The Hindu Business Line : Kerala Govt to clear part dues to contractors

The Finance Minister, Mr Vakkom Purushothaman, told the Assembly on Thursday that the Government had cleared the arrears to the contractors up to March 31, 2003, and had sanctioned Rs 122 crore to clear the dues for the subsequent six months.

Besides, the Government would release Rs 82 crore to clear the arrears due to building and local works contractors up to November 30, 2004. In the irrigation sector, it would sanction Rs 43 crore towards dues till July 31, 2004. The Finance Minister also announced that the Government would begin monthly payment of welfare pensions and unemployment dole and take steps to clear the various pension arrears.

The decision would cover the elderly, indigent persons, the physically handicapped, spinsters aged above 50, agricultural workers and unemployed youth.

The Minister said the Government had released Rs 225.93 crore during 2004-05 to clear a portion of the welfare dole arrears and released another Rs 109.92 crore now to clear some more of the arrears. In the case of the indigent elderly, the pension payment was almost current with the Government having cleared arrears up to February 2005, he noted.

He said the monthly assistance for the physically handicapped would be enhanced from the existing Rs 110 to Rs 140 a month beginning August. The Government would set apart Rs 4.45 crore every month to pay pensions to the indigent and physically handicapped. Besides, an amount of Rs 28 lakh would be earmarked for paying the monthly dole to spinsters above 50 years of age.

The Government had also spent Rs 18.59 crore to clear the unemployment arrears up to June-September 2003 and would take steps to clear the dues for the subsequent four months before Onam.

As for the indigent agricultural workers, arrears up to April-June 2003 had been cleared spending Rs 20.16 crore and the Government had sanctioned another Rs 20.16 crore to settle the arrears pertaining to July-September 2003, the Minister said.

The Tourism Minister, Mr K.C. Venugopal, told the House that the Government was planning to bring in legislation to check the growth of unauthorised ayurvedic massage parlours in the State.

He said the legislation would effectively curb the activities of unhygienic and unscientific massage parlours. The draft of the legislation is being prepared with the help of health and tourism departments and it is in the final stages, he added.

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