Salaries for about 60,000 employees in the cooperative sector have been hiked in State of Kerala, Coir and Cooperation Minister G. Sudhakaran announced.

Addressing a press conference here, Mr. Sudhakaran said the salary hike would be with retrospective effect from January 1 this year. The beneficiaries would be employees of Consumerfed, primary cooperative agriculture development banks, primary cooperative societies and the State Cooperative Agriculture Development Bank.

For employees of the primary cooperative agriculture development banks, the basic salary had been revised from Rs.4,750 to Rs.6,200 while the maximum salary hike for them would be from Rs.24,150 to Rs.39,950. In the primary cooperative societies, the basic salary would now be Rs.5,300 instead of Rs.4,000 while the maximum would be Rs.39,325 instead of Rs.24,940.

In the State Cooperative Agriculture Development Bank, the basic pay would be Rs.7,900 instead of Rs.6,000 while the highest pay would be Rs.52,500 instead of Rs.37,050.

In Consumerfed, the basic salary had been enhanced to Rs.5,750 from Rs.5,000 while the maximum salary was pegged at Rs.41,150 instead of Rs.25,415. The additional financial burden on the State due to the salary revision, in Consumerfed alone, would be Rs.1 crore, the Minister said, adding that employees who had completed 10 years would get one increment as weightage.

Stating that part-time staff would also be eligible for the enhanced basic pay, Mr. Sudhakaran said recommendations from the committee appointed to examine salary revisions in the cooperative sector were being accepted in entirety, except for a suggestion for a grading system, which would be decided upon at a later stage.

This is the second time that salaries in the cooperative sector were being revised after the Left Democratic Front Government came to power, he added

Students of cooperative colleges in Kerala participated in three day State Cooperative Youth Festival. They later took out procession in the city of Thrissur.

Participating in the function Cooperation Minister G. Sudhakaran expressed satisfaction that Cooperative in Kerala is doing better than other states. He also felt that cooperatives are participating in the economic affairs of the state.

The Minister also felt the need to change cooperative laws of the state to keep it attuned to the changing times.

Kerala Minister for Co – operation, G. Sudhakaran, said that he would be requesting a grant for the professional educational institutes in the co – operative sector so that it would be able to check the commercialization of professional education.

Speaking after inaugurating the graduation ceremony of the 2004 MBBS batch of the Co – operative Medical College (CMC) at Kalamassery, the Minister said the grant would also help the functioning of the college, which is running at a deficit.

Ninety – six medical graduates of the batch passed out on the day. The Minister also gave away medals to the top two students of the batch.

S.S. Chithra won the best outgoing student award besides the top medal for the first and the final years. Aishwarya P. got the top scoring medal for the second year and the second position in the first and final years of graduation.

The Cooperative Academy of Professional Education (CAPE) would be giving away 50 gold medals to the toppers in various courses run by the academy and those bagging the first position would get a medal worth five sovereigns of gold. CAPE has earmarked Rs. 10 lakh from its funds for this.

The CMC suffered a deficit of Rs. 12.5 crore last year in its budget. Over the past 10 years, the college has accumulated a liability of Rs. 87.5 crore. While there is no government support for the college, the banks in the co – operative sector have continued to support the college.

At the ceremony, Ramachandran Thekkedath, Vice – Chancellor of Cochin University of Science and Technology, presided. Dr. Chandra Mohan, Vice – Chancellor of Yenepoya University, delivered the convocation address and administered the oath to the graduates. Earlier, Dr.P.G.R. Pillai, medical director of the CMC, welcomed the gathering.

Dr. Philip Augustine, medical director, Lakeshore Hospital; Dr. Krishnankutty, Director, CAPE; and Dr. Roy Abraham Kallivayalil, Principal, CMC; were among those present.

96 Students Graduate from Co – Operative Medical College Kalamassery.