Despite Hassles, TN Govt Will Take Care of People: CM

Chennai: In spite of the financial crises wrought about by the Union Government, the State government had been continuing with all its visionary schemes that had been role models for the nation to follow by focusing only on the welfare of the people and not bothering about the economic difficulties, Chief Minister M K Stalin said on Monday.

Inaugurating 1000 ‘Chief Minister’s Pharmacies’ that would sell both generic and branded drugs, surgical and nutraceutical products and Indian medicines across the State at a 25 per cent discount on prices, Stalin said it was part of his government’s mission to take care of the people’s education and health through a plethora of schemes and take the State to the top level on education and health care.

The scheme was yet another indicator of the government’s concern for the common people as the 1000 pharmacies, opened in the first phase, would provide a big relief to people who had to be on regular medication for conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure.

Congratulating the Cooperative Minister I Periyakaruppan and the officials of the department for implementing the ‘life-saving’ scheme that was first announced on Independence Day so efficiently. Stalin said his government was concerned about the people’s health and it was proved the way it dealt with the Coronavirus pandemic by vaccinating 86.95 per cent of the population with the first dose and 60.71 per cent of the population with the second dose.

When the DMK came to power in the midst of the pandemic, only 8.09 per cent of the people had received the first dose and 2.84 per cent the second dose of the Covid vaccine, he recalled and said that 8.55 crore vaccines were arranged by the government to save the people through the two doses and also the booster dose.

The Chief Minister, recounting his visit to the Corona ward in Coimbatore, said that the Medical care at the Doorstep (Makkalay Thedi Maruthuvam) scheme was launched after that benefitting 2 crore people. Also he listed out the medical schemes like ‘Protect the Feet,’ ‘Save the Heart’ and so on to address the problems faced by specific groups of people like children, students, women, youth and the elderly.

It was the government’s approach to meet the health needs of the different group in different ways that had earned State the top place in social development and helped it to earn accolades in achieving poverty eradication, doing away with hunger, quality education, gender equality, pure drinking water at lost costs, employment opportunities, economic growth, industrial infrastructure, equal opportunities, people’s welfare, medical facilities and so on, he said.

These appreciable indices were not self-boasting certificates given away by the government but the recognition granted by NITI Aayog through statistics based on the success of pioneering welfare schemes like monthly assistance to poor women, free bus rides to women, monthly assistance to women students enrolling for higher education, monthly assistance for boys enrolling for higher education and free breakfast in schools, he said.