Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 26 — Union Home and Cooperation Minister, Amit Shah, will visit Kerala on Saturday to attend programmes linked to the cooperative sector and the 73rd birthday celebrations of Mata Amritanandamayi in Kollam.
HM Shah will begin his engagements at the Pavithram Convention Centre at Kundara at 2 p.m., where he will inaugurate various initiatives of cooperative societies being implemented through the National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India (NCCF) to strengthen and promote women's empowerment in the cooperative sector.
The programme is being held in the backdrop of the focus on women farmers and the Centre's ‘Sahkar Se Samriddhi’ initiative aimed at expanding the role of cooperatives in economic development.
The Union Minister will then proceed to the Mata Amritanandamayi Math at Amritapuri in Kollam, where he is scheduled to attend the ‘Vishwa Seva Dinam’ and ‘Amrit Keerthi Puraskar’ ceremony organised as part of the celebrations marking Mata Amritanandamayi's 73rd birthday.
The Amritapuri programme is scheduled for 3.45 p.m.
HM Shah is also expected to meet Mata Amritanandamayi during his visit.
Shah's visit assumes significance as it brings the Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation to Kerala for programmes involving both the cooperative movement and a major spiritual institution in the state.
The visit has prompted extensive security arrangements in Kollam and along the routes to be used by the Union Minister's convoy.
Traffic restrictions have been imposed in parts of Kollam from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Security and traffic arrangements have also been strengthened in Thiruvananthapuram in connection with the movement of the VVIP convoy.
Restrictions will remain in force on identified convoy routes from 11 a.m. to 9 pm.
Police have advised motorists, particularly those travelling towards the Thiruvananthapuram airport, to leave sufficiently early and factor in possible delays.
The Union Minister's Kerala visit comes at a time when the Centre has been placing increased emphasis on the cooperative sector as an instrument for strengthening rural livelihoods and expanding the participation of women in economic activities.