Daijiworld Media Network - Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram, May 18: The maiden cabinet meeting of the V D Satheesan-led Congress-UDF government in Kerala on Monday decided to implement free bus travel for women from June 15 and approved the formation of a separate department for elderly welfare on the lines of Japan’s elderly care model.
The cabinet also approved a hike in remuneration for various welfare workers, including a Rs 3,000 increase for Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers and a Rs 1,000 hike for Anganwadi workers, helpers, school cooking staff and pre-primary school teachers.
Free bus travel for women and a dedicated department for senior citizens were among the five “Indira Guarantees” promised by the Congress-led UDF during the Assembly election campaign. The coalition had also assured salary hikes for ASHA workers and other weaker sections.
Chief Minister V D Satheesan told reporters that the modalities for implementing free bus travel for women would be finalised soon.
He said the proposed department for elderly welfare would be the first of its kind in the country and would introduce schemes and support systems inspired by Japan’s elderly care model.
“A key yardstick of a civilized society is the quality of life of elderly people. Kerala should emerge as a model society by ensuring better care and support for senior citizens,” Satheesan said.
The chief minister further stated that additional hikes in remuneration for weaker sections would be considered once the state’s financial situation improves.
He also announced that the government would soon publish a white paper on Kerala’s financial condition and prepare a detailed roadmap to improve the state’s finances.
Meanwhile, the cabinet also decided to order a reinvestigation into the alleged brutal assault on Youth Congress workers by police personnel during a black flag protest against then chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his cabinet colleagues in Alappuzha in 2023.
Satheesan criticised the previous LDF government for failing to act despite a local court earlier directing a reinvestigation into the incident.
Youth Congress leader A D Thomas, who was allegedly assaulted during the protest, was elected from Alappuzha in the recent Assembly elections.
The incident had triggered widespread criticism after security personnel attached to the then chief minister allegedly assaulted Youth Congress activists during the protest. Vijayan had defended the police action at the time, claiming that the security personnel acted to prevent the protesters from being hit by the chief minister’s convoy.
Satheesan said the new government would not indulge in political vendetta despite remembering the incidents of the past.
The cabinet also approved the appointment of Jaju Babu as Advocate General and T S Asif Ali as Director General of Prosecution.