COCHIN, 29 January 2006 — Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy underwent a surgery for hip bone fracture early yesterday after a fall in Davos, Switzerland, where he was attending the World Economic Forum meet. “He slipped on the snow while he was returning to his hotel room after a dinner meeting with Saudi businessmen at around 10.30 p.m. Friday. He was admitted to hospital as the pain aggravated and he was operated on next morning,” Dinesh Sharma, the principal secretary at the Chief Minister’s Office, said from Davos. He needs a week’s rest. “His condition is stable and he would return home soon. He is under observation in the intensive care unit of the hospital. There is nothing to worry,” Sharma said. The chief minister who is facing general elections in May would be put on walking aids for two months. Finance Minister Vakkom B. Purushothaman, who is holding charge in his absence, said Chandy’s daughter Achu is already in Davos and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan would be sent there if needed. Chandy arrived in Davos on Jan. 26. He was scheduled to return on Jan. 31, but his return could now be delayed.

A-I Offered Stake in New Airline

In a bid to defuse Air-India’s opposition to its proposed budget airline catering to the low-income expatriates from the region, Kerala has offered 25 percent stake for the national carrier in it. Chief Minister Chandy said he had conveyed this to the Air-India chief recently. There were reports that India’s aviation authorities were sitting on the proposal because it would eat heavily into the revenue of the national carrier and its low-cost subsidiary A-I Express that dominates the Gulf-Kerala sector. “The A-I chief Thulasidas called me a week back saying there was no substance in the news appearing in a section of the media that it was against the Air Kerala. He said the A-I was also willing to invest in the company and I immediately offered him 25 percent stake,” Chandy said.

Expat’s Remains Coming

The body of P.M. Prakasan who died in Jubail on Aug. 27 last year will be flown to his native village near the northern town of Cannanore tomorrow. Junior foreign minister E. Ahmed said he got the assurance from the Saudi Arabian delegation accompanying Custodian of Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah who was the chief guest at the Republic Day parade. The Indian Embassy in Riyadh will coordinate the case along with the Saudi government as well as the family of the deceased.

IT Meet in Cochin

India’s second largest IT event, IT Kerala 2006, will get under way Tuesday at the Infopark in the Kerala port city of Cochin. Nearly 100 companies such as TCS, Intel, Infosys, L&T, Tulip IT Services, NeST, IBS, Accel Frontline, Bharati, Reliance, Sutherland, Progeon, HP, Dell, ICICI One Source, 24/7 Customer Care, US Technology and Rittal India are participating in the five-day event that has already got nearly 28,000 jobseekers registered online. Some 15 million sq ft stall space has been signed up for stalls. “Today, all the IT majors are looking at Kerala as a destination and this participation shows their genuine interest”, IT Secretary P.H. Kurian said.

Poll-Eve Sops

Twenty-five kilograms of rice every month at three rupees a kg, cashless hospitalization insurance cover of up to 30,000 rupees and accident and life cover for an annual contribution of just 33 rupees, 10 percent quota in government colleges and waivers for debt-ridden farmers, Kerala’s poor never had it so good. These are some of the welfare schemes that the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government has announced for the benefit of 2.5 million families below poverty line (BPL) just three months ahead of general elections. All these schemes will come into being early February. The schemes also include free lunch for nursery students, a boiled egg every week to supplement their food and a cut in power bills. The government has also put a six-month ban on revenue recovery proceedings against debt-ridden farmers and introduced a one-time settlement of agricultural loans.

Job Quota Assurance

The UDF government last week embarked on another major step to win back backward communities, especially Muslims and Latin Catholics, whose representation in government jobs is minimal. It announced steps to protect 40 percent reservation in government jobs for them. Under the new quota regime, vacancies meant for backward communities should be kept unfilled till qualified candidates are found. It also decided to reserve 20 percent of seats for backward communities in degree and post-graduate courses in government colleges while setting apart 10 percent seats for BPL sections.

Muslim Chief Secretary

Sports and Youth Affairs Secretary Mohammed Riazuddin will become the first Muslim chief secretary of the state since its inception in 1957 when he takes charge Wednesday. He will remain in that position for a year. Riyazuddin, who belongs to the 1970 batch of IAS officers, succeeds V. Vijayanunni who retires Tuesday after two months in office. He had held the posts of under secretary and deputy secretary in New Delhi. He also served as the revenue secretary and secretary in charge of various subjects such as industries, rural development, education, forest, animal husbandry and tourism under the state government.