KERALA

Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has promised of concrete steps to ensure Internet connectivity to all students in the state. He said a time-bound programme would be rolled out soon to meet the target.

Internet connectivity is one of the major hurdles for students at interior locations and hilly areas to access online and digital classes.

According to the statistics with the government, at least 20,493 students belonging to the schedule tribe category are unable to access online classes for want of internet facilities. There are 86,423 ST students in the state.

The Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee (CWRC) has selected the Kerala Engineering Research Institute (KERI), Peechi, to conduct physical and mathematical model studies of Banasurasagar Dam located in Wayanad.

The studies are aimed at evolving systems to ensure that Kerala will get the stipulated quantity of water from the Cauvery river, as per the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) Award.

The sharing of waters of the interstate river, Cauvery was an issue of conflict between the co-basin states of Karnataka, Nadu, Kerala and Union territory of Puducherry. The CWDT constituted in 1956 to adjudicate the disputes between the co-basin states, had delivered its final order on February 5, 2007.

The finance minister in thePinarayi Vijayangovernment 2.0 needs to chart a newKeralamodel of PUBLIC FINANCE that will not burden the future generation, eminent economist Prof K PKannanhas said.

The minister can find solace in the fact that the flow of has been continuing, a good part of which end up as Savings in banks, Kannan said, adding that he should find ways and means to tap these deposits through innovative ways by offering competitive interest rates and convert them into investments in productive Infrastructure.

Kerala has been facing serious challenges on the Migration front, including dwindling prospects of migration. In his opinion, skilling and raising the quality of Education are important prerequisites to tap the emerging potentials in overseas job markets.

The new Decentralization known asPanchayat Rajis now a half-built house. It calls for a complete faith in the principle of decentralized Governance as well as development, which I doubt, is still lacking among powerful sections in almost all Political Parties. But the Society, in general, has found it of value, especially in times of social crises.

The centralizing tendencies—for example by way of creating ‘missions’ for tasks that are legitimately meant for the Panchayat Rajare not a good omen. Deepening decentralization calls for a hand-holding approach by the government towards the local (not yet self) government. This is an agenda in which we need a political consensus across parties; I think we already have a social consensus, Kannan said.

In a relief to the ailingrevenue collectionof the state, the excise department is set to meet its revised revenue collection target set for the financial year 2022-23, which would come to a close in two more days.
The previous highest collection was in 2018-19, when it was Rs 1,948.69 crore. In 2018-19, the total revenue collection till March 31 closed at Rs 2,480.63 crore, which means that Rs 531.94 crore was collected in the last month of the financial year.

The originally expected budget estimate for the ongoing financial year was Rs 2,655.52 crore, which was subsequently revised to Rs 2,800.45 crore, expecting an additional collection of Rs 145 crore. However, government sources put this as a modest revision that would easily be surpassed.

The startup ecosystem in the state received a major boost when budding companies received assurances of investments worth Rs 18.4 crore, at the Seeding Kerala conclave organized by theKeralaStartup Mission (KSUM) in Kochi.

Kozhikode-basedSparks Angel Networkannounced of Rs 8 crore in the states startups, whileKerala Angel Networkpegged its figure at Rs 5 crore.
Phoenix Angelssaid it would invest Rs 3.5 crore, and another Rs 1.45 crore was set to come from a pool led by startup founders.

Kerala has yet again emerged on top when it comes to maternal and child Health, with the State recording the lowest Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) of 30 (per one lakh live births) in the country. This puts Kerala way ahead of the national MMR of 103.

According to the latest Sample Registration System (SRS) special bulletin on maternal mortality in India (2017-19), brought out by the office of the Registrar General of India, Keralas MMR has dropped by 12 points. The last SRS bulletin (2015-17) had put the States MMR at 42 (later adjusting it to 43).

Keralas achievement is a result of a decade of sustained efforts at properly assessing the cause of maternal mortality in the State and taking up targeted initiatives to tackle each of these.

Improvement of the health systems emergency or rapid response during obstetric emergencies, especially in secondary care hospitals, including provision of emergency transport system, could go a long way in reducing maternal deaths further

The Chief Minister of Kerala recently launched the Stipend scheme for lawyers in the state. The scheme is to be implemented by the Bar Council of the state. The council will be joined by the Advocates Welfare Trust. Under the scheme, the junior lawyers in the state will be paid three thousand rupees every month.

Only junior lawyers are eligible to receive the benefits of the scheme. Also, the lawyers should have at least three years of practice experience. Their annual income should be less than one lakh rupees.

Following the governments decision to promote electric vehicles in a big way,KeralaAutomobiles Limited (KAL), a statePsu, has entered into a JV with Mumbai-based Lords Mark Industries Pvt Ltd for manufacturing EVs.

Under the agreement, the first production facility will be set up in Kannur at an estimated of Rs 20-30 crore from Dec 2022. Operations will subsequently be expanded on a pan-India basis by partnering with OEMs.

Kerala was one of the first states in India to draft an e-vehicle policy and has been in the forefront of boosting clean energy initiatives in the transport sector.

Health ministerVeena Georgesaid that thehealth departmentwould launch a special scheme to reduce lifestyle diseases among people.

The minister was addressing the audience after the online inauguration of the renovated mother and child block and modern operation theatres atParassalataluk headquarters hospital.

The scheme aims at reducing the risk of diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol and other related diseases.

To reduce the diseases, each panchayat will be selected from 140 constituencies. The scheme will be implemented in three panchayats in the coming year and it will be completed in all the panchayats and local bodies by the third year, she said.