Kerala Cabinet Approves Hill Area Development Panel, Revamps Kuttanad Package

• Kerala Cabinet, chaired by CM Pinarayi Vijayan, approved major development decisions focusing on hill areas, Kuttanad region, and industrial expansion.
• A Hill Area Development Empowered Committee, headed by the Chief Minister, will implement a “zero-casualty” policy for human-wildlife conflict and shift the Western Ghats economy to value-added production.
• Major changes approved for Kuttanad Development Coordination Council, with a Central Project Processing Unit for Kuttanad Regional Development (CPPU-KRD) to coordinate projects.
• Cabinet approved a Rs 741-crore expansion project for Kerala Paper Products Limited (KPPL) at Velloor to increase production capacity and diversify products.
• Kochi Metro Rail Limited authorized to take a Rs 1,016.24 crore loan from Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank for Phase II of the Kochi Metro project.