Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay announced new cars for all MLAs, along with ₹75,000 monthly for driver and vehicle-related expenses.
The government also allocated ₹351 crore to expand medical and allied health education.
Other announcements included a ₹300 crore 400-bed hospital in Perambalur.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay has announced that all MLAs in the state will be provided with new cars to help them travel to their constituencies and address the concerns of residents. The announcement was made in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly after VCK MLA Jothimani raised concerns over the lack of logistical support available to legislators.
Under the new arrangement, each MLA will also receive ₹75,000 per month towards the driver’s salary and other car-related expenses. The government will additionally provide ₹25,000 per month for hiring an assistant for each MLA’s office.
Why Are MLAs Being Given New Cars?
Speaking in the Assembly, Vijay said legislators need to regularly travel to their constituencies to attend to people’s needs and that adequate logistical support was necessary for them to perform their responsibilities effectively.
Jothimani had earlier told the House that MLAs faced difficulties in carrying out constituency-related work without the necessary logistical facilities and sought official vehicles for legislators.
A senior DMK MLA said successive state governments had overlooked similar demands because of financial constraints, The Times of India reported.
The MLA pointed out that several local-body representatives already receive official vehicles.
“The government provides vehicles to municipal and union chairpersons, mayors and deputy mayors, but MLAs do not enjoy the same facility,” the MLA said, according to the report.
The legislator also said the absence of official vehicles restricted MLAs’ mobility, particularly when they needed to travel for important constituency-related engagements.
MLAs in the Assembly appeared pleased with the announcement after Vijay spoke to senior legislator N Anand following Jothimani’s intervention.
₹351 Crore Allocated To Expand Medical Education
The Tamil Nadu government has also announced an allocation of ₹351 crore to increase student admission capacity in government medical and allied health institutions.
The expansion is expected to create 6,098 additional seats for students pursuing healthcare-related courses.
The additional capacity includes 660 BSc Nursing seats, 1,925 seats in nursing colleges and schools, 2,778 seats across 12 paramedical courses and 735 additional seats in medical courses.
The government will also establish seven new government nursing colleges as part of the expansion.
₹300 Crore Hospital To Come Up In Perambalur
A 400-bed multispeciality hospital will be established in Perambalur at an estimated cost of ₹300 crore, according to the announcement.
The proposed facility is intended to provide advanced medical treatment and healthcare services to residents of the district and surrounding areas.
The government has also proposed a five-fold increase in the annual treatment limit under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme.
The coverage limit is set to increase from ₹5 lakh to ₹25 lakh per year.
The government also announced that additional medical and surgical services for transgender persons will be made available under the scheme at government hospitals in Chennai, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Chengalpattu, Thiruvarur, Karur and Kanyakumari.
