Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertiliser M.K. Alagiri gave away house site pattas, old age pension among other welfare assistance to 2,812 beneficiaries to the tune of Rs. 70.12 crore here on Monday.
Distributing them at the Collectorate campus, Mr. Alagiri asked the beneficiaries: “You (people) gave me petitions seeking house site pattas, old age pension… I have kept my promise. Are you satisfied?.” An elderly woman promptly said yes. He gave away imported artificial legs each to a girl and a boy. Similarly, another boy received a Braille watch.
Earlier, Collector N. Mathivanan said that the welfare assistance offered by the State government to different segments, particularly the weaker sections, enabled them to fulfil their needs in a big way. Apart from old age pensioners, 968 members of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural Farm Labourers had received financial assistance to the tune of Rs. 35 lakh from the Minister recently. After the Minister assumed office, in the last 100 days, a total of 24,021 beneficiaries had received welfare assistance to the tune of Rs. 116.60 crore.
When asked whether he had any plans for the next 100 days, Mr. Alagiri told reporters that he would continue to serve the downtrodden and weaker sections in a similar fashion. The State government had been offering assistance to the poor and needy. “Whatever is possible from my side, I will keep doing for the people like in the past,” he said.
District Revenue Officer Dinesh Ponraj Oliver said that 1,661 beneficiaries receiving house site pattas on a single day was unprecedented. Apart from women and elders, transgenders, freedom fighters and visually challenged persons also received house site pattas, he added.
Adi-Dravida Welfare Minister A. Tamilarasi, MLAs P. Moorthy, Ghouse Batcha and K.S.K.Rajendran, Deputy Mayor P. M. Mannan and District Panchayat Council chairman Ashok Kumar participated.
A majority of the beneficiaries who received house site pattas in Thideer Nagar said that it was a dream come true. “Since 1977, we have been struggling to get the patta. Today it has become a reality,” they said.
