THE Kerala Government proposes to start a pilot tele-medicine project in the State as part of its efforts to utilise the immense possibilities of information technology in healthcare and education areas.

Replying to a calling attention motion in the State Assembly on Wednesday, the Health Minister, Mr P. Sankaran, said that the project would be a collective venture of Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, Sri Chitra Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology, Regional Cancer Centre and Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management, Kerala (IIITM-K).

The Government would shortly submit a proposal in this regard to the Centre, the Minister said.

Under the project, the Medical College will function as a tele referral centre and a few public health centres in the district as remote tele consultation centres.

The project is expected to cost Rs 58 lakh.

The Minister said that the tele-medicine practice had already been implemented in States such as Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat and at Apollo Hospitals.

It is expected to be successfully introduced in Kerala considering its size and the progress it has achieved in the area of healthcare.

As a first step towards realising the goal, the healthcare and education areas need to be modernised by extensive application of information technology.

For this purpose, the Health Services Directorate would be converted into a Planning and Monitoring Cell.

Besides, for creating the necessary infrastructure, the Government has earmarked Rs 40 lakh in the current year, the Minister said.

The Electricity Minister, Mr Kadavoor Sivadasan, said that the Kerala State Electricity Board would reduce the power tariff of fishermen using Chinese net from Rs 7.25 to Rs 2.75 per unit.

In reply to a submission, the Minister said that such fishermen would be brought under Category Four from the current Seven-A category.

Replying to a question, the Minister for Welfare of Backward and Scheduled Communities, said that a centre of excellence for encouraging SC/ST students for higher studies and research would be established at the Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode.

He added that preliminary work of the centre had started and admission of students would commence soon.

Of the Rs 5 crore earmarked for the centre, Rs 75 lakh had already been allocated, he informed the House.

The state-owned Travancore Titanium Products Ltd (TTP), the leading manufacturer of anatase grade titanium dioxide in the country, is sitting on a pile of unsold stocks worth Rs 26 crore.

Heavy taxation combined with large-scale import of the product from China are the main reasons for the plight of the company, according to Mr KP Shankaradas, President of the TTP Employees Union.

He told newspersons here that while the company could sell 1,300 tons of titanium dioxide in October, the offtake till date in the current month was only 160 tonnes.

Following the cut in the import duty on titanium dioxide, China has been exporting large quantities of the product to India and selling it at a much lower price than that of TTP. While the Chinese product was available at Rs 62000 per tonne in the Mumbai market, TTP’s product was being sold at Rs 87000 per tonne, he said.

TTP’s product was also non-competitive vis-à-vis other domestic manufactures of titanium dioxide as Kilburn, and this was mainly owing to the “double taxation” that was being subjected TTP, courtesy the Kerala State Industrial Products Trading Company ( KSIPTC) acting as the intermediary marketing for the company, Mr Shankaradas said.

While the other private sector companies were paying a total of Rs 10200 per tonne as tax, which TTP paying Rs 18000, he pointed out. This anomaly could be rectified to a large extent if the intermediary marketing done away with, he said.

Besides, the company should bring down the cost of production by accepting the offer of all the employees who had applied for voluntary retirement.

Also, new appointments should be kept in abeyance till the company overcame the difficulties facing it had been, he said.

He also warned that the Rs 110 crore project aimed at checking water pollution would lead to the collapse of the company. Instead, the management should think of implementing the suggestion by the National Institute of Oceanography effluent to carry the 750 metres away into the sea as much this would not cost the company, he said.

Thiruvananthapuram, December 31 - The Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission (KSERC) has a Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) asked the maintenance of tariffs and other taxes for the rest of the year 2003-04.

Briefing newspersons in the guidelines on revenue of all the requirements (CPP) and expected income from fees (ERC) for KSEB for 2003-04, Mr. MGK Pillai, chairman, C. and M. Balakrishnan, member, the Commission strongly recommended that the government grant Release Rs 375 crore to KSEB in monthly and grant permission for the maintenance of a customs amount of Rs 182.56 crore

There was also a qualified agreement on a proposal for KSEB “truing-up costs and revenues at the end of the year and the adjustment of taxes on fuel and other costs as a separate application.

