Kerala   

Steps to boost plantation sector

Thiruvananthapuram: Labour Minister P.K. Gurudasan has said the State government will continue with attempts to bail out the plantation sector through policy initiatives.

Replying to the debate on the Small Plantation Workers’ Welfare Fund Bill, 2007, in the Assembly on Thursday, the Minister said the government had taken measures to correct the steps taken by the previous UDF government with regard to minimum wages in the plantation sector. He said the government had given several sops such as waiver of agriculture income tax and the minimum demand charge for electricity, leading to the reopening of nine estates and factories attached to them.

The Minister said the government would seek a hike in the replantation fund of the Centre as the current amounts were insufficient.

The Assembly unanimously passed the Bill.

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