CHENNAI: Asserting that DMK government’s welfare schemes are not driven by vote-bank politics but by a commitment to use power as an opportunity to uplift the marginalised, Chief Minister MK Stalin launched the Anbu Karangal scheme on the birth anniversary of former chief minister CN Annadurai on Monday.
Describing votes as a symbol of the people’s trust in his party, Stalin said the DMK was using that mandate to fulfil people’s needs and drive social change.
He was speaking after inaugurating the scheme under which a monthly assistance of Rs 2,000 will be provided in the first phase to 6,082 children, who have lost both parents or cannot be cared for by a surviving parent, until they turn 18.
Expressing delight in inaugurating the scheme on the birth anniversary of Perarignar Anna, who gave the principle of Dravidian politics — ‘God can be seen in the smiles of the poor’ — Stalin said, “The smiles of these children are our tribute to him.”
He further said the Dravidian movement is the uprising of the common people who were long oppressed, and its ideals continue to resonate with people because of that.
While many believe politics is about holding on to government with the desire for power, introducing some attractive schemes and then seeking re-election with the same desire, the DMK’s guiding principle is the responsibility placed on it and not position or power, he added.
Schemes not targeted at votes: CM
Listing initiatives including Anbu Karangal, students’ breakfast programme, financial aid for children orphaned due to Covid-19, and self-defence training for children in government homes, Stalin reiterated that they had no connection to vote-bank politics.
“A vote is a symbol of the trust people have placed in us. We have the policies, the action plan, and the hard work needed to earn that trust. The responsibility born out of this trust is an opportunity to extend a helping hand to even the most marginalised,” he said.
Stalin further noted that his government had implemented carefully designed schemes for persons with disabilities and transgender people, who number only a few hundred or thousand and remain on the margins of society.
Under the Anbu Karangal scheme, financial aid would be extended to children who have lost both parents, or to those with one parent deceased and the other unable to care for them due to abandonment, disability, imprisonment, or a life-threatening illness. Stalin assured that once these children complete schooling, steps would be taken to support their higher education.