In return, the board has been invited to perform truing up of all expenditure and revenue receipts. The committee would also be invited to a long time, all details regarding the various positions of support, with such data as requested by the Commission.

Past, the Commission approved a ARR of Rs 3697.83 crore ERC and the entire Rs 3141.37 crore against the RS 3850.31 crore and Rs 2924.23 crore KSEB projected for 2003-04.

The revenue deficit of Rs 556.46 crore would be full of concessions and subsidies by the government. This included the release of Rs 175 crore in cash in the form of grants, in the state budget and the granting of additional grant of Rs 200 crore.

Borrowing and debt service: The Commission noted with concern “increasingly” KSEB debt burden. The total debt at 31 October 2003, was Rs 5,043 crore against the net fixed assets the strength of the R 6000 crore, including work in progress.

The food was not due diligence in the discharge of their financial transactions, particularly in lending right. The Commission found it difficult to justify the obligations of Rs 1,002 crore on 31 October 2003, interest rates of 10 per cent to 13.5 per cent.

He had expressed serious reservations against the replacement of loans, based on a profit of Rs 7.15 crore per annum. The need for items such as interest on cash credit for operating capital and the rising cost of finance fletschte total lack of financial planning. The Commission has sought, the Committee for the preparation and presentation of a White Paper on debt service, not later than 31 January 2004, the state government, the State Board panoramic, l except himself.

Capital works: The KSEB has proposed an investment plan as a basis for Rs 500 crore for capital investment works 2003-04. But this is not any programme of work of the Commission said.

The signs say simply, the objective data and progress in the financing of expenditure to 31 October 2003. The Board of Directors seem not to have a draft of each monitoring system and control of the continuation of budgetary control was the accident.

It would appear that loans for investment projects, which has remained unused financial losses for the Committee.

The Institute should immediately introduce a system of project management, monitoring and control, and the costs and time overruns capital costs are absolutely be avoided.

The Commission custody, it would be so that the interests on loans narrowed still unused or misused.

The Commission also wanted the Board of Directors, a detailed investment plan for capital works during 2004-05.

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec. 10. HINDUSTAN Newsprint, Kottayam, and Cochin Shipyard are among the winners of the Energy Conservation Awards instituted by the State-level Monitoring Committee for Energy Conservation under the State Government.

Announcing this here, a spokesman of the Energy Management Centre, an autonomous body under the Department of Power, said the Electricity Minister, Mr Aryadan Mohammed, would give away the awards and commendation certificates at a function here on Tuesday.

Hind Newsprint and Cochin Shipyard are the winners in Category I (large-scale enterprises). The former was chosen for reducing consumption of electricity and thermal energy, leading to a cutback in contract demand with the Kerala State Electricity Board.

Cochin Shipyard is being feted for reduction in specific energy consumption by 2 per cent in ship building activity and 17 per cent in ship repair. There are no contenders for the Category II (medium scale enterprises) award; a commendation certificate will be conferred on Hindustan Latex, Akkulam, Thiruvananthapuram.

Category III (Small scale enterprises) also does not have a winner. A commendation certificate was issued to Sophisticated Test & Instrumentation Centre, Cochin, and Thomson Tiles, Thrissur.

In Category IV (Non-profit organisations), the award goes to KENCOS, Kadirur, Kannur, for generating awareness among public on energy efficient products. The commendation certificate goes to Vimala Public School, Thodupuzha, and the Pathanapuram village panchayat.

In Category V (Research & Innovations), the award goes to Prof (Dr) P. S. Chandramohanan Nair, College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram. The commendation certificate goes to Dr Satyajith Mathew of the Kerala Agricultural University.

There is no winner in Category VI (Individuals). Commendation certificates go to Ms U. Najeema (Thrissur) and Mr S. Ratnakumar (Kollam).