people than that was prevalent in the the strength to withstand natural disasters. pre flood period. The post flood reconstruc- 2. To find out new financial sources for min- tion programs with consultation from global imising the damages caused by disasters experts for the needs and resources for the and to strengthen the IT sectors of various process is a new experience for a country departments to accelerate their institutional that has faced many disasters. One thing is and financial states. evident from such activities in that it will take around 3 years for the complete recon- 3. Approaches and measures to survive and re- struction of all assets. The reconstruction is duce the effects of disasters to be made an aimed to be done in a strong and efficient important matter of concern while develop- manner to prevent any further loss in the as- ing and distributing all essential services. sets that are built. Measures of reconstruction based on the  Time bound completion with a detailed ac- said three goals will be formulated and car- tion plans and an estimated time limit for ried out through various departments. The the program is the main approach for the first instalment of DPL will be received in Kerala Reconstruction Program. The plan 2019-20 itself. is designed in such a way to meet the needs The incorporation advanced technologies of social welfare, post disaster living condi- are of essential for reconstruction. Better tions and so on in an eco-friendly manner. technologies available in international All these ideas developed through the inter- markets than what we use in many fields. action with experienced officials in different Advanced models of waste disposed, wet departments and those from outside who are land management, road construction etc. experts in the fields. An approach by incul- can be seen at global level. Reconstruction cating the experiences of people from in and measures should be taken adopting such out of the country for reconstruction is taken models. Programmes incorporating the up for the program know how of the various world countries  The adopted techniques are mainly concen- and the Keralites residing abroad are formed trated in three major fields. in this regard.

Kerala salutes ‘its own army’, the fishermen.

170 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT SPEECH MADE BY CHIEF MINISTER PINARAYI VIJAYAN AT THE WORLD RECONSTRUCTION CONFERENCE 2019 Geneva May 13 2019

The State of Kerala, which I represent es were lost or damaged, 140 thousand hectares here, is situated in the southern part of the In- of standing crops were destroyed and about 70 dian peninsula and is known for its rich and di- thousand kilometres of road network suffered verse natural heritage. However, we did not have major damage. The total recovery needs of the to face natural calamities of significant magni- State has been estimated as around 4.4 billion tude for more than ninety years. But the recent US dollars, as per the Post Disaster Needs As- unprecedented floods of August 2018, posed a sessment (PDNA) conducted by the UN Agen- new and a major challenge to our Government cies. and civil society. But our society met this with exemplary Kerala was very badly affected by this determination. The spirit of courage, especially flood in which there was loss of 453 precious among the youth and students has its roots in the human lives. In addition, 280 thousand hous- uniqueness of Kerala society due to the inbibing

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 171 of the values of famous renaissance movement, operation with Local Government institutions, which took place in our society in the last two civil society and mass organisations organised a centuries. The secular fabric of our society en- massive drive for cleaning flood affected houses, sured that no differences could stand in the way provision of drinking water, medicines and es- of meeting this natural calamity challenge. sential supplies were restored. The civil society and the Government in A comprehensive programme to rebuild Kerala acted swiftly and in unison in the hour lost and damaged houses has been launched. of crisis. The fisher-folk who brave the sea for a Loans for recovery of essential house-hold ar- livelihood deserve our special gratitude for their ticles lost and damaged during the floods from timely intervention without which we would our Co-operative Banks and commercial banks have lost many more lives. where chanalized through the widely networked The Government machinery worked hard Women’s self help group Kudumbashree. The in- to respond on a real time basis to meet the emer- terest payment on these loans was borne by the gent crisis. . Our Government also ensured wage employment to needy families The Chief Minister and the concerned by augmenting the ongoing employment pro- Ministers along with the officials met more than gramme. Our Government is also providing fi- once in a day for closely monitoring and review- nancial assistance with beneficiary involvement ing the situation. Along with State Government for rebuilding damaged houses and construct- officials, representatives of the Armed forces also ing completely lost houses. actively participated. Rescue of people trapped in houses and moving them to safer places was We have presently taken up the challeng- the top priority and this was done effectively ing task of rebuilding Kerala better. In other with societal participation as mentioned earlier. words, our aim is not to restore what was in ex- istence before the flood, but to build a new Ker- Our Government efficiently channel- ala which will be resilient to any possible natural ized the contributions of thousands of citizens, disasters in future. the Kerala diaspora and aid agencies to get the State back on its feet. Affected families were giv- The Rebuild Kerala Initiative is being en immediate relief in cash and kind. Critical carried out in a mission mode. Eco-friendly infrastructure like power supply was restored building strategies, giving more room for riv- in record time. The State Government in co- ers, learning to live with floods etc. are the key

