In a major announcement, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Friday said the government would recommend to the Centre to include seven Scheduled Caste sub-sects — Pallar, Kudumbar, Pannadi, Kaaladi, Kadayar, Devendrakulathar and Vadhiriyar — in the Devendrakula Vellalar community.
This was a long-felt demand of a cross-section of community members. The Puthiya Tamilagam party had also held agitations in support of the demand.
Mr. Palaniswami told journalists in Sivaganga that following representations from various outfits and leaders on the issue, the State government had formed a one-man commission, headed by IAS officer Hans Raj Verma, in March 2019.
It has accepted the recommendations of the commission and has proposed to send it to the Centre for necessary notification.
On approval from the Union government, the demands would be fulfilled, he said.
Praise for doctors
The COVID-19 pandemic, which had rattled the State since March, had now been brought under control, he said thanking frontline workers, doctors, officials from the Health and Family Welfare departments, experts and hospital administrators. When the numbers were low in other southern States, it was high in Tamil Nadu. Today, it was not only under control but on the road to full recovery, he said.
The government had been transparent in its administration. When such was the reality, DMK leaders including party president M. K. Stalin, were levelling baseless allegations, he said.
There was no need to elaborate on the 2G spectrum issue as people were aware of the beneficiaries. He reiterated that A. Raja, then Union Minister, was arrested in the case (since acquitted) when the UPA was in power.
Portrait in Assembly
The Chief Minister said the AIADMK government had always recognised the services of stalwarts. In line with the tradition of late leader Jayalalithaa, the life-size portraits of Omandurar Ramaswamy Reddiar, V.O.Chidambaram Pillai and Paramasivan Subbarayan would be unveiled in the Assembly soon, he added.
The government had taken steps to enhance the number of seats from 100 to 150 in the Sivaganga government medical college, he said. To encourage more industries to come up in southern districts, 50% subsidy had been sanctioned on the land cost purchased for industrial purposes.
