The Hindu : Kerala News : State failed to implement Central schemes: Naik

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 05, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

State failed to implement Central schemes: Naik

By Our Staff Reporter

ALAPPUZHA, MAY 4. The Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Ram Naik, has said that many Central welfare schemes for labourers in the unorganised sector and fishermen have not been implemented in the State because of neglect of the Antony Government.

Participating in `Janavidhi-2004', a programme organised by the Alappuzha Press Club here today, Mr. Naik pointed out that though Thiruvananthapuram district had been included by the Centre in the pilot scheme for welfare of workers in the unorganised sector, it could not be implemented there as the State Government did not take the initiative.

``The scheme launched by the Central Government in November 2003 following repeated requests of trade unions aims at ensuring a monthly pension of Rs.500 to workers in the unorganised sector when they reach the age of 60 and providing them coverage of accident insurance,'' Mr. Naik said. The scheme had already been implemented in various States.

Mr. Naik said a Rs.280-crore package announced by the Centre last year for fishermen also was not implemented here owing to lack of initiative of the UDF Government. ``The package aims at providing diesel to fishermen at subsidised rates and giving help to fishermen to modernise fishing boats.'' The package also envisaged modernisation of fishing harbours. A condition put forward by the Centre for implementing the project was that the State should prepare a scheme to ensure that real fishermen received the benefits of the project and submit it to the Centre for clearance. But the State Government had not submitted the scheme to the Centre.

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