CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Friday said that the scheme to provide free bus rides to women was an overwhelming success and that 80% of the beneficiaries were women from SC/ST communities.
“The beneficiary families say they can save 8% to 12% of their earnings. So, this scheme should not be described as a ‘freebie’ in a limited sense; it should instead be taken as an economic revolution. We should run a campaign at the national level about such schemes, which are symbols of Dravidian model governance,” he added.
The chief minister was chairing the third meeting of the State Planning Commission (SPC). He said new policies for key departments were on the anvil and requested the commission to prepare them in a manner that would spur TN’s growth. The commission is tasked with framing policies industrial, MSME, handloom, tourism, electric vehicles, and textile ones for TN.
He also asked it to expedite work on policies relating to important departments such as health, social welfare, employment, and environment. Stating that one of the key aspects of the Dravidian model of growth was to ensure uniform growth of all districts, Stalin urged the commission to make recommendations that would end classifying districts as developed and backward as each district had a unique feature, based on which certain plans and recommendations could be made.
Stalin distributes bicycles to Ulamas
Chennai: CM MK Stalin has commenced the distribution of bicycles to 10,583 Ulamas at Rs 5.43 crore and the disbursal of Rs 4.56 crore in subsidy to 1,649 Muslims who went on Hajj in 2022. According to a press release, 10,583 Ulamas and mosque employees had been selected for bicycles from the backward class, most backward class and minorities department.