The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Kerala plans more self-financing colleges

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Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Kerala plans more self-financing colleges

Special Correspondent

‘Postgraduate, super specialty course to be started under Pariyaram Medical College’

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Minister for Cooperation and Devaswoms G. Sudhakaran said in the Assembly on Wednesday that 17 new self-financing colleges would be started in the coming years in the cooperative sector.

Replying to the debate on the demand for grants for Cooperation, the Minister said that these would include three pharmacy colleges, a dental college and a nursing college.

The Minister announced that several postgraduate and super specialty courses would be started under the Pariyaram Medical College. All para-medical courses run by the college would be brought under a new Institute of Allied Medical Services.

Liabilities go up

As the liabilities of the cooperative institutions running self-financing colleges had increased, assistance had been sought from the government. There was also plan to organise a lottery to support loss-making cooperatives.

Mr. Sudhakaran said that the deposits in the cooperative sector had increased from nearly Rs.21,000 crore to more than Rs.39,000 crore.

Credit flow had also increased by more than Rs.19,000 crore with the credit deposit ratio going up from 86.4 per cent to 91.27 per cent. He said that the Triveni stores would be started in every Assembly constituency as part of diversification of Consumerfed. A floating Triveni store, costing Rs.50 lakh, would service the larger Kuttanad area.

Neethi medical stores would be started in each panchayat. The target was 500 stores in the next three years.

The quantum of agriculture loans would be pushed above 20 per cent of the total lending. Loans of up to Rs.25,000, carrying 4 per cent interest, would be made available for marriage of poor girls.

He said that action would be taken against all those who had committed irregularities in the Devaswom boards irrespective of their political affiliations. The Opposition should not intervene against such action. After the Minister’s reply, the House passed the demand for Rs.90.93 crore.

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