NAFED exempt from ST on copra

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, JULY 25. The Cabinet on Tuesday decided to exempt the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (Nafed) from payment of four per cent sales tax on copra being sent for milling up to March 31, 2001.

The Finance Minister, Mr. T. Sivadasa Menon, told presspersons after a Cabinet meeting that this was being done to help the Nafed to mill the copra procured by it for supporting the prices and sell the oil. The State Government was against Nafed releasing the copra into the market as such.

The Minister recalled that the State had earlier brought down the tax on coconut and copra to be on a par with Tamil Nadu.

The Chief Minister, Mr. E. K. Nayanar, said a committee comprising the Ministers for Agriculture and Cooperation had been constituted to recommend concrete measures that can be taken by the State Government to check the fall in the prices of coconut and copra.

Plus Two list

The Chief Minister said the fresh list of Plus Two schools to be sanctioned this year would be ready only by Wednesday. (The list has not come before the Cabinet).

Model residential schools, he said, would be set up under the Scheduled Tribes Development Department in Kottayam and Punalur this year. The Cabinet had sanctioned two posts of headmasters and 24 other staff for the schools.

Dr. Michael Tharakan of the Centre for Development Studies would be appointed as Director of the Kerala Institute of Local Administration with a term of three years. The Managing Director of the Travancore Plywood Industries, Mr. M. K. Kumaran, would be appointed as Managing Director of the Forest Industries, Travancore. He would also hold additional charge as Managing Director of the Travancore Plywood Industries. Mr. Dharam Veer would be posted as Director of Cooperative Societies.

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Section  : Southern States
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