Despite last-minute inclusion of cashew in Onam kits, factories run by Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation (KSCDC) and Kerala State Cashew Workers Apex Industrial Cooperative Society (Capex) could successfully dispatch around six lakh sachets to Supplyco centres across the State on Wednesday.
Though it was not an item on the kit, cashew was added to the list at a later stage following the intervention of Ministers K.N. Balagopal, G.R. Anil and, P. Rajeev. Though the quantity is minimal compared to previous years, more than thousand cashew labourers have been working hard for the last four days to deliver the order on time.
“The decision was taken last week leaving us with very limited time. Though we we were asked to prepare the consignment by Aug 25, we could send it to various districts on Aug 23 itself due to the cooperation of our labourers,” said S. Jayamohan, KSCDC chairman.
Meanwhile, both KSCDC and Capex have announced an amount equal to three months salary as bonus. This will be distributed to a total of 14,000 workers in the public sector factories, including 10,000 in KSCDC and 4,000 in Capex. The State government has set aside ₹16 crore for the workers in both institutions. According to officials, bonus advance was increased to ₹10,000 for the first time during Onam and the workers will receive a total of ₹10,750 including holiday pay. The corporation has decided to open the factories on September 4 after Onam and provide continuous working days till December 31.
“The raw material for operating the factories till December has been procured and the assurance of more working days has added to the joy of workers,” the official said. While day-long Onam celebrations were held in factories on Wednesday, Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal will distribute financial assistance worth₹5 lakh to 132 students who have excelled in various examinations on Thursday.
The beneficiaries include three MBBS students and Mr. Jayamohan will preside over the function that will be held at the Corporation head office at 3 p.m. Onam kits and financial aid for bedridden patients will also be distributed at the event.
