LDF govt unveils comprehensive housing plan,edn sector reforms

The LDF government today announced a comprehensive housing plan for the homeless, educational sector reforms, schemes to modernise public health system and a project to preserve water sources and develop agriculture.
The requisite funds would be partly mobilised from the public, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.
The housing scheme envisages a complete livelihood package for the homeless and landless in the next five years, he said.
Giving details of the projects during the cabinet briefing here, Vijayan said government planned to implement the schemes through people's participation.
"The projects cannot be implemented with government funds alone. So the resources for them will be mobilised from the public. Anyone can contribute for the projects", he said when asked the source of funds for the schemes.

For resource mobilisation and implementation of projects, a special task force would be constituted. A state-level Empowered Committee would co-ordinate the projects, he said.

The committee has been asked to prepare detailed project reports for cabinet approval before November 1, he added.
There would be state-level, district level and civic level committees to implement the schemes, he added.
Under the programme, a string of model residential complexes, where a large number of people can be accommodated together, will be constructed in select locations to overcome the issue of shortage of availability of land, he said.
On the education sector, besides the already announced programme to upgrade 1,000 public schools to International standards, schools in the higher education sector would be made high-tech, he said.

"Along with giving importance to the mother tongue Malayalam, prominence will also be given to promote English language," the CM said.
Efforts would be made to improve internet connectivity in government schools to make them more IT friendly, he added.
PHCs would be modernised and as a first step, basic infrastructure of medical colleges would be upgraded, he said.
Under the 'haritha Keralam' project, emphasis would be to preserve water sources and develop agriculture, especially organic farming and schemes for waste disposal, Vijayan said.
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The Cabinet also decided to appoint Sushil Khanna, professor at IIM, Kolkata, as a consultant to study the issues of the ailing Kerala State Road Transport Corporation.

"He has been asked to give a report within three months', Vijayan said.
Operation management, financial management and HR management are some mattersin the terms and reference, he added.