Date:11/09/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/11/stories/2008091153400400.htm

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

2,500 teaching posts sanctioned

Special Correspondent

Cabinet allows rate hike for contracted works

1,959 posts for higher secondary schools
Rs.25 lakh for panchayats near Sabarimala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Cabinet on Wednesday decided to sanction about 2,500 posts in higher secondary and vocational higher secondary schools to start new courses and new batches this year.

Briefing presspersons on the Cabinet decisions, Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan said higher secondary schools would get 1,959 new posts. Besides, 655 junior posts would be upgraded as senior posts. Vocational higher secondary schools will get 558 new posts.

The Chief Minister said the government would allow an increase in rates for contracted public works in view of a steep increase in steel and cement prices. The increase will be subject to clear norms and contractors who have defaulted work for other reasons will not be get the increase.

Constable lauded

The Cabinet decided to congratulate constable Aparna Lavakumar of the Ollur police station, grant her a good service entry and award Rs.25,000 for her altruistic conduct in getting the body of a housewife released from a private hospital. The constable, he said, offered her bangles to the relatives of the housewife to be pawned to get the body from the hospital as they could not raise the money to pay the bills. The hospital had refused to release the body without clearing the bills. The Chief Minister announced that panchayats near Sabarimala — Ranni-Perinad, Erumeli and Pandalam — would be granted Rs.25 lakh each for providing amenities to pilgrims during the Sabarimala pilgrimage season.

The Kerala State Cooperative Consumers’ Federation Limited (Consumerfed) will be granted Rs.4 crore for selling 31 essential commodities at lower prices through its Onam markets. The Karunagapally taluk veterinary hospital will be upgraded as a veterinary polyclinic.