The Hindu Business Line : Kerala Cabinet okays policy for drugs procurement

The policy broadly aims at putting in place a strategy for ensuring the availability of quality drugs and supplies of specified quantity at the appropriate place and time and at competitive prices.

It envisages a budgetary provision of a minimum of Rs 100 crore for procuring drugs and supplies. Also, advance allocation of funds will be made to the Central Purchasing Committee without any Treasury restrictions on a quarterly basis.

The Chief Minister, Mr Oommen Chandy, told newspersons after the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday that the policy provided for 15 per cent price preference to the small-scale industries in the State.

This, however, would be subject to the prescribed quality standards of the items being procured, he added.

The Cabinet also decided to waive the penal and compound interest in respect of the loans granted for aqua-farming schemes and to permit repayment of the amounts in instalments. This is in the light of the lacklustre performance of the schemes.

The Chief Minister said that the Cabinet discussed the Express Highway project and the Minister for Public Works made a presentation on it. However, no decision was taken on the project.

Mr Chandy made it clear that the Government did not want to go ahead with the project like a "steamroller", but would like to first remove the doubts over it in the minds of the people. "The Cabinet will discuss the project again in the coming weeks."

Mr Chandy refuted the accusation that the global investors' meet held in Kochi a couple of years back was a failure. The Reliance group's investment in the State had exceeded Rs 1,000 crore and this was because of the follow-up on the investors' meet, he said.

To a question, the Chief Minister said that the Government was satisfied with the discussions it had had with the opposition leaders on Tuesday. The meeting at least helped facilitate the exchange of each other's stated positions on various issues. This would be a continuing process and the next meeting with the opposition is slated for November 4 this year.

This apart, the Government has scheduled to hold a series of meetings with trade unions and youth, students and farmers organisations in the course of this month where the issues concerning each of them will be discussed.

CIAL dividend: The Chief Minister handed over a cheque for Rs 3.94 crore to the Finance Minister, Mr Vakkom Purushothaman, as the Government's share of the dividend from Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL).

CIAL had declared a maiden dividend of eight per cent to equity holders at its AGM on September 10 after the company posted a net profit Rs 21.15 crore during 2003-04. The total dividend payout will be to the tune of Rs 11.73 crore to around 11,500 shareholders.

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