Amma parks, gymnasiums soon

Chief Minister Jayalalithaa said 500 ‘Amma Gyms’ would be set up in rural areas to promote physical and mental health of youth.

Continuing with its popular ‘Amma’ brand schemes, the State government has announced it would set up ‘Amma parks’ and ‘Amma gymnasiums’ across the State.

Making suo motu statements in the Assembly, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa said a total of 500 ‘Amma parks’ and 500 ‘Amma gymnasiums’ would be set up at a cost of Rs. 100 crore and Rs. 50 crore respectively. While the gyms, estimated to cost Rs. 10 lakh each, are intended to benefit rural youth, the parks would benefit children and women and would have recreation facilities, walking paths and gym equipment.

The government would also set up 1,000

anganwadi centres at a total cost of Rs. 70 crore to benefit children, young and pregnant women in rural areas. The green cover along the rural roads is set to get a fillip as 20 lakh saplings are to be planted over 10,000 km at a cost of Rs. 195 crore.

The Chief Minister said that the government would also continue to lend loans to the tune of Rs. 6,000 crore to self-help groups this year. While Rs. 300 crore has been earmarked for converting about 8.22 lakh street lamps into LED lamps, another Rs. 300 crore has been earmarked for renovating about 1,200 minor irrigational resources across the State.

Another 68 lakh fruit-bearing tree saplings are to be planted in government lands, government and private institutions, schools and colleges at a cost of Rs. 555 crore this year, she said. The government would also allocate Rs. 800 crore for developing rural roads as it did during 2015-16. Roads to the extent of 900 km would be upgraded to bitumen roads.

Under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and the Swachh Bharat scheme, about 15.17 lakh individual household latrines in 4,175 village panchayats would be constructed to discourage open defecation, she said.