Tamil Nadu MLAs To Get Cars For Constituency Work

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Wednesday announced cars for all MLAs along with ₹75,000 a month towards drivers’ salaries and vehicle-related expenses, saying the move would help legislators travel regularly in their constituencies and attend to people’s needs.

The government will also provide MLAs ₹25,000 a month to employ an assistant in their offices, taking the monthly allowance for drivers, vehicle expenses and assistants to ₹1 lakh.

Vijay said MLAs were required to travel extensively in their constituencies to hear people’s grievances and monitor government projects. The vehicles would particularly help first-time legislators and those without adequate financial resources discharge their responsibilities, he said.

The announcement followed a demand raised in the Assembly on August 12 by VCK MLA L.E. Jothimani, who said legislators lacked the logistical support required to work effectively.

Jothimani pointed out that municipal and union chairpersons, mayors and deputy mayors were provided official vehicles, while MLAs did not have a similar facility.

The announcement was welcomed by several legislators. TVK MLA Sabari Iyngaran said she neither owned a car nor had a job and recalled travelling to Chennai by train and taking an autorickshaw to the Assembly. She said police personnel once did not believe she was an MLA until she showed her identity card.

Another TVK MLA, Sindhu, broke into the old MGR song Kodutthathellam Kodutthan to thank the Chief Minister, drawing applause from legislators. Congress MLA Tharagai Cuthbert said the announcement had made MLAs “so happy” and predicted that Opposition legislators would also welcome it.

School Education Minister Raj Mohan said the measure would not only help MLAs perform their duties but also generate employment for drivers and assistants. The DMK, however, criticised the decision as an unnecessary expenditure.

Among other announcements, Vijay increased annual medical insurance coverage under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme from ₹5 lakh to ₹25 lakh.

The government also increased Aavin’s milk procurement price from ₹38 to ₹41 per litre, benefiting 3.16 lakh milk producers. The measure is expected to cost the government an additional ₹360 crore annually.

Vijay also announced an expenditure of over ₹351 crore to increase student intake in government medical institutions by 6,098 seats across medical, nursing and paramedical courses. Seven new government nursing colleges will also be established.

The government further announced that medical and surgical treatment services for transgender persons would be extended to seven additional government medical college hospitals.