Chennai: The State government has proposed to build about 10,000 check dams across Tamil Nadu at a cost of Rs 312 crore to facilitate irrigation and help recharge groundwater.
Also, repair of roads and bridges damaged by Cyclone Gaja in the coastal districts will be taken up at a cost of Rs 200.53 crore, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami informed the Assembly on Wednesday.
Making a slew of announcements under rule 110 in the State Assembly, Mr. Palaniswami said roads and bridges were badly affected due to last year’s cyclone Gaja that ravaged several districts. Taking into account the extensive damage to roads and bridges in Nagappattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, and Pudukottai districts, the government would take up appropriate repair work.
Also, areas that were hit in Kodaikanal region in Dindigul district will also be covered, he added.
The Chief Minister also announced three new law colleges in Tamil Nadu in view of increasing applications every year from aspirants and to help students from backward communities — socially and economically — get legal education.
The colleges will be set up at a total cost of Rs 9.52 crore and foundation work would begin in 2019-20 academic year. "A Special Officer will be appointed for every college to immediately start after the preliminary work," Mr. Palaniswami said.
About 25,000 rural youths would be provided job oriented training at a cost of Rs 125 crore. On the rural roads upgradation scheme, launched in 2015-16 by former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, he said about Rs 1,200 crore would be allotted this year too as in 2018-19 to upgrade 5,000 km long rural roads. Efforts to augment the basic amenities including building overhead water tanks and sinking borewells in rural regions would be taken up for Rs 183.38 crore.
Mr. Palaniswami also announced that the Rs.11,000 crore target of loan disbursal for Women Self Help Groups (SHGs) during 2018-19 was surpassed and Rs 11,449 crore loan has been disbursed through banks. For the current fiscal, a target of Rs 12,500 crore has been set for extending the aid to the SHGs, he said.
The National rural economic transformation project would be implemented from this year in Cuddalore, Erode, Salem, Thanjavur and Tiruchi at a cost of Rs 210 crore.
