DMK govt unveils plan to make huts concrete houses

The DMKs welfare juggernaut is showing no signs of slowing down. After the health insurance scheme and free TVs in the past...

The DMKs welfare juggernaut is showing no signs of slowing down. After the health insurance scheme and free TVs in the past,the state Government on Wednesday unveiled the Kalaignar Housing Scheme,named after Chief Minister M Karunanidhi,aiming to provide pucca houses for over two million rural households.

Meanwhile,Opposition parties AIADMK and MDMK staged a walkout in the Assembly alleging that the Government had failed to safeguard the interest of the state and its people. Even as the Governor began to deliver his customary address,AIADMK members were on their feet,reading out a prepared statement criticising the state Government over its alleged failures in controlling price rise,the Mullaiperiyar dam issue and protection of Tamil fishermen. The party MLAs soon staged a walkout,followed by its only remaining ally,MDMK.

Under the multi-crore scheme,announced by Governor Surjit Singh Barnala during his address in the Assembly,the Government has designed a 100 per cent state government-funded mega project to convert all the mud-walled,thatched roof huts in the rural areas of Tamil Nadu to concrete houses. Commencing in 2010-11,the scheme envisages the conversion of an estimated 21 lakh mud-walled huts to be distributed free of cost to the beneficiaries in six years. In the coming financial year,three lakh permanent houses will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs.1,800 crore, said the Governor in his address.

Explaining the rationale behind the current scheme in view of the Centrally-assisted Indira Awas Yojana already being in place,the Governor said that exclusive reliance on the latter would have meant a wait of three decades therefore a separate housing scheme had to be drawn up.

The Government has also decided to waive loans availed by the Scheduled Caste entrepreneurs and fishermen,each amounting to over Rs 80 crore. Tamil Nadu has also hiked the procurement price of paddy by Rs 50 per quintal as a measure to encourage farmers.

For those pursuing professional education in the Government quota who do not have any graduate in their families so far,the Government has decided to bear the entire tuition fee payable in government and private engineering,medical,dental,agricultural,veterinary and law colleges,irrespective of their caste or income. The DMK government has also assured of bringing pressure on the Union Government to prevent efforts by the Kerala Government to construct an unnecessary new dam at Mullaiperiyar.