CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Monday inaugurated 729 houses built at a cost of Rs 38.76 crore for Sri Lankan Tamils living in Sri Lankan rehabilitation camps in Keezhputhupattu (Villupuram district); Thirumurthi Nagar (Tiruppur district); Thammampatti (Salem district); Nagavathi dam and Kesaikuli dam (Dharmapuri district); and Kandiyapuram (Virudhunagar district).
A release said the CM had announced that 7,469 new houses will be built instead of old houses for Lankan Tamils in 26 districts. In the first phase, orders were issued for building 3,510 houses in 35 camps located in 19 districts.
Already, 2,781 houses have been handed over to the Tamils in 32 camps in 18 districts. Stalin also inaugurated additional buildings for the Dharmapuri collectorate and office buildings for taluk offices in various districts, built at a total cost of Rs 54.80 crore, through video conference.
Members of the State Minorities Commission called on Stalin on Monday and thanked him for granting financial assistance to the members of the Buddhist, Jain and Sikh communities to undertake pilgrimage to their holy places.
On June 10, the CM had ordered an annual financial assistance of Rs 10,000 per person will be provided to 50 Buddhists, 50 Jains, and 20 Sikhs from Tamil Nadu to undertake pilgrimages to sacred sites of their respective religions within India.
A total subsidy of Rs 12 lakh will be allocated for 120 individuals under this scheme. Already, the government has been extending financial assistance to Muslims for undertaking the pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina, and to Christians for visiting Jerusalem.
Stalin also reviewed the functioning of the 10 key departments on Monday. The meetings lasted for four hours at the secretariat. “The works completed through every department were remarkable. I have advised the officials to complete the ongoing works also on time,” the CM said in his post on the X handle.