more-in The State Cabinet has appointed new Collectors in five districts. The new Collectors and districts are K. Vasuki (Thiruvananthapuram), S. Karthikeyan (Kollam), P. Suresh Babu (Palakkad), Navjot Khosa (Kottayam) and T.V. Anupama (Alappuzha). Dr. Vasuki is now Executive Director, Suchithwa Mission. Dr. Karthikeyan is now Director of Fisheries. Dr. Suresh Babu is now Marketfed Managing Director. Ms. Khosa is now Food Safety Commissioner and Ms. Anupama is now Director of Social Justice. The incumbent Palakkad Collector P. Marykutty has been appointed Director of Panchayats. The Kottayam Collector will take over as Secretary, Land Board. Thiruvananthapuram Collector K. Venkitesapathy is the new Director of Fisheries. Kollam Collector T. Mithra will be the new Executive Director, Suchithwa Mission. Veena N. Madhavan will take over charge of the portfolios that are currently being handled by Ms. Anupama. Free Onam kit The Cabinet also decided to decided to give free Onam kits to families belonging to various special categories. Around 5.95 lakh families coming under the Anthyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) would be given the free Onam kits at an estimated cost of ?6.71 crore, 1.55 lakh Scheduled Tribe families at a cost of ?13.20 crore, and 51,476 persons aged above 60 years belonging to the Scheduled Tribes would get the free kits at an estimated outlay of ?3.93 crore. Besides this, 81 lakh cardholders in the State would be given one kilo of sugar each at ?22, at an estimated cost of ?20.51 crore. Ex gratia for Murugan’s family The Cabinet also decided to provide an ex gratia of ?10 lakh to the next of kin of Murugan, a native of Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu, who had succumbed to his injuries after being denied treatment by several hospitals. The amount, meant for the education of Murugan’s two sons, would be evenly divided and deposited in bank with the provision that Murugan’s wife would be eligible to draw the interest from the deposit. Murugan’s family had called on the Chief Minister at his office in the Assembly complex on Wednesday morning and the Chief Minister had assured them of all assistance for the family. (EOM)

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