172 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is received by Netherlands’ minister of Infrastructure and Water Management Cora Van Nieuwenhuizen. ingredients of this initiative. Kerala which has due to global warming have increased the fre- a long history of implementing social security quency of natural calamities like floods and cy- measures and several progressive interventions clones. like land reforms, state action in education and I wholeheartedly support the theme of health, expects to fulfil the present task also the conference which is “Opportunities to build through peoples’ participation. For this, the back more inclusively include identifying vul- strong institutional framework of decentralisa- nerable groups and their needs prior to a disas- tion of governance will be of great support. ter, social protection programs that target the Our rehabilitation packages give utmost most vulnerable and ensuring that reconstruc- importance to the basic needs of food and shel- tion does not overlook low-income and geo- ter to the least empowered sections of the soci- graphically-isolated areas.”. The floods of 2018 ety. We have also taken care to ensure that these brought the best of Kerala out – we supported each sections get these as a matter of entitlement and other in a spirit of brotherhood, without social or rights and not as a gratis from the state or the economic differences. This spirit will continue to society. inspire us through all our recovery efforts. To conclude, I would like to note here that We are happy to share our experiences during the first week of May 2019 the cyclone with others and learn better practices elsewhere. Fani badly affected the Indian State Odisha. But We see this forum as an important milestone damage to human life could be controlled due that will help us get better ideas in building our to sufficient early warning. This brings before us State better. the fact that early warning systems should work Thanks again for this invitation and look- effectively as the variations in climatic patterns ing forward to exchange of valuable ideas.

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 173 KIIFB FOR RESOURCE MOBILIZATION When the Government assumed its office, Ker- 76 projects costing rupees 2038 crores was ap- ala had huge development goals with limited re- proved in the public education sector of which sources. The limit of foreign borrowing which 49 projects worth rupees 1376 crores are already was fixed by the Central Government was also tendered and started. Projects worth rupees not increased, which again proved to be a prob- 1614.12 crores was approved in health sector lem. It was in such a stage that the Government and rupees 963.33 crores worth projects are ten- put forward the idea of resource collection dered and projects worth rupees 678.02 crores through KIIFB. Projects worth rupees 50,000 are under construction. 249 projects worth ru- crores are aimed to be executed through KIIFB pees 10,491 crores are approved in Public Work within the 5 years. Projects worth rupees 42,363 Department of which 111 projects worth rupees crores have been approved by KIIFB within 3104 crores have started. Rupees 3252.54 crores these 3 years itself. KIIFB has also approved 533 has been allocated for 66 projects in the water projects under different departments by now of authority and 23 of them amounting to rupees which 238 projects worth rupees 9928 crores 1083.15 crores have moved to the initial stages have been tendered and 193 projects costing of construction. KIIFB has thus become solution around rupees 7893 crores have been started. to the long aroused developmental questions of the people of the state. High tech class room program, which was a major program of the state, was also completed KIIFB carries out projects in all constituencies

Historic moment- Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan opens the London Stock Exchange for trading. by digitalising 45,000 classrooms with the fund irrespective of ruling or opposition sides. There from KIIFB. The first stage of installing Dialy- are also specialities for the fund collections of sis units in Taluk hospitals for benefiting com- KIIFB. Masala Bonds have been issued to attract mon people was also done through KIFBI. The deposits to KIIFB which created great respons- projects for installing labs for cardiac problems es. Rupees 2150 crores was collected via Masala including facilities for Angiogram and Angio- Bonds. The invitation given to the Chief Min- plasty in district hospitals are also done through ister for the release function of KIIFB Masala KIIFB and also the process of installing Solar Bonds in London Stock Exchange also shows panels in forest boundaries was also completed the faith that the international communities has using KIIFB funds. in Kerala.

