DMK's plea to government

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, an alliance partner of ruling Congress supporting the Narayanasamy-led Congress government from outside, has called upon the government to initiate steps for amelioration of the lot of the scheduled castes.
The DMK legislator and chairman of Puducherry government owned Industries Corporation R Siva today presented a 17-point charter of demands to Chief Minister, seeking steps to provide financial assistance to the scheduled caste entrepreneurs to start industries.
He also wanted strict utilisation of funds earmarked under 'special component plan' for the developmental schemes for the depressed sections.
Siva brought to the notice of the Chief Minister the housing requirements and educational facilities for the scheduled castes which, he alleged, were ignored during the previous AINRC rule. He appealed to the Chief Minister to bring in a separate legislation for the utilisation of the funds under special component plan.

He wanted the government to raise the housing subsidy for scheduled castes from present Rs four lakh to Rs five lakh so that the beneficiaries could replace the huts by concrete housing structures. Arundadhiyars should also be taken care of by special schemes, he added.
He charged the previous AINRC rule with having "totally ignored the welfare of the downtrodden.