 "Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK Supremo J Jayalalithaa smiles as she is greeted after her party's win in the state Assembly polls in Chennai")
She also started a phased prohibition, providing free gold for marriages and free power for handloom weavers. All these were major promises her party made in their manifesto before the Assembly elections. Jayalalithaa’s All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) won 134 out of 232 Assembly seats. Election for two has been postponed to June.
The chief minister and 28 of her Cabinet colleagues were sworn in by Governor K Rosaiah on Monday at the Madras University’s Centenary Hall. The list included 13 new faces and four women. S Semmalai has been named as pro-tem Speaker. Jayalalithaa was sworn in as chief minister for the second consecutive term, a rare feat for a political party in Tamil Nadu. Despite the rivalry between the two parties, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) treasurer M K Stalin attended the swearing-in ceremony. This was the second time Stalin attended Jayalalithaa’s swearing in. In 2001, as Chennai mayor, he, along with a few DMK leaders, attended the function. After the ceremony, the chief minister drove straight to her office at the Secretariat and signed the five files. The first was an order to waive off small and medium farmers’ loans in the cooperative banks. This would cost the state around Rs 5,780 crore. Also, domestic users are now entitled to 100 units of free electricity. This will cost the state around Rs 1,607 crore.
The third file the chief minister signed entitles women who are yet to complete their graduation or have diplomas to 8 gm of gold on their wedding. Earlier, the amount of gold was 4 gm. The chief minister also increased free power to handloom weavers to 200 units and for powerlooms to 750 units, said a PTI report. Earlier, they got 200 units. The fifth file was related to prohibition, which, according to the chief minister will be implemented step by step in the state. To start with, she ordered closure of 500 Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) retail shops, of the total over 6,823 outlets, in the state. She also reduced shop timings. Earlier they were open between 10 am and 10 pm. Now, these would be open from 12 noon to 10 pm. The state earns about Rs 27,000 crore. VIPs who attended the event include Union ministers Venkaiah Naidu and Nirmala Seetharaman.
Jayalalithaa had invited Prime Minister Narenda Modi, too, but since he is on a visit to Iran, Naidu represented the Centre. Union Minister from Tamil Nadu Pon Radhakrishnan also attended the function. Jayalalithaa will hold the portfolios of public, police, general administration and home. Her trusted aide O Panneerselvam will be the finance minister.
FIRST DAY, FIVE SHOWS
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Orders to waive off small and medium farmers’ loans in the cooperative banks. Likely to cost the state around Rs 5,780 crore
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Domestic users are now entitled to 100 units of free electricity. Likely to cost the state Rs 1,607 crore
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Women who are yet to complete their graduation or have diplomas will be given 8 gm of gold on their wedding
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Free power to handloom weavers increased to 200 units and for powerlooms to 750 units
- Orders closure of 500 TASMAC liquor outlets
