KOLLAM: The much-lauded move by the state government allocating funds for the private cashew factories has received no positive signs. The government had not held any talks with these processors to design appropriate packages to prevent their migration to other states for high costs back home. In the recent budget, Rs 20 crore has been allotted to keep them here. The Cashew Corporation had earlier said it would hold talks with them on packages providing subsidies and other concessions. The authorities have not yet acted upon this and also failed to convince those who have kept their factories shut for over a year, leaving workers jobless.
State-owned factories
Meanwhile, the State-owned units under Cashew Corporation and Capex also remain closed for the past several weeks, failing to keep the election season promise of maximum-job-days. The government could give only 70 days' work during its first 11 months. In the budget, a sum of Rs 30 crore had been allotted for the purchase of raw cashew while Rs 6.5 crore for promoting indigenous cashew production.
Pension
Apart from all these, the poor cashew pensioners also had to receive a blow in the dark with the government slashing their social security pensions. “Over three-lakh workers across the State remain victims of this reduction in pension amount, while in the cashew sector alone there are over 65,000 pensioners affected. Those who avail the welfare fund pensions now get only Rs 600 as social security pension which was earlier Rs 1000. The pensions are the fruits of their labour and not the mercy of the government,” anti-corruption crusader Kadakampally Manoj told DC.
