Chennai: Chief Minister M K Stalin accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of making frequent visits to the State now with an eye on the people’s tax money and votes without bothering to accede to any of the State government’s demand for financial assistance, including the Rs 37,000 crore that was sought as relief after two natural disasters struck one after the other.
Speaking at a government function in Mayiladuthurai on Monday to mark the launch of development programmes in the districts of Mayiladuthurai, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam, Stalin said the DMK government, functioning with public service as the only objective, was always reaching out to the people unlike the BJP that came to them only when elections were round the corner.
Stating there was nothing wrong with the Prime Minister visiting the State,he said he could have very well given the dues before coming over. Modi was behaving as though he was not at all concerned about the people’s needs but only wanted their support to keep him in power, Stalin said even as he announced his next signature scheme called ‘Neengal Nalama’ (Are you doing well?).
The scheme will be launched in Chennai on Wednesday with the objective of monitoring the plethora of welfare programmes launched by the present DMK government and ensuring that the benefits reach the people and also facilitating the shaping of future programmes for the benefit of the common people.
Starting from the Chief Minister to Ministers to the Chief Secretary to the Government secretaries to the Collector, those holding top positions in the government would call up common people and elicit their views first on the welfare schemes now being implemented and then on the delivery of government services to improve on the functioning of the government, Stalin said.
The function, marking the inauguration of a new Collector’s Office for Mayiladuthurai constructed at a cost of Rs 114.48 crore, launch of 70 completed projects worth Rs 308.88 crore and to lay the foundation for 40 new schemes for Rs 88.62 crore, besides distributing a total assistance of Rs 143.46 crore under various departments to 12,653 beneficiaries, saw the birth of a new taluk, Thiruvonam, expending Rs 7.56 crore.
Among the new schemes announced for the districts of Mayiladuthurai, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam was a Rs 10 crore new building for the 150-year-old Mayiladuthurai Municipality, the construction of water regulators to prevent the seepage of saline water into the land at different places at a cost of Rs 94 crore in the region and also a few schemes for the fishing community.
A milestone project that Stalin launched on Monday was the Natham online patta name change scheme, under which, for the first time, 75,33,102 pattas are to be issued online.
Stalin said that a new library announced for Myiladuthurai would be constructed soon at a cost of Rs five crore and that 1645 desktop computers would be supplied to the 12 government arts colleges and three polytechnics in the three districts.
Thus his government was implementing schemes for all sections of society thus endearing itself to the people of the State, who were fully backing the DMK Government as it was their own, he said adding that the people would, at no cost, be hoodwinked by the BJP that came to them only during the elections to solicit their votes.
