Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Cabinet approval for phase 2 of Jalanidhi

Special Correspondent

Beneficiary contribution cut to 10 per cent, says Chief Minister

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Cabinet on Wednesday approved the second phase of the Jalanidhi Project funded by the World Bank.

Briefing the media on the Cabinet decisions, Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan said that the project was approved with revised terms.

The beneficiary contribution for water supply schemes taken up under the programme would be reduced from 15 per cent to 10 per cent. Public taps would be retained. In the case of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and fishermen, the beneficiary contribution would be only five per cent. Besides, they would need to pay only one per cent in cash if they participated in the work on the scheme.

The Chief Minister said that the World Bank would be providing Rs. 1,200 crore as interest-free loan to the State, repayable in 25 years. The project was to be carried out in five years, starting on January1, 2008. The repayments would be due only after 10 years.

Mr. Achuthanandan said that the Cabinet had decided to continue talks with the managements of self-financing professional colleges.

The Cabinet subcommittee convening the talks would try to solve the outstanding issues.

Replying to a question, the Chief Minister said that the Special Officer Suresh Kumar overseeing evictions at Munnar had returned on account of poor weather conditions. The task force leader at Wagamon, Gopala Menon, was also facing similar problems.

Mr. Achuthanandan said that the overall percentage of reservations pecified for degree and postgraduate courses as per the recommendations of the Narendran Commission would be reduced to 50 percent.

The previous Government had fixed it at 53 per cent (20 per cent each for Other Backward Classes, and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, 10 per cent for economically weaker sections among forward communities and 3 per cent for the disabled).

This went against a Supreme Court order and hence could not be implemented. Now, the three per cent reservation for the disabled would be incorporated into the reservation for the other categories.

Accordingly, one percentage point each of reservation specified for the three categories would be for the disabled from those communities or sections. He also announced that the reservation for Latin Catholic and SIUC for Plus Two courses in Government higher secondary schools would be increased from 1 per cent to 2 per cent. Their reservation was already 2 per cent for vocational higher secondary courses.

Consequent on the decision, the seats available under general merit for Plus Two courses would come down from 60 per cent to 59 per cent.

The decision was taken in view of the complaint that the reservation for the Latin Catholics was not adequate.

In reply to a question, Mr. Achuthanandan said that a vigilance inquiry was ordered against KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala because the person who had withdrawn the allegations against Mr. Chennithala earlier had now come out with more evidence.

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