THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The UDF Government will make all efforts and launch innovative schemes to promote women take up agriculture, said Minister for Panchayats and Social Welfare M K Muneer at a meet-the-press organised by the Trivandrum Press Club on Thursday."We are thinking of giving subsidies and zero interest loans to women, who would like to take up agriculture. Similarly, we are also planning effective interventions in sectors other than agriculture, aiming to help women improve their living standards,’’ Muneer said.Muneer said that he would be coordinating with other departments, such as agriculture and finance, for implementation of projects. “The foremost priority of the government will be to make Clean Kerala a reality and strive to make state totally garbage-free. It is not that the state lacks technology for garbage treatment but politics had often proved to be an impediment,’’ said the minister. Panchayat offices in the state will get a facelift with trained personnel manning the front office, he said. “Previously there was an announcement regarding the front office, but it did not materialise. We would need one year to train people,’’ he said. The minister also announced a performance audit for panchayats, to bridge the gap between project proposal and its actual implementation. He said that some irregularities have been reported in the selection of beneficiaries for the EMS Housing Scheme. This will be looked into. "I would say that the EMS Housing Scheme was not successful. I have called for a meeting and a review of the scheme and its implementation and only after that will we get a clear-cut idea of the problems. Only after that can we decide in which direction to move forward,’’ he said. On the problems created by the trifurcation of the LSG Department, Muneer, claiming that the LSG Department though divided is still one, said that the only difference now is that the responsibility had been given to three ministers for effective functioning.
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