174 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT FIRM STEPS

 The past three years saw vital and firm deci-  Measures taken for ensuring democratic sions being taken in popular issues. rights in private enterprises.  Amendment was passed providing right to  Electric vehicle policy brought about for en- sit for those working in shops while working. vironmental protection.  The unwanted tendencies of labour sector  Innovative ideas for development. were controlled by strict banning of “nokku-  Country’s first solar boat launched which is k o o l i ”. fuel efficient and less pollutive.  Common agreement was reached to exclude  E-auto to be manufactured in Kerala itself. tourism sector from hartals.  Water ambulance was launched which  Industry was amended to “Ease of Doing” proved helpful for the people of Kuttanad. business.  Jen robotics was initiated for cleaning man  Amendment brought for checking the atroc- holes. ities done to private property on the pretext  Robots introduced in Police Head Quarters. of hartals.  Electric bus was introduced to Kerala’s pub-  Employment for people including scheduled lic transport. castes to temples as priests.  Kerala’s own computer to be developed by  Reservation for financially backward section Coconics. of the forward class in Devaswom boards.  Artificial intelligence to be used in traffic de-  Free electricity for the victims of Endosulfan. partment.  Laws made for preventing pollution of water  170 km of road to be constructed using plas- bodies. tic.  Clinical establishment bill passed to ensure  Strengthening of roads done using coir. the quality of health sector.  New roads to be built recycling the existing  Internet was declared to be the right of each asphalt by using the German technology of citizen. Full Depth Reclamation Machines. OTHER MAJOR PROJECTS, ACTIVITIES

New technologies and eco-friendly techniques 162 endangered bridges following an evalua- are being used in construction. Officials were tion of the strength and security of 2529 bridg- given a variety of trainings to improve and as- es, 38 of these 162 have been approved under sure the quality of the same. 170 km of road various schemes. constructed using plastic. 6.9 km of road was Bridges section have been formed under the strengthened using coir. 5.9 km of road were supervision of a chief engineer for the func- built on experimental basis using the German tioning and supervision of the bridges and an technology of Full Depth Reclamation Ma- engineering section has been created under the chines constructing recycled soil stabilised sub leadership of a project director of chief engi- base. neer cadre from Kerala Road Fund Board for Road safety is an important matter of concern the activities of KIIFBI. for this Government in the construction of 400 acres of land which was illegally acquired roads. by Malayala Manorama which belonged to 3831 sign boards, 18860 m crash barriers, Panthalloor Bhagavathi Temple under the 2203.03 sq. m direction boards, 5209 delineator Malabar Devaswom Board was taken over by posts etc. were laid in this regard and 20 black Devaswom Board following a High Court rul- spots are being renovated. ing. Investigation has been started to reconstruct The formation of law regarding the acquisition

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 175 of Devaswom lands that are inalienably held by Tourism spot and I now open to the visitors. forming Devaswom tribunals are in the final Facilities like convention centre, tourist facili- stage. tation centre, Eco Park, urban park etc. which The amount for execution of the Sabarimala amount to rupees 34 crores are in the initial master plan in accordance with the Sabarima- stages of construction in the space acquired be- la pilgrimage has been increased considerably fore 20 years for the Thiruvananthapuram Veli since this Government came to power. Rupees tourist village. Also projects worth rupees 60 959.805 crores was spent in total in the last 6 crores have been started at spots like Kovalam, years and this is almost equal to the amount Shanghumukham, Aakkulam and . that is spend for the same in the ongoing finan- The cooperative sector survived the problems cial year and rupees 917 crores is allocated for that aroused due to the demonetisation that the same for the year 2019-20. happened on November 8, 2016 by the timely Secretary level committees to be formed for en- Governmental intervention. suring timely completion of the developmental Rupees 197,01,08,083 was given to 26,041 peo- activities using the amount for Sabarimala plan ple by the Government under the risk fund pro- and S.P.V to be formed for carrying out the gram formulated for the benefit of the deceased construction activities at Sabarimala by incor- and people suffering from deadly diseases who porating international agencies. hold loans to the Cooperative banks. This pro- Sorted aatta to be distributed through ration gram has gone on to become the second larg- stores. est program for financial assistance in the state Actions started to establish independent con- after the Chief Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund. sumer directorate. The CARE Kerala (Cooperative Alliance to Re- Notification released laying the models to con- build Kerala) project was launched by the coop- trol multilevel marketing. Measures started to erative sector to help the victims of the natural establish consumer help centres in every dis- disaster that occurred in August 2018. CARe trict. Home program which builds houses worth 5 lakhs for 2000 families who lost their houses A league-based boat race competition has been completely in the floods is going at a healthy started as part of a tourism project incorporat- rate. 2000 houses were built in the first stage ing the various boat races. and plans to construct another 2000 houses in  The first ever tourism project with public pri- the second stage are being made. vate partnership in the state was started at Ja- More employment opportunities were created dayu Rock (). through the Scheduled Caste- Scheduled Tribe  Online system started for services in motor ve- development federation and the federation is hicle department. actively moving into more fields of life.  Thiruvananthapuram RT office has been made Thorough health policies are being carried out high tech. in Attappady with the able assistance from Pe- Plans are being formulated to remove the runthalmanna EMS Cooperative Hospital. clogged mud from the dams. Gradings to be brought about for industrial 11 new ITIs to be setup in the state. commercial enterprises, factories and hospitals. Plan to upgrade 10 ITIs to international stan- The Indian Institute of Infrastructure and Con- dards. struction (IIIC) started functioning at Chavara The first ever tourism project with public pri- providing higher education of international vate partnership in the state, Jadayu Rock’s standards for ITI, diploma, B.Tech and degree (Chadayamangalam) second phase has been holders. completed and the third phase will be started “Dhanus” program providing three-year train- by mid next year. ing for graduates to acquire higher education Light and sounds programme worth rupees 5 in institutions with outstanding standards were crores has been completed at Eco started.

