The two major welfare schemes - Chief Minister Dr.Kalaignar’s Health Insurance Scheme for Life Saving Treatments and the recently announced Kalaignar Housing Scheme for construction of 21 lakh concrete houses in the next six years have been considered as massive major schemes in the country, said Deputy Chief Minister M. K. Stalin on Wednesday.
Speaking at a function to inaugurate the Periyar Memorial Samathuvapuram at Pudupatti village in Gandarvakottai block, lay foundation stone for 499 development projects at a total cost of Rs.49 crore, inaugurate several completed projects and development works at a cost of Rs.39.16 crore, Mr. Stalin said that the DMK Government after came to power not only fulfilled its poll promises but also introduced the two major schemes in the State.
The Deputy Chief Minister who also distributed Rs.23.45 crore as loans including revolving fund and economic assistance to 4,165 beneficiaries of the women self help groups, said that there were now about 4.25 lakh women SHGs were functioning in the State and pointed out that the DMK Government in the last three and half years had provided loans through the banks to the tune of Rs.5,972 crore and revolving fund of Rs.215 crore to the SHGs.
Mr. Stalin pointed out that the DMK Government after coming to power in 2006 had decided to establish 95 more Periyar Memorial Samathuvapurams in the State besides the 145 established during its previous regime. He said that 30 Samathuvapurams would be established during 2009-10 and 36 Samathuvapurams during 2010-2011.
He said that the main objective of the Government was to empower women and pointed out that they should stand on their own legs by forming SHGs and creating income-generating activities. Mr. Stalin said that the Indian Bank which had advanced the maximum loan amount of Rs.1,159 crore for the SHGs in Tamil Nadu out of the total loan of Rs.1,864 crore granted for the whole country. Similarly, the Indian Overseas Bank had also advanced 48 per cent of the loan amount to the SHGs in Tamil Nadu. This showed the confidence among the SHGs for prompt repayment in Tamil Nadu.
Collector A. Suganthi who presided over the function explained in detail the various projects being carried out in the district and also the foundation stone laid for several development works. She said that the Pudupatti Samathuvapuram inaugurated on Wednesday was the seventh in the district.
S.S.Kumar, Project Officer, DRDA, Pudukottai, J.K.Rithish, MP, Udayam Shanmugam and Rama Subburam, MLAs and others spoke.
