PM's economic package for State

By Our Staff Reporter

KOTTAYAM, DEC. 31. The Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, has announced an economic package consisting of a series of policy decisions and promises as a New Year Gift for Kerala, on the eve of his departure to New Delhi after a week-long annual vacation at Kumarakom near here.

Addressing a delegates' meet organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party at Kumarakom today, the Prime Minister said the Central Government will procure more copra at a higher support price from this season in coordination with the State Government, depending upon the storage facility. Besides, the Government will set up a Coconut Technology Mission soon, he said. It will catalyse introduction of technology inputs at all levels of the coconut economy, covering areas like cultivation, protection against pests and plant diseases, diversification, value-addition, storage and marketing facilities, he said.

The plight of rubber growers too have been noted by the Prime Minister, who announced that the Government will procure 20,000 tonnes of rubber for a price higher than the prevailing procurement price. He promised the rubber growers that the Government will impose import duty on rubber when imports become necessary under WTO obligations. He also promised that the Government will negotiate with the WTO to bring natural rubber under the category of agriculture products, taking it out of the category of industrial products, where it is today.

Mr. Vajpayee promised to allow more foreign airlines to operate from the Cochin International Airport before August 15, 2001. This will not only help Keralites working abroad but also high value European travellers. He assured the gathering that the Government will give final clearance for the Vallarpadam container trans-shipment terminal soon, enabling the Kochi port to emerge as a top-class one.

There is immense potential for the State for further development in the fields of tourism and information technology and the Centre would extend full support to any proposal for development of infrastructure and facilities for tourism and also for development of software development and export centres, call centres and other IT-enabled services in Kerala, he said.

Congratulating the State for its achievement in the field of literacy, the Prime Minister noted that it has not done enough to develop higher education and technical education in the State. The Centre will facilitate setting up of centres of excellence in higher education in the State, he said and appealed to the NRI community to participate generously in this effort.

The Prime Minister expressed the willingness of the Centre in taking up the doubling of the Ernakulam- Kayamkulam railway lines, provided the State Government sets up a Railway Infrastructure Development Corporation and contributes its share of equity on the lines of similar corporations set up in States like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra.

Mr. Vajpayee assured the people that the dark days, when many nations considered India as an untouchable, were over and in spite of the problems faced on the economic front, it is emerging as a major economic force, bringing down the number of people below poverty line and increasing employment opportunities. What is needed is the will to face challenges unitedly and if we can achieve this, India will emerge as one of the major powers in the next 10 years, he said.

The meeting was chaired by the BJP State president, Mr. C.K. Padmanabhan, and the Prime Minister's speech was translated by the Union Minister of State for Railways, Mr. O. Rajagopal. Mr. K. Raman Pillai and Mr. K.V. Sreedharan Master extended felicitations.

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