 "Jayalalithaa, MGR")
Ahead of coming Assembly election, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today asserted that the electoral promises made by the AIADMK in 2011 have been fulfilled and said her government has made all round progress across sectors in the past nearly five years.
In a statement in the Assembly, she said her government received flak from Opposition despite implementing welfare measures and asserted that people were intelligent enough to understand the truth.
"AIADMK in its 2011 election manifesto had promised schemes to put Tamil Nadu on the pathway of progress and such schemes have been fulfilled," she said.
She listed a slew of welfare schemes and freebies, including 20 Kg rice at free of cost, cooking oil and pulses at highly subsidised prices to ration card holders every month, green houses and free of cost milch cows, and goats to beneficiaries.
"Although we are implementing several welfare schemes so that people could live peacefully, charges are being made continuously inside and outside the House, and accusations are being made...Though we give explanation for the charges that were made against us, some persons repeat their falsehood. Such people who repeat false accusations despite explanation were under an illusion that people would believe them," she said.
"Tamil Nadu people are intelligent they would understand what is truth and what is not truth," she added.
On law and order front over which her government has often faced Opposition criticism, she asserted that "Tamil Nadu is a haven of peace". She said the State was peaceful as the police department was given full freedom.
Seeking to counter Opposition, she said, "Public order and incidence of crime are two different things. Though steps to maintain public order are taken, it is not possible to attain a stage where there are no incidence of crime."
Giving statistics, she said even the number of crimes have reduced in her regime.
Referring to the recent rains and floods, she expressed confidence that the affected people would be back on track with the aid of a slew of relief measures, including financial assistance to MSMEs.
Giving detailed statistics on welfare schemes, Jayalalithaa said her party had promised in 2011 green houses for three lakh persons. So far, for 2,62,853 beneficiaries, houses have been constructed at a cost of Rs 5,159.91 crore and 37,147 houses were being built.
Her party had said that 60,000 milch cows would be given free of cost to beneficiaries and so far 59,905 cows, at a cost of Rs 210 crore, have been distributed.
Again, in keeping with the electoral promise, 27,80,000 goats have been distributed to 6,95,000 marginalised families at a cost of Rs 897 crore.
So far, at a cost of Rs 6,553 crore, mixies, grinders and fans have been distributed free of cost to 1.63 crore families. Laptops have been distributed free of cost to 32.67 lakh school and college students at a cost of Rs 5,612.52 crore.
For fishermen, the assurance of Rs 4,000 financial assistance has been implemented. So far, Rs 368.63 crore has been disbursed to 7.57 lakh fishers as aid, she said.
During fishing ban season, financial aid of Rs 2,000 was also being given for 7.78 lakh fishermen and Rs 368.63 crore has been disbursed, she said.
Four gram gold assistance to brides of weaker sections, extension of all freebie welfare schemes to Srilankan Tamil refugees living in camps in the State, cable TV connection to households at a low cost of Rs 70 per month, were among the schemes that she mentioned.
"I don't see growth only as economic growth, growth should reach each and every one. This is a government for the common man and poor, it is a government that uplifts the have-nots," she said amid thumping of treasury benches.
She also listed sector-wise progress to underscore all round growth. "Due to efforts taken to increase agricultural production, we have attained a growth of 68.48 per cent in food grain production," she said speaking on farm sector.
Stating that power cuts posed her a 'big challenge' when she assumed power in 2011, she said since last year there was absolutely no power cuts in the State.
On higher education, she said Tamil Nadu stood in the first place at the national level. "While Gross Enrollment Ratio at the national level is 23.6 per cent, in Tamil Nadu it has touched 44.8 per cent," she said adding the GER stood at 18 per cent when she assumed power in 2011.
Stating that her government was giving top most importance to sectors like education and health as growth in such areas determined social development indicators.