176 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT RECOGNITION FOR MERIT

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan receives India Today award for ‘excellence in governance’ from Union minister Nithin Gadkari.

Kerala stands first in the sustainable develop- curity. ment goal index developed jointly by UNO Kerala has also been selected by the public and NITIAAYOG. affairs index as the most child friendly state. Kerala became first in fields such as health, Kerala holds second position in law and or- welfare, educational standards and gender der and third in environment conservation. equality. The cyber dam project received international The state holds second position in industry, acceptance. new innovations and infrastructure develop- Kerala received the Information Security ments. Leadership Achievements Asia-Pacific (ISLA Kerala is positioned in the list of states of the Asia-Pacific) Award 2018. country which are upfront in matters like The cyber dome of Kerala police bagged the poverty alleviation, hunger free law and or- smart policing award for best cyber securi- der, distribution of justice etc. ty initiated by FICKI (Federation of Indian Kerala is the state with the best Government Chamber of Commerce and Industry). of the country according to the study of the The mobile application ‘Traffic Guru’ of the based public affairs centre. It is for state police received the sixth edition of UAE the third consecutive year that Kerala bags bpsS Best ‘M’ Government Service Award. this achievement. Kerala police received the SKOCH Gover- Kerala tops the list of states providing best nance Award 2018. infrastructure facilities and the state also be- Kerala was acknowledged in UP for with- came first in aspects like provision of support standing Nipah. for human progress and women and child se- Minister K.K. Shailaja Teacher received the

PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT 177 Emergency Medicine Association Leader- the state with the best dairy production ca- ship Award. pacity. Kerala received the Pradhanamanthri Surak- Kerala became the state with the most sha Mathruthwa Abhiyan Award given to the achievements in the National Rural Em- state with the least maternal mortality rate. ployment Guarantee Program and also the The Chalakkudy Taluk Hospital and Nool- first position in water conservation through puzha Family Health Centre were selected as NREGP and was also awarded third place the best Government hospitals of the coun- in time bound wage distribution for NREG try in 2018. workers. The state was also awarded third The Kayyoor Family Health Centre became position in deploying barefoot technicians in the best primary health centre in India in the country. 2019 and the Family Health Budhanoor Panchayat of Alappuzha district Centre in Kannur district and the Valiyap- also found its place in the twelve best village aramba Family Health Centre in Kasargod panchayats in the country. district received NQAS accreditation with The Cochin International Airport Limited 97% marks. was selected for the ‘Champion Of Earth’ Kerala received in 2018, the national award prize, the highest environmental award of for the states and individuals who ably car- UNO. CIAL was selected for this award for ried out the differentially abled policy in implementing the innovative idea of the 2016 that was instituted by the social justice world’s first complete solar airport. department of Central Government. Kerala also bagged the India Today award for Kerala State Handicapped Persons Welfare Environment Conservation and Cleanliness. Cooperation Limited was selected in the The Responsible Tourism Mission received best state channelizing agency category of 10 awards including 3 awards of WTM (2 N.H.F.D.C. gold awards and 1 highly commended award) Kerala received the India Today Award for after this Government took the office.

EPILOGUE

Your valuable suggestions and recommendations are necessary for the effective implementation of the 600 items mentioned in the manifesto. These can be sent in the following address. ‘Suggestions relating to Progress Report’ should be written on the cover.

Address: Chief Minister of Kerala, Office of the Chief Minister, Secretariat North Block, Thiruvananthapuram Email: [email protected]

178 PROGRESS REPORT OF PINARAYI VIJAYAN GOVERNMENT