The State Cabinet on Wednesday approved the proposals and detailed project reports submitted by various departments for works to be taken up under the Rebuild Kerala Initiative (RKI).
The approved projects include the reconstruction of the Pathalam regulator-cum-bridge in Kadungaloor grama panchayat in Ernakulam district, infrastructural work to overcome floods and drought in the kole lands in the Thrissur-Ponnani regions, desilting and sidewall protection of Pamba and Achankovil rivers, reconstruction of a section of the Vaithiri-Tharuvana Road and canal protection works in Dharmadam.
Landfill
Permission was also accorded to set up a sanitary landfill for the Kerala Solid Waste Management Project on 25 acres of land at Cheemeni Village in Hosdurg Taluk. The lease is being given for 25 years at an annual rate of ₹21.99 lakh, subject to conditions.
Appointment
The Cabinet also decided to provide employment in the auditor post under the dying-in-harness scheme to Binu Suresh, brother of S. Balu, a constable attached to the SAP Battalion who died in the backwaters of Varkala when his boat overturned during a search operation to nab a suspect in a murder case.
Counseling center
A counseling center will be set up in the Thiruvananthapuram region under Vimukti Mission. The Center will be constituted by creating two councilor posts on temporary/contractual basis. Their qualification and salary will be the same as the councilors at the centres in the Kozhikode and Ernakulam regions.
Public Holidays
The Cabinet approved the public holidays for the 2024 calendar year. The list of holidays under the Negotiable Instruments Act was also approved. Only holidays under the Kerala Industrial Establishment (National and Festival Holidays) Act, 1958 are applicable to establishments covered by the Industrial Disputes Acts, Kerala Shops and Commercial Establishments Act and the Minimum Wages Act.
Rewards
The Cabinet has sanctioned an additional reward of ₹5 lakh to athlete Mohammed Anas, whose medal was upgraded from silver to gold in the 2018 Asian Games held in Jakarta, and ₹10 lakh to athlete R. Anu, who has now won a bronze medal. They had both moved to the next medal position after the athletes who won medals in the events they both competed in were disqualified following a doping test.
Anas was part of the team that won silver in the 4x400m mixed relay at the 2018 Asian Games, after which the government had provided a reward of ₹15 lakh. The Bahrain team, which won the gold, was disqualified following a dope test, and the Indian team consequently secured the gold. The government had earlier announced ₹20 lakh for the gold winners.
Anu had finished fourth in the 400m hurdles. After the gold medallist from Bahrain was disqualified, she secured the bronze medal.
