CHENNAI: A Tamil Cultural Heritage Museum would be set up in Madurai at an estimated cost of Rs 50 crore, said Chief Minister ‘Edappadi’ K Palaniswami on Wednesday.
A new award will be instituted in the name of Singaravelar, who hailed from fishermen community and championed the cause of the working class and was also a freedom fighter, he added while making a suo motu statement under Rule 110 of the Assembly.
The Tamil Cultural Heritage Museum will come up in the World Tamil Sangam complex at Madurai, for which Rs 15 crore would be allocated in the first phase this year, Palaniswami said.
The award in the name of Singaravelar, carrying a cash component of Rs 1 lakh, a one-sovereign gold medal and a citation, would be presented during the Tamil New Year Day celebrations by the Tamil development department.
Journalists’ pension would be hiked from Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 and the pension for their families would be increased by Rs 250 to Rs 5,000.
The scheme to provide grants to Hindus who undertake pilgrimage to Mansarovar in China and Muktinath in Nepal had received overwhelming response from the people, the Chief Minister said. From this year, the number of beneficiaries under this scheme would be hiked from 500 to 1,000, incurring an additional expenditure of Rs 1.25 crore.
Palaniswami also announced that the number of temples located in rural areas where Adi Dravida and tribal communities live and are to be renovated per year would be doubled this year from 1,000 to 2,000 and Rs 20 crore would be allocated for this purpose.
Construction of own buildings for 11 Adi Dravida Welfare hostels at a cost of Rs 12.87 crore and hiking the consolidated payment for 908 personnel engaged in prevention of hunting in forest areas from Rs 6,750 to Rs 10,000 were some other announcements made by Palaniswami.
The Chief Minister further said the financial assistance being given to families of unorganised workers who die of natural causes would be hiked from Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000. Similarly, the assistance given for performing final rites for unorganised workers would be increased from Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000.
New government ITIs at Vaniyambadi in Vellore district, Gopichettipalayam and Kottur in Thanjavur district would be constructed at a total cost of Rs 28.61 crore.