Thiruvananthapuram | The newly sworn-in UDF government in Kerala on Monday announced a series of welfare measures, including free travel for women in KSRTC buses from June 15, enhanced honorarium for ASHA and Anganwadi workers, and the creation of a dedicated department for senior citizens.
Announcing the decisions taken at the first Cabinet meeting, Chief Minister V D Satheesan said detailed guidelines for the free bus travel scheme for women would be issued later.
The Cabinet also decided to constitute a separate department for elderly persons, which the Chief Minister said could be the first such initiative in the country.
"A society is judged by how it treats its elderly citizens. Kerala should become a model civilised society by ensuring dignified care for senior citizens," he said.
He said that fulfilling a promise made during the prolonged agitation by ASHA workers in front of the Secretariat, the Cabinet approved an increase of Rs 3,000 per month in their honorarium.
He also announced a monthly hike of Rs 1,000 each for Anganwadi workers and helpers, school cooking staff, pre-primary teachers and ayahs.
The Cabinet recommended senior MLA G Sudhakaran as the pro-term Speaker and requested the Governor to convene the Assembly for the swearing-in of MLAs and the election of the Speaker.
According to the schedule announced by the government, MLAs will be sworn in on May 21 and the Speaker will be elected on May 22, he said.
The Cabinet also appointed senior advocate Rajeev Babu as Advocate General and advocate T S Asaf Ali as Director General of Prosecution.
In another major decision, the Cabinet approved the constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to reinvestigate a case related to the alleged assault on two Youth Congress workers during a protest in Alappuzha when the former Chief Minister attended a programme there.
The CM said the Alappuzha district court had ordered reinvestigation on November 8, 2024, but the previous government had failed to implement the order for over one-and-a-half years.
Rejecting allegations of political vendetta, he said the government was only implementing the court's directive.
He also said that a white paper would be issued detailing the state's and the government's exchequer's financial condition.
Satheesan and 20 ministers were sworn in earlier in the day.
Palakkad (Kerala) | Hours after Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan announced free travel for women on state transport corporation buses from June 15, private bus operators sought government intervention to ensure their businesses are protected.
Representatives of the All Kerala Bus Operators Association told reporters that they would meet the CM and the transport minister in the coming days to present their concerns and seek government support, including a revision in bus fares.
They said they were not opposed to the travel concession for women but wanted measures to ensure the survival of private operators.
They argued that their operations are regulated by the government and that they provide various concessions and implement welfare measures as directed by the state.
“We want the government to take steps to ensure our survival. We will seek an increase in bus fares, as fares have not been revised in the last four years, while diesel prices have increased twice during this period. The proposed hike would also include student fares,” association members said.
“As operational costs have increased, if women—who constitute a significant portion of our passengers—shift to state transport, it will become difficult for us to continue services,” they added.
They added that the government should extend to private operators the same relaxations, benefits and subsidies provided to the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC).
The operators claimed they cater to 80 per cent of the state’s population and warned that any disruption to their services would affect a large section of society.
They further noted that neighbouring states do not provide such concessions across all bus services.
“We will discuss with the CM and the transport minister the details of the proposed scheme and its impact on us, and present our concerns. It will be implemented from June 15, so there is still time,” they said.
Free travel for women on KSRTC buses is one of the five Indira guarantees announced by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during the Assembly election campaign.
Earlier in the day, Satheesan announced that the scheme would be implemented in the state from June 15.