Kerala to devise master plan to implement Forest Dwellers Act

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 20 (UNI) Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan today said the Cabinet had decided to constitute a working group to prepare a master plan for implementing the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006 in the state.

Briefing the Cabinet decisions to reporters here, he said Local Self Government Principle Secretary would be the Chairman of the Committee that would prepare a detailed master plan to implement the Act in the state.

To make the SSLC examination foolproof, he said the Cabinet had decided to keep question papers either in treasuries or in the lockers of nationalised banks, located within five km of the examination centres.

He said the question papers would be distributed to the schools only on examination day.

Mr Achuthanandan said the Cabinet had decided to hand over the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) to the Centre for upgrading it as Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology.

While upgrading the University, he said the Centre should ensure that the state government have the right to implement the reservation policy of the state in the 50 per cent of seats allotted to it.

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