Thiruvananthapuram, July 01: Kerala Chief Minister, Shri Pinarayi Vijayan today announced that the State will roll out the ‘Dream Kerala Project’ to tap into the potential and experience of the Pravasi Malayalees returning back.
The Chief Minister said, “The Pravasi Malayalees are the key contributors to the economic growth of Kerala. One of the main reasons for the high per capita income in the State is the remittances sent by these expatriates. The Government has taken several steps to utilize the investments of Non-Resident Investors for the development of the State and to ensure a stable income for the returning expatriates. The Lok Kerala Sabha was established with the objective of harnessing the knowledge and skills of the NRIs for the development of Kerala. In addition, the government has taken several steps to ensure the welfare of the returning expatriates. But the Covid pandemic has created a crisis with business and commercial enterprises being affected. More people are returning home after losing their jobs and in this situation, the Cabinet has decided to implement the ‘Dream Kerala project.”
The project aims the rehabilitation of returning expatriates and the overall development of the state. There are a large number of professionals coming back to Kerala from overseas and other parts of the country. They are well-known for their international expertise and experience in various occupations. The project also aims to harness their potential for the future of the state. The project, to be jointly implemented by various departments of the state government, will provide the public with an opportunity to give suggestions and ideas on the future of Kerala. A committee consisting of young civil service officers will be formed to give expert advice on the implementation of each idea. The expert committee will evaluate the proposals and recommend this to the respective departments.
The Chief Minister also announced a schedule for the implementation of the project:
- Dream Kerala Campaign Ideathon from July 15 to 30, 2020
- Sectoral Hackathon from August 1 to 10
- Presentation of selected projects in virtual assembly on August 14
- Project execution in 100 days
- Must be completed before November 15, 2020
A steering committee will be formed for this purpose with the Chief Minister as its Chairman. Dr K M Abraham will head a panel of experts for the implementation of the projects.
Ward level committees in the State to be strengthened: Kerala CM
Kerala Chief Minister, Shri Pinarayi Vijayan today said that the functioning of the Ward Level Committees which assist the administration in Covid preventive measures and managing those in quarantine would be strengthened in view of the increasing number of Covid-19 patients in the State.
Briefing the media, the Chief Minister said, “Those discharged from hospitals should inform the ward level committees when they go home. Similarly, those who come from outside Kerala should register on the Covid Jagratha portal. This would help the LSG bodies in making quarantine arrangements for them and also the ward level committees in monitoring them. A good 50% of those coming from outside are infected. There are reports that people coming in trains are trying to avoid quarantine. This is dangerous. Every effort would be taken to prevent such diversions.”
The Chief Minister also asked Government employees and teachers who are not able to join office at this time to be part of the Covid prevention work. District collectors should ensure this and use them to support the community volunteers. In Kasargod district, the teachers become part of ward-level committees and this should be replicated other districts as well.
He also informed that the launch of telemedicine has been of great relief to patients who cannot go to hospitals in this Covid season. It should be spread at a local level and Private hospitals should be made a part of this. At present, treatment for Covid is being done only in government hospitals. Their experience will be shared with hospitals in the private sector.
“The number of active cases is increasing and the threat of community spread is not over. Therefore, we need to be more careful and cautious. People with less immunity and other diseases need to take special attention. Information about them will be collected and dealt with. Field level monitoring and reporting will be made more effective. Details about family members of those under observation will also be collected”, he added.