Scaled-up infrastructure, better service delivery, public safety and social security are the corner stones of the one-year action programme of the State Government.

Called ‘Saptadhara,' the action programme is expected to have some impact on an entire gamut of issues of daily relevance to the common man, sources in the Government said.

UTILITY COMPANIES

Announcing the programme to newspersons here on Thursday, the Chief Minister, Mr Oommen Chandy, said four public utility service companies would be set up in the State based on the ‘CIAL' model.

The model he was referring to the Cochin International Airport Limited, the country's first airport to be operated as public-private partnership (PPP), in which the State Government has a 26 per cent stake.

These public utility service companies would supplement, and not supplant, existing public utilities in the power, drinking water and transport sectors.

The new companies are being structured in such a manner as to be able to generate its own resources internally for sustenance through, for instance, advertisement promotions and co-branding.

SERVICE DELIVERY

These are the Kerala Bus Shelter Company; the Drinking Water Distribution Company that looks after small-scale filtering plants; Public Toilet Company with a focus on e-toilets; and a Clean City Company.

They are being floated as part of the State Government's larger initiative to improve quality of service delivery.

In this context, he said the Right to Service Act would be passed during the year ahead.

The Chief Minister emphasised that infrastructure improvement would have a desired multiplier impact on investments, employment and economic progress. Skill development would be another major area of focus for the Government.

INVESTOR SUMMIT

The file tracking system IDEAS (Information and Data Exchange Advanced System) would be extended to all departments. An online system will be introduced for single window clearance for industries.

The Emerging Kerala global investor summit, originally scheduled for April next, would now be held in September, the Chief Minister said. All employment exchanges in the State would be computerised. Farm loans aggregating to Rs 2,500 crore would be disbursed through primary agricultural cooperative credit societies and cooperative banks.

The Vigilance and Anti-corruption Bureau will be trifurcated with a view to toning up its functioning.

An independent State Bureau of Investigation, along the lines of the CBI, would be set up.

State's own industrial security force is another novel initiative. Whistle blowers would be protected. ‘Nokkukooli' (‘gawking' or ‘supervisory' fees) and other forms of levying excess loading/unloading charges would be eliminated.

Help desks featuring women civil police officers would be set up in all police stations to accept complaints from the public. Complaints to police would also be accepted through FRIENDS e-service centres.

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