The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : KBPS to be made best printing centre

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Friday, May 27, 2005

Kerala

Kerala - Kochi

KBPS to be made best printing centre

Staff Reporter

Minister promises to reward employees

KOCHI: The Minister For Printing, Forest and Water Resources, Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, said here on Thursday that the State Government would turn Kerala Books and Publishers Society (KBPS), Kakkanad, into a state-of-the-art printing centre and the best of such facilities in the State.

He said that soon a meeting would be convened to discuss the ways to modernise and upgrade the facilities at KBPS. Representatives of the workers and the management would be invited to the meeting, he added.

The Minister was speaking at a function organised at the KBPS premises to mark the handing over of all textbooks for the ensuing school year. This was for the first time that all textbooks needed for a school year were being readied ahead of the school year, said the KBPS Managing Director, Tomin J. Thachankary.

The Minister for Education, E.T. Mohammed Basheer, who formally accepted the consignment of 318 lakh textbooks printed by KBPS, said that he would suitably reward the employees of KBPS, which had put up a record-breaking performance. Mr. Radhakrishnan said that steps would also be taken to ensure that the spare capacity of KBPS was utilised by making paper available immediately after the textbook printing works were over.

The KBPS has a four-month lean period immediately after the printing of school textbooks. During this period KBPS does not get sufficient work to meet its capacity. Hence an appeal was made to the Minister for making paper available for the works.

Mr. Radhakrishnan also assured the employees and management of KBPS that their good works would be rewarded.

The Education Minister clarified that the contract for transporting of textbooks was awarded after tenders were called. It would not be possible for the Education Department to hand over transportation works to KBPS if it had not quoted the lowest rates in response to the tender invitations. He was replying to Mr. Thachankary ruing the fact that KBPS was not given the transportation work despite it being ready to do the work at less than the lowest quoted rate.

The schools in Kerala need a total of 350 lakh textbooks this year. Of this, KBPS printed 318 lakh textbooks before May 31, the last date for completion of the works. The printed books include the 55-lakh textbooks for Class X that were printed and ready in November last year. The print order included 105 lakh textbooks for classes VI and VII and 150 lakh colour texts.

KBPS had a financial liability of Rs. 8 crores till the last financial year during which it made a turn around to record a profit of Rs. 3 crores.

K. Babu, Saju Paul and M. A. Kuttappan, MLAs, A. P. M. Mohammed Hanish, District Collector, R. Sreelekha, DIG of Police, Ernakulam and the Thrikkakara Grama Panchayat president, M. E. Hassainar, were among those present at the function.

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