THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Minister MB Rajesh said that the increased building permit fee in the state will not be withdrawn. "A very small amount is charged here as compared to other states. Only a small increase has been made in it. The revenue and efficiency of local bodies should be increased", Rajesh said.

He was speaking at the Meet the Press program organized by the District Committee of Kerala Journalists Union at Kesari Trust.

"All services are being made online to increase the efficiency of local bodies. K-smart app is being prepared for that. It will be completed on November 1. For the first time in history, the transfer of employees was completed online. But some made a conscious effort to subvert this. It will be detected and strict action will be taken.", he added.

"Steps have also been taken to increase the income of local bodies. Training programs for secretaries will begin at ILGMS in September. Ratings will also be implemented for the local institutions by accepting the opinions of the people. A review of activities will be conducted at the ministerial level every two weeks."

"Steps have also been initiated to make Kerala the first fully digital literate state in India. High speed internet service will be made available to all. The information released by the Centre indicates that Kerala will be able to achieve the goal of becoming a state without extreme poverty by 2025. 64,006 extremely poor families have been identified.The first phase of preparing micro plans for each family has been completed.", the minister added.