TN govt announces special pay of ₹2000
CHENNAI:THE All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government in Tamil Nadu on Monday announced a special assistance of ₹2,000 each to 60 lakh below poverty line (BPL) families hit by drought as well as Cyclone Gaja in November.
Speaking during the budget session of the Tamil Nadu assembly, chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said that the state government will allocate ₹1,200 crore for the scheme.
“Many districts in the state were affected by Cyclone Gaja. Due to the monsoon failure, farmers and farm labourers are in distress. As the government has examined these issues and drought-like conditions, we have decided to come out with a special assistance fund for 60 lakh families under the BPL,” Palaniswami said.
He said that the assistance will be provided to both urban and rural families. “About 35 lakh families in the rural areas and 25 lakh families from the urban sections will benefit from this government’s special assistance,” he explained.
The main opposition party, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), called the move an “election gimmick”.
“Usually, the AIADMK has the habit of buying votes by offering cash to voters. But this time, for Lok Sabha elections, they have announced to give money from the government’s treasury...the AIADMK rulers are introducing a new system of giving government cash to voters to buy votes,” said M Subramanian, DMK legislator and former mayor of Chennai.
Political analyst Azhi Senthilnathan said that the government’s announcement is purely to bag votes. “If the government wants to give cash assistance, it should consult with economists and a survey should be done. However, the TN government has not done any assessments. In 2016-2017, TN has faced a severe drought. But, the government has not extended any fund assistance. But, now it has come forward to provide the cash. Even it has not said anything about the way how the cash will be given to the people. So, CM has made this announcement only by keeping the LS elections on the mind,” Senthilnathan. added.