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New Indian Express
11-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Cabinet approval for registration fee exemption for LIFE Mission land
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Cabinet meeting has decided to exempt stamp duty and registration fees for land pooled for the LIFE Mission free housing project of the government. This is applicable to land parcels received as donation, sale or any other mode. The beneficiary will have to submit a certificate from the district collector or a tahsildar assigned by him stating that the land is for house construction under the Mission. The exemption is for two years from the date of order. The meeting approved the tripartite agreement for the Wayanad Township project. Project's special officer S Suhas has been assigned with its implementation. A tribal taluk supply office will be established at Attappady. Rs 95,32,500 will be sanctioned from the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) to provide assistance to 473 people who lost their houses, either fully or partially, in natural disasters in Pathanamthitta since 2023. The meeting decided to implement the Telecommunications (Right of Way) Rules 2024 in the state. Retired district judge E Baiju will be reappointed as Kerala Lok Ayukta Registrar for another two years. Retirement age in Kerala Feeds, the PSU under the Animal Husbandry Department, will be raised from 58 to 60 years. Rs 2.86 lakh will be sanctioned from the CMDRF to reimburse the treatment cost of literacy activist late K V Rabia. The government guarantee for the Kerala Social Security Pension Limited will be raised from Rs 6,000 crore to Rs 14,000 crore.
Time of India
10-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Kottayam MCH collapse: Bindu's daughter in recovery, cabinet recommends job for son
Kottayam: Navami, the daughter of Kottayam MCH building collapse victim D Bindu, is recovering after surgery at the govt medical college hospital. According to her father Visruthan, doctors informed that there was nothing to worry about his daughter's health. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The 21-year-old was admitted to the MCH for treatment for pain in her backbone. The 11-hour surgery was completed on Wednesday evening, and she was admitted to the intensive care unit. She will be shifted to a special ward after being put under observation for two days. Meanwhile, the state cabinet on Thursday sanctioned Rs 10 lakh as financial assistance from the chief minister's distress relief fund (CMDRF) to Bindu's family. The cabinet also recommended Travancore Devaswom Board offer her son Navaneeth a suitable job. When told about the govt's decision to provide the compensation and a job to Navaneeth, Visruthan said that his focus at the moment is his daughter's treatment. He also expressed optimism in the promises made by the govt. "I'm getting everything from the govt side. Whatever they promised to give the family will be given," said Visruthan, who expressed confidence in the govt. Meanwhile, Congress leader Chandy Oommen told reporters that the compensation of Rs 10 lakh was insufficient. He said that Rs 25 lakh was sought as compensation as the death was due to a lapse on the part of the govt. The MLA had earlier handed over Rs 5 lakh to the family. Bindu's employer too extended a cheque of Rs 1 lakh to the family and promised to give an amount of Rs 5,000 every month. Bindu was killed after a building at the Kottayam MCH collapsed last Thursday. She was accompanying her daughter who was admitted to the MCH.
Time of India
24-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Wayanad landslides: State diverts disaster relief fund for rehabilitation project
Thiruvananthapuram: The latest govt order on the rehabilitation project for the July 2024 Wayanad landslide victims at Elstone Estate shows money from the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF), raised specifically for the disaster, is being treated as a stopgap arrangement, to be recouped later from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF). Tired of too many ads? go ad free now This questions the objective behind collecting Rs 765.06 crore in public donations, as the money is not used directly for distress relief. Over 700 families displaced by the landslides are awaiting permanent homes. "Given the urgency, GoK is advancing R and R (rehabilitation and resettlement) using CMDRF and other available funds. Upon sanction and release of NDRF funds, corresponding amounts should be recouped to CMDRF, based on a prior decision by SEC (state executive committee) to avoid audit objections," states the order, dated June 17, 2025. This is an admission that using CMDRF for construction work could trigger audit objections even if recovered later, as the fund is strictly intended for immediate distress relief for affected persons. The govt has effectively diverted donations solicited in the name of Wayanad disaster victims for land purchase and contractor payments. Its plan for the amount mobilised also comes under a cloud, especially when the township being developed has a cost estimate of Rs 351.48 crore and the Centre has already sanctioned Rs 529.50 crore under the Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI). Several components of the township project are already being implemented using SASCI funds. Documents accessed by TOI show that only Rs 36.81 crore — a mere 4.8% of the amount raised — was spent from CMDRF so far. Of this, Rs 26.56 crore went for land acquisition at Elstone Estate, Rs 7.65 crore for general relief, Rs 2.1 crore for education support to orphaned children and Rs 50 lakh for interim rental assistance. This means only Rs 10.25 crore, or 1.34% of the funds, reached households directly. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now With about 700 affected families, this translates to an average disbursement of Rs 1.46 lakh per family, though nearly Rs 11 lakh is notionally available per family from the CMDRF pool. Interestingly, the administrative sanction for the township project came only in June 2025, and the technical sanction is still pending. However, files show that ULCCS (Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society) was appointed as the contractor in Jan 2025, before the site was finalised or cost estimates were made. The land acquisition itself was sanctioned on Jan 15, 2025. This sequence of decisions, bypassing standard procurement protocols, leaves the chances of NDRF reimbursement bleak. According to NDRF norms, only post-disaster emergency relief approved under specific heads qualifies for central funding. Projects that skip due process or violate Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) guidelines are unlikely to pass muster with the Centre. Also, CMDRF guidelines do not cover advance capital spending, land acquisition or township projects.
