Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Council approves draft annual Plan

Thiruvananthapuram: The corporation council on Saturday approved the draft Plan document for the year 2008-09 with an outlay of Rs.131.14 crore.

The Plan outlay includes Rs.27.01 crore for 129 projects to be taken up in the first phase and Rs.27.42 crore for 267 spill-over projects as well as development funds, maintenance grant, own funds, bank loan, beneficiary share and Central and State governments’ share for 19 sectors.

The draft proposals will be finalised at a development seminar to be held on Sunday. Mayor C. Jayan Babu told the council meeting on Saturday that the final outlay and the projects to be included in the annual Plan would be chalked out at the seminar.

The draft projects in the agriculture sector include proposals to promote paddy farming and watershed management. A homestead-level agriculture scheme and a monitoring mechanism for productivity and quality are the other highlights. The thrust areas in the animal husbandry sector include development of veterinary hospitals, sale of safe meat and promotion of rabbit, poultry and quail farms. The corporation will also establish a poultry farm and hatchery.

In the information technology (IT) sector, the thrust is on completing the Akshaya scheme for computer literacy. Providing IT facilities in upper primary schools and using e-governance to improve service delivery are other activities envisaged in the sector.

The poverty alleviation programmes proposed in the Plan include slum improvement, providing drinking water, electricity and sewage connection for houses of below poverty line (BLP) families and employment generation.

Improvement of Anganwadis and public health centres, empowerment of women, establishing women’s self-employment units and child development activities are the major proposals in the women and child welfare sector.

The social welfare sector involves special programmes for the handicapped and senior citizens and nutritional schemes for weaker sections.

The draft document outlines schemes to improve traditional and modern production sectors. The schemes include vocational training, bank loan assistance, labour banks and paper carry-bag making units.

The major portion of the outlay in the health sector is for improvement of facilities in allopathy, homoeopathy and ayurveda hospitals. A cancer control scheme and prevention of epidemics through homoeo medicines are the other projects. A health insurance scheme for women and construction of toilet facilities for women have also been proposed.

Improvement of academic standard in schools is the highlight of the Plan proposals in the education sector.

The draft document also outlines drinking water schemes at Thrikkannapuram and Anamugham and installation of streetlights.

Law Minister M. Vijayakumar is scheduled to inaugurate the development seminar on Sunday.

The Mayor told the council that K.O. Asokan was elected chairman of the standing committee on development, S.A. Sundar is chairman of the welfare standing committee and Puthenkada Vijayan is chairman of the committee on works.

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