— Photo: C. Ratheesh Kumar

SWEARING-IN: Kerala Governor R.L. Bhatia administering the oath of office and secrecy to Chief Minister-designate V.S. Achuthanandan in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In keeping with its election promise to provide solace to debt-ridden farmers in Kerala, the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) Government has announced a farm loan waiver scheme immediately after assuming office at a glittering and heavily attended swearing-in ceremony here on Thursday evening.

Briefing presspersons after the first meeting of the new Cabinet shortly after the swearing-in ceremony, Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan said the Government would waive farm loans taken by families of farmers who had committed suicide owing to debt burden.

Slew of measures

He also announced that Adivasis, who had occupied forestland as part of recent agitations, would be given possession certificates and cases against them would be withdrawn. The Cabinet, he said, had also decided to clear immediately arrears of welfare pensions payable to indigent groups.

Making the mission statement of his Government, Mr. Achuthanandan promised to wipe out corruption, clamp down on sex rackets and extremist outfits, speed up trials in sexual harassment cases and clear all encroachments in public and forestlands. He said new legislation would be enacted soon to punish the corrupt and confiscate their ill-gotten wealth.

He made it clear that no Minister who indulged in corruption would be allowed to continue in his Cabinet.

He also declared that within the next one year, his Government would generate 5,000 jobs in the Information Technology sector and give priority to infrastructure development along with the revival of agriculture and traditional industries.

Earlier, Governor R.L. Bhatia administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new Chief Minister and Ministers at the Central Stadium with thousands of LDF activists drawn from different parts of the State viewing the ceremony.

It is for the first time that any Government in Kerala is being sworn in outside Raj Bhavan. Among those present to witness the assumption of office by the new Government were former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, former Speaker Therambil Ramakrishnan and leaders of various United Democratic Front and LDF constituents.

The Central Stadium was almost packed with people well before the hour-long swearing-in ceremony began at 4 p.m. Loud sloganeering marked the arrival of each of the LDF leaders and when the Ministers-designate were invited to take oath of office and secrecy.

The first to take the oath after Mr. Achuthanandan was Paloli Mohammed Kutty of the CPI(M).

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