Time of India
23-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Govt ensures multi-channel fund flow
T'puram: The state govt has finalised a multi-channel fund flow mechanism for the Wayanad Model Township project, outlining how various financial sources will be routed and spent. The project, planned at Elstone Estate in Wayanad, is being developed as a post-disaster rehabilitation initiative using funds from the chief minister's distress relief fund (CMDRF), corporate donations, sponsorships, and central assistance schemes. A proposal for support from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) is still pending with the Centre. The govt order, issued by the disaster management department, clarifies that funds will be withdrawn strictly based on requirement and in accordance with financial rules, with no provision for unnecessary parking of money in bank accounts. KIIFCON, the state's infrastructure consultancy, has been appointed as the project management consultant and employer representative, while the engineering and construction work has been assigned to Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society (ULCCS). CSR funds, currently exceeding Rs 5cr, are earmarked for housing, with each unit tagged at Rs 20 lakh for accounting purposes, though actual costs may vary. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like CUPRA Terramar Híbrido CUPRA Ver oferta Undo Separate accounts will be maintained for CSR transactions for compliance purposes. CMDRF will fund housing, land development and utility work not covered under SASCI. Existing sponsorships are also directed exclusively to housing construction. The sponsorship account is kept separate for receiving and debiting funds, with a view to maintain straightforward tracking of all related expenses. Meanwhile, the state awaits approval from the ministry of home affairs for the release of funds from the NDRF based on the post-disaster needs assessment (PDNA) report. Funding for components like housing and public infrastructure, if not already covered under SASCI, will be routed through either the state disaster management authority or directly to implementing departments, based on decisions by the state executive committee. The govt has directed that fund withdrawal across all accounts must be strictly aligned with project needs, and any deviation from approved rules will not be allowed. The framework, though complex, is intended to provide financial clarity and traceability in the implementation of the multi-crore township initiative. INFO Three dedicated accounts To ensure clean accounting, 3 separate bank accounts have been designated Sponsorships and CSR funds will be received in a dedicated account managed by KIIFCON These funds are meant solely for housing and are to be spent directly from the same account The project implementation account will be used to route CMDRF, CSR and other state and central govt funds and to meet general project expenses A third account will handle funds under the special assistance for state capital investment (SASCI) scheme This will be operated as a child account under the disaster management department's single nodal agency account in the public financial management system Departments like PWD, KWA, irrigation and KSEB will operate similar child accounts to carry out specific infra works The special officer appointed for the township will also operate a child account
Time of India
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Prathidhwani contributes to chief ministers distress relief fund for landslide rehabilitation
Thiruvananthapuram: Prathidhwani, the welfare and recreation forum of IT employees at Technopark, contributed over Rs 28 lakh to the chief minister's distress relief fund (CMDRF) for the rehabilitation of landslide-hit communities at Chooralmala and Mundakkai in Wayanad district. The relief fund was handed over to chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan at his office by state convenor of Prathidhwani Rajeev Krishnan. Prathidhwani president at Technopark Vishnu Rajendran and other office bearers Rahul Chandran, Saneesh KP and Prasanthi PS were also present. Prathidhwani's units in three IT Parks in Kerala — Technopark, Infopark, Kochi, and Cyberpark, Kozhikode — collected the contributions from around 1,156 techies. The amount is intended for building a house (Rs 20 lakh) and other facilities in the township project (Rs 8.67 lakh) for the communities devastated by the massive landslide last year.
