In a significant move, the Kerala Cabinet has approved financial assistance for 1,031 eligible individuals who were initially included in the preliminary list but subsequently excluded from the final list of endosulfan victims. This decision comes after a review of the medical examinations and field inspections conducted in 2017 to identify victims in the Kasaragod district.
The government’s decision aims to provide support to those who suffered adverse health effects and disabilities due to exposure to Endosulfan, a potent pesticide historically used in cashew plantations. Hundreds in Kasaragod were affected, and their long-standing fight for justice and compensation has seen a positive development with this Cabinet resolution.
In other administrative decisions, the Cabinet also resolved to allocate 50 flats to extremely poor families in Alappuzha district as part of the ‘Punargeham’ scheme. Furthermore, the 11th pay revision for employees of the Kerala State Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation will be implemented, addressing previous anomalies and granting ratio promotions. The LBS Centre for Science and Technology employees will also see the 11th salary revision implemented under specific conditions.
Additionally, the Cabinet has favorably considered a funding proposal of ₹26.58 crore for the K R Narayanan National Institute of Visual Science and Arts in Kottayam, intended for facility development. The government will also transfer 2.7 acres of land in Poovar village to the Defence Research and Development Organisation for its Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory at a fair price of ₹2.50 crore.