Kerala - Alappuzha   

Government to start distress purchase of coir

Staff Reporter

To help coir workers, small-scale manufacturers

ALAPPUZHA: The State Government will directly buy the coir products lying with the coir workers' cooperative societies and small scale manufacturers of coir products through distress purchase scheme as a part of the policy of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) Government to help the coir workers and small-scale manufacturers who are going through a tough period, Cooperation Minister G. Sudhakaran has said.

Inaugurating a function organised by the Coir Workers' Welfare Fund Board to mark the distribution of arrears in pension due to veteran coir workers here on Thursday, Mr. Sudhakaran said the Kerala State Coir Corporation had been entrusted with the task of distress purchase. The purchase would start on July 10.

He said the State Government had allotted Rs.6 crores for the purpose.

Mr. Sudhakaran said the Government was willing to entrust the Coirfed, which is the apex body of the cooperative societies in the coir sector, also with the task of distress purchase. But the Coirfed had not submitted the details of the expenditure of Rs.3.76 crores given to it by the Government earlier for distress purchase.

In the situation, the Coirfed had not been asked to engage in distress purchase, Mr. Sudhakaran said. He said the Government would reconsider the decision once the Coirfed submitted the accounts.

Mr. Sudhakaran said the Government would not allow anybody to exploit the coir workers or small-scale manufacturers of coir products. The Government would ensure that no middlemen remained in the coir sector, he said.

The Minister said steps would be taken to ensure fair price to all coir products. He said steps were in the offing to rejuvenate those societies that were not functioning in the coir sector.

Regarding the implementation of distress purchase scheme, the Minister said three committees would be formed in the State to review the functioning of the scheme. The committees are a State-level advisory committee with the Minister as chairman and representative of various political parties, an implementation committee consisting of top officials and local-level monitoring committees.

The Minister said he had received complaints on the Coir Mahila Yojana, a programme implemented by the welfare fund board during the period of last Government. If those complaints were proved right, action would be taken against those found responsible for that, said Mr. Sudhakaran.

Hundreds of veteran coir workers turned out at the function to receive the arrears. According to officials, 48,170 veteran coir workers would be given arrears. The coir workers had not received pension during the last 33 months. Arrears of 12 months were distributed at the function. The Minister promised to take steps to distribute the remaining arrears without much delay.

Alappuzha district panchayat president R. Nazar presided over the function. AITUC leader T.J. Anjelose, INTUC district president A.K. Rajan and CITU State vice-president V.S. Mony spoke.

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Government to start distress purchase of coir

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