Next ‘Mela’ starts at Kanakakkunnu

After the livestock fair that boomeranged on the State Government, Kanakakkunnu Grounds are going to be alive again. This time, it would host a major milestone event for the local bodies in the district, as they gear up to face the elections that are round the corner.

 However, hearing the name of the campaign would not give you an idea of what is in store. The event is the state-wide declaration of the ‘Thozhilum Veedum’ campaign that was kicked off last year. But along with it, the grounds will host a sales expo, cultural events, food festival, Kudumbasree sales and, to top it all, there would be a grand procession. The exhibition will kick off on Saturday and will be on till August 5.

In a news meet called by District Panchayat president Anavoor Nagappan, he said that the progress made in providing houses and employment for people would be showcased at the event. Also, the development of Kudumbasree would be highlighted. The various projects that the Grama Panchayats have implemented over the last five years would be projected.

While 1.1 lakh houses were in different stages of construction one year ago, almost 35-40 percent of them are over now. The fact that the EMS Housing Scheme could provide hundreds of houses at such hilly areas like Kuttichal itself speaks a lot about the progress it could make, Anavoor said.

The amount of Rs 900 crore that was spent in Kerala for the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) was transparent and non-corrupt, compared to other states. In the district, the scheme could reach out to many deprived women, they being the beneficiaries up to 90 percent.

The Kudumbasree project also has more than 37 lakh women employed who have made great contributions to the field of agriculture too. As part of the campaign, Kudumbasree women from across the state would line up their products and services at Kanakakkunnu.

Also look out for the Kuttanad cuisine, sea food delicacies from coastal areas and traditional dishes from Wayanad. The cultural events include Ghazal night by Viswajit (August 4) and ‘Gana Mela’ by Star Singer juniors (August 3). On August 2, Trissur Jananayana would perform various cultural items.

From August 2 to 4, there would be seminars that dwell on ‘local development and media’, ‘role of women in local development’ and the continuity programmes for the ‘Thozhilum Veedum’ campaign. On August 5, a procession would be taken out from Vellayambalam to Central Stadium. At 4 PM, Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan would make the state-wide declaration of the campaign which would bring the event to a close.