PM kickstarts Amma twowheeler scheme
CHENNAI VISIT Modi rolls out former Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa’s pet scheme on her 70th birth anniversary, stresses on empowerment
CHENNAI: Stressing on the importance of empowering women, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched late Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa’s pet two-wheeler scheme for working women.
According to the Amma twowheeler scheme, which was promised by Jayalalithaa in the 2016 elections, the beneficiaries will get the vehicles at half the cost. The government will pitch in with the remaining amount, subject to a cap of ₹25,000.
Rolling out the scheme on the former CM’S 70th birth anniversary, the Prime Minister handed over the keys of the two-wheelers to some of the beneficiaries.
Modi also addressed the gathering, starting with Tamil and then soon switching over to English. “I am happy to launch Jayalalithaa’s pet scheme,” he said, adding that if a woman was educated and healthy, her entire family would benefit.
Speaking about the Union government’s initiatives for women empowerment, the PM said, “Over 11 crore loans have been sanctioned under Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana. An amount of ₹4.6 lakh crore has been given to people without any bank guarantee and most importantly, 70% of the beneficiaries are women.”
He also spoke of the benefits of the Jan Dhan Yojana, saying of the 31 crore accounts,16 crore belonged to women. The PM added that toilets were built in mission mode for girl students.
While deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam thanked Modi for gracing the event, chief minister Edappadi Palaniswami used the occasion to request the Prime Minister to set up the Cauvery Management Board and Cauvery water regulation committee as per the directives of the Supreme Court, evoking a thunderous response.
The chief minister and his deputy also launched the AIADMK’S new mouthpiece, Namadhu Puratchi Thalaivi Amma.