Cabinet decides to remove beacon lights; dearness allowance hiked by 2 percent
Thiruvananthapuram: Cabinet on Wednesday decided to remove beacon lights from vehicles of chief minister, ministers and all government vehicles. The Union Government had earlier decided to do away with the red flashing lights on official vehicles. The state government also went a step further and decided to remove single digit and double digit number plates from official vehicles of chief minister and ministers. Instead, these vehicles will now bear the registration numbers issued by Motor Vehicles Department like other vehicles on the roads.
Cabinet however decided to allow use of beacon lights for ambulances, fire force department vehicles, police vehicles and other vehicles deployed for emergency services. Soon after the union government decision, Governor P. Sathasivam, Speaker P. Sreeramakrishnan, Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala and ministers including finance minister Thomas Isaac, water resources minister Mathew T. Thomas, culture minister A. K. Balan, revenue minister E. Chandrashekharan and agriculture minister V. S. Sunil Kumar had decided to remove beacon lights on their vehicles. Mayor V. K. Prashant had also removed the blue beacon light from his official vehicle.
Other Cabinet decisions
Single Window Clearance Board
Cabinet decides to constitute Single Window Clearance Boards for six industrial parks. The industrial board will cover Kinfra Mega Food Park (Kozhipara, Palakkad), Industrial Park, Ramanattukara Kozhikode, Kuttipuram Industrial Park, Puzhakalpadam Industrial Park Thrissur, KSIDC Business Park Angamaly and Light Engineering Park, Palakkad . The board is being constituted to expedite all formalities required for starting business ventures including the licenses and clearances from different agencies. Additional chief secretary industries will be the chairman of the Board. The 15 member board will include representatives of KINFRA, KSIDC, district collectors and officials of pollution control board.
Cabinet decides to implement pay reforms for the employees of Kerala State Film Development Corporation employees.
138 posts of civil excise officers to be created in Excise Department.
Posts of 721 staff nurses Grade - 2, under the new pay scale to be created under medical education department.
KSFE one time settlement scheme extended till May 31, 2017.
Government to acquire 600 acres of land from FACT under mutual agreement for setting up Kinfra promoted Petro Chemical Complex. The land is being acquired for the Rs 1864 crore petro chemical complex.
Cabinet decided to implement pay revision for the employees of Energy Management Centre.
Terms of Reference of Justice P. A. Mohammad Commission finalised. The commission is probing the clash that took place between lawyers and media persons in front of High Court complex on July 20, 2016. The state government on Wednesday raised the dearness allowance of government employees and pensioners by 2 percent with retrospective effect from January 1, 2017.
