Kerala Budget-2012 Highlights-Retirement age raised to 56

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Finance Minister K M Mani said the retirement age of government employees has been raised to 56 years from 55.


Presenting the budget for 2012-13 in the assembly, Mani said the retirement age had been raised to 56 years following the pension age unification brought by the previous LDF government. The government has withdrawn the unification scheme and confirmed the retirement age as 56 years.


The announcement drew instant protest from the opposition, which was already agitated over what it termed as leak of budget contents to the media. Although Speaker G Karthikeyan tried to pacify the opposition members with the assurance that leak, if any, would be visited according to the procedures of the Assembly, this did not fully satisfy the Opposition benches. The Finance Minister was forced to continue with his budget speech amidst sloganeering from young LDF members from the well of the House.


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Budget highlights
*Japan Drinking Water Project to be implemented in Ernakulam
*Drinking Water Project in Harippad panchayat
*50 crores for protecting dam in Mullaperiyar
*Institute of global standard for disaster management
*Engineering colleges at Muttathara in Thiruvananthapuram and Athani in Thrissur
*84 crores for functioning of Kudumbashree
*Rs 50 crores for modern fish markets
*Widows pension made Rs 525
*Rs 1100 as kit allowance for sports persons
*Ayah's salary will rise to Rs 600
*Old age pension for above 80 years increased to Rs 900
*50 crores for Kannur airport
*Air strips for all districts
*Journalists pension made Rs 4500
*5 crores for centre for public research in capital city
*1 crore for Pineapple Mission
*25 crores for Sabarimala development
*56 made pension age
*750 crores for basic infrastructure
*Expense for pension, salary rises
*Land for Kozhikode airport to be acquired
*Kerala Innovation Mission to be formed
*224 crores for Vizhinjam project
*45 crores for Green House project in panchayats
*Hi Tech agriculture methods proposed
*Two rice bio parks to be installed in Kuttanad and Palakkad
*25 crores for Rapid Force Project in Thiruvananthapuram and Kottayam
*50 crores for Fast Track Rail Corridor
*New airports in Idukki, Wayanad
*Higher allocation for agriculture, industrial sectors