Kerala govt announces new programmes on I-Day

Citizens to be made e-literate in three years time, says Chandy

Free cancer treatment, homes for the homeless and laptops and mobile applications for the visually challenged are some of the new programmes of the Kerala government, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said Friday.

"A new programme named 'Sureksha' which will provide free cancer treatment at all the district hospitals will be set up under the public-partnership programme... In the next two years, 25,000 new homes would be built for the homeless and each would cost Rs.3 lakhs," said Chandy while addressing the Independence Day function here.

Among the other announcements that were made include making every Kerala citizen e-literate. This would be completed in three years time.

He also said that all the visually challenged students would be given lap tops free of cost and it would be ensured that the government portals are fine-tuned to enable these visually challenged students to go through the websites.

Eating outlets that provide good quality noon meals at cheap rates at various locations in the state capital city would be opened and in due course it would cover other parts of the state.

"All these new schemes that have been announced today would be operational before Oct 2," said Chandy.

Chandy emphasised that Kerala is one place that gets affected first by the happenings abroad as was seen in Iraq and Libya.

"...going abroad for work might become increasingly difficult and it's here that we have to come out with policies which should address such issues. It's for this that my government has launched Vision 2030, which has drawn up long term plans, and which no other state in the country has taken up," said Chandy.

He took the salute at an impressive parade and also distributed medals to police officials before he delivered the speech.

Chandy's colleagues attended Independence Day programmes at the other 13 district headquarters.

At Kannur, six activists belonging to a tribal outfit were taken into custody after they came running to the parade ground waving black flags against State Urban Affairs Minister M. Ali who had come to take the salute.

They were protesting against the delay in implementing the programme of the tribals in Aaralem farm in Kannur district.