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The Chairman of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, Mr E. Sreedharan, and the former Chief Mentor of the Confederation of Indian Industry, Mr Tarun Das, are among three external specialists inducted afresh on the Kerala State Planning Board.
Mr G. Vijayaraghavan, former chief executive officer, Technopark, and a management consultant, is the third member in the re-jig of the board announced here by the Chief Minister, Mr Oommen Chandy here on Wednesday.
MINISTER-MEMBERS
Briefing newspersons on the decisions takes at a Cabinet meeting, the Chief Minister said that the Finance Minister, Mr K.M. Mani; the Planning and Economic Affairs Minister, Mr K.C. Joseph; the Agriculture Minister, Mr K.P. Mohanan; and the Electricity Minister, Mr Aryadan Mohammed, would also be members of the Board.
The Former Union Cabinet Secretary, Mr K.M. Chandrasekhar, had earlier been named as Vice-Chairman of the board, of which the Chairman is the Chief Minister.
The Cabinet decided to initiate steps for the preparation of the approach paper for the 12th Five-Year Plan.
Discussions on the draft approach paper will be held in early September.
‘EMERGING KERALA'
The Chief Minister further said that the State Government has decided to hold a meeting of investors, titled ‘Emerging Kerala 2012,' early next year with the objective of projecting the State as an investor-friendly destination.
A committee with the Chief Minister as Chairman and the Industries Minister as Vice-Chairman has been formed for organising the meeting.
All Ministers, the Vice-Chairman of the Planning Board, the Chief Secretary and senior officials would be members of the committee.
The Kerala State Industrial Developmental Corporation would be the nodal agency for purposes of the conduct of the event, the chief Minister said.
PLOTS ALLOTTED
In another decision, the Cabinet approved the grant of a hectare of land in favour of the Indira Gandhi National Open University for its regional centre in Thiruvananthapuram.
Another 2.44 hectares of land will be allocated to the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sanghatan for setting up a school in Pathanamthitta district.
A sum of Rs 6 crore is being granted to the Khadi and Village Industries Board to support the scheme of special rebates during the coming festival season.
The Chief Minister also announced that the pension scheme proposed in the revised budget for small and marginal farmers would be formally inaugurated during the Malayalam month of Chingam.
PENSION SCHEME
According to the scheme, farmers with holdings of less than a hectare would be eligible for a pension at Rs 300 a month on reaching the age of 60 years.
The Cabinet also ratified the proposal for exempting Air India from payment of tax on aviation turbine fuel for operating a new domestic flight connecting Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, and Kozhikode.
This concession had been sought by the company on grounds that the service may not turn out to be sustainable in a ‘business-as-usual' scenario.
REPORTING TO PSC
The Chief Minister separately announced that vacancies that would arise but for the unification of the retirement age this year would be reported to the State Public Service Commission.
Accordingly, all posts that would have fallen vacant up to March 31, 2012 would be treated as supernumerary posts and reported to the PSC.
The PSC had extended the validity of rank lists that were to expire on April 1 by three months though the Cabinet had recommended six.
The latest policy decision is expected to open opportunities for those on the expiring lists.
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