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Kerala: Plan campaign begins today

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM DEC. 8. The Kerala Government begins a month-long campaign forming part of the Kerala Development Programme (KDP) on Monday. The Chief Minister, A.K. Antony, will inaugurate the campaign at a function in Kasaragod. The campaign is aimed at reaching the message of the KDP (which replaces the People's Plan Campaign launched by the previous Government) to the people and ensuring effective implementation of the Tenth Plan programmes. The Government says that the campaign would strengthen decentralisation and ensure full public participation in Plan implementation. In an article released in connection with the inauguration of the campaign, the Minister for Local Self-Government, Cherkalam Abdulla, said here on Sunday that the KDP would focus on correcting the deficiencies in Plan implementation and extravagant spending by local self-governments.

It would focus on proper implementation of the schemes for weaker sections, implementation of the Tenth Plan with the objective of achieving major gains in the productive sectors, restructuring of poverty alleviation and employment generation programmes for improving production and attracting private investment in infrastructure development and also in the services sector, the Minister said.

Steps would be taken to assess the assets created during the implementation of the Ninth Plan. Works which did not progress after entrusting the same to the beneficiary committees with advance, would be completed. Action would be taken against persons and committees responsible for irregularities. The Government had completed performance auditing of the Plan expenditure by the local self-governments and action was being taken to recover money lost through irregularities from those responsible.

Mr. Abdulla said that the local self-governments should encourage small and large private investments for creation of job opportunities. They should take the initiative in removing infrastructure bottlenecks and making raw materials available.

He noted that the local self-governments were preparing Five-Year Plans this time instead of annual Plans. This had resulted in some delay in the implementation of the Plan. However, it had helped the local self-governments to go about it in an organised manner. Large-scale wastage of funds had occurred in the past as proper systems were not in place. Now, the local self-governments would be able to move towards implementation of Plans. They would not have to burden themselves with Plan formulation for the coming years.

He said that the redeployment of Government employees to the local self-governments progressed only after the present Government came to power. The redeployment of ministerial staff had been completed. Redeployment of the technical staff would be completed by December 15.

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