T’puram: The cabinet on Wednesday approved several decisions spanning agriculture, infrastructure, industry and social welfare sectors. Cabinet approved amendments to the structure and functioning of Kuttanad Development Coordination Council for implementing the second phase of Kuttanad package. The revamped structure will include Central Project Processing Unit–Kuttanad Regional Development (CPPU-KRD), implementation and technical committees, working groups and a dedicated Kuttanad cell.The chief secretary will be the coordination council convener, with a member from planning board handling agriculture, water resources, fisheries and animal husbandry. A CPPU-KRD will be formed at state planning board level, reporting to the planning board member secretary, who is also the special officer for Kuttanad package. Experts from IT, finance and water resources sectors will be part of the unit.At the district level, implementation and technical committees will be formed in Alappuzha, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta districts, chaired by respective district panchayat presidents, with district collectors as conveners. These committees will function as sub-committees of district planning committees. Projects up to Rs 5 crore will receive administrative sanction at the district level in line with CPPU-KRD guidelines. A Kuttanad cell will be set up in planning and economic affairs department as state-level secretariat, along with three working groups involving stakeholder departments and agencies. A revised order incorporating these changes will be issued.Compensation to Supplyco:Cabinet decided to compensate Supplyco with Rs 253.06 crore for losses incurred during paddy procurement from 2019-20 to 2021-22 seasons. The losses arose as Centre didn’t agree to reduce the out-turn ratio from 68% to 64.5%. 741cr project for Kerala Paper ProductsCabinet approved Rs 741-crore project of Kerala Paper Products Ltd at Velloor in Kottayam to enhance capacity and diversify products, with completion targeted in 24 months. A new Women’s Policy 2026 was approved, revising the 2009 policy to address contemporary concerns including safety, employment rights and sector-specific vulnerabilities.An empowered committee for high range development will be constituted under CM, with a focus on achieving zero-casualty outcomes in human-wildlife conflict mitigation and promoting value-added economic transformation in the Western Ghats.Cabinet cleared the development of Kollam and Beypore ports under a PPP model, sanctioned special NDPS courts in Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam, extended a Rs 50-crore govt guarantee to State Differently Abled Welfare Corporation.
