Soon after she was administered the oath of office by Governor K. Rosaiah on Monday, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa signed a few files including one that reduced the business hours of State-run liquor shops across the State by two hours.
From Tuesday, Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac) outlets across the State would open only at noon instead of 10 a.m. and remain open till 10 p.m. Ms. Jayalalithaa, who had promised to implement prohibition in the State in phases, also signed a file to close down 500 liquor outlets, an official release stated.
Fulfilling another poll promise, she signed a file for providing 100 units of free electricity for all households with immediate effect.Besides waiving farm loans taken from cooperative banks till March 31 this year, she sanctioned a scheme to provide free one sovereign (eight grams) gold mangalsutra for poor women. Previously, women were given four-gram gold mangalsutra.
Later, S. Semmalai who has been appointed as Pro-tem Speaker, took oath as a member of the 15th Legislative Assembly in Raj Bhavan, an official release stated.
Though only 28 Ministers took oath in two batches of 14 each during the ceremony at the university campus, four new Ministers were inducted into the Council of Ministers later in the day.
G. Baskaran (Khadi and Village Industries Board), Sevvoor S. Ramachandran (Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments), Nilofer Kabil (Labour) and P. Balakrishna Reddy (Animal Husbandry) would be sworn in on Wednesday.
Vice-President Hamid Ansari, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptulla called the Chief Minister over telephone and extended their greetings. Ms. Jayalalithaa thanked them for their wishes, a release stated.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, in his letter, congratulated Ms. Jayalalithaa on her “historic victory” in the election. BJP’s Karnataka State unit president B.S. Yeddyurappa congratulated the CM on her “splendid success.”
String of transfers
In the evening, a string of transfers of IAS and IPS officers was effected, with some of the officers transferred on account of elections reverting to their posts.
