Thiruvananthapuram:
The Kerala Cabinet on Wednesday decided to promote high tech farming by setting up bio-rice and bio-coconut farms besides green houses to cultivate fruits, vegetables and flowers, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said.
A high level committee headed by Chief Secretary has been constituted to work out the details of the schemes, Mr Chandy told reporters after a cabinet meeting in Thiruvananthapuram.
Green House farming was planned with 50 per cent and 25 per cent Centre and state subsidies, he said, adding, promoters would have to find only 25 per cent of the total investment.
The co-operative sector would finance the 25 per cent of promoters' share, he said. A meeting of representatives of co-operative sector, local bodies and farmers would be held in all 14 districts to work out the scheme, he added.
To help students who have passed tenth standard but failed to get admission for plus two courses, the cabinet sanctioned 10 additional seats for each batch in all higher secondary government schools and in those aided and unaided schools, who were willing to take more students, he said.
The government would ensure that all students who passed tenth standard get admission for plus two courses in any of the schools in their districts, if possible in the taluks of their domicile, he said.
The cabinet also decided to set up a one-man commission to study the backwardness of Nadar Community in the state.
The Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation would be given a one-time subsidy of Rs three crore on condition that the Federation would not hike the price of cattle feed, Mr Chandy added.