Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay has announced a series of major measures for MLAs and the public, including government vehicles for all legislators, monthly financial support for vehicle-related expenses and assistants, and a five-fold increase in health insurance coverage.
Vijay made the announcements while speaking in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Wednesday.
The measures are aimed at helping MLAs travel to their constituencies and deal with local issues, while several other announcements focused on healthcare, medical education and milk producers.
Government Cars For All MLAs
Under the new arrangement, all 234 MLAs in Tamil Nadu will be provided with government vehicles for constituency-related work.
CM Vijay said MLAs frequently need to travel across their constituencies to meet people, understand their problems and monitor local issues. The government believes providing vehicles will make such visits easier.
The government will also provide ₹75,000 per month for each MLA towards the driver’s salary and vehicle-related expenses.
In addition, every MLA’s office will receive ₹25,000 per month to hire an assistant for office and administrative work.
Together, these two monthly allowances amount to ₹1 lakh per MLA.
Health Insurance Cover Increased To ₹25 Lakh
One of the biggest public welfare announcements was the increase in the annual coverage under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme.
The coverage will rise from ₹5 lakh to ₹25 lakh.
The five-fold increase is intended to provide families with greater financial protection when they require expensive medical treatment.
The government has also expanded medical and surgical services for transgender persons under the scheme. These services will be available at government hospitals in Chennai, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Chengalpattu, Thiruvarur, Karur and Kanyakumari.
₹351 Crore For More Medical Seats
The Tamil Nadu government has allocated ₹351 crore to increase admission capacity in medical and healthcare institutions.
The plan will create 6,098 additional seats across different healthcare courses.
These include:
- 660 B.Sc Nursing seats
- 1,925 additional nursing seats
- 2,778 seats in 12 paramedical courses
- 735 additional medical course seats
The government will also establish seven new government nursing colleges.
New 400-Bed Hospital In Perambalur
A new 400-bed multi-speciality hospital will be established in Perambalur at an estimated cost of ₹300 crore.
The hospital is expected to provide advanced medical treatment and improve healthcare facilities for people in the district.
Milk Procurement Price Increased
The government has also announced financial support for milk producers.
The milk procurement price will increase from ₹38 to ₹41 per litre.
More than 3.16 lakh milk producers are expected to benefit from the increase.
The incentive provided to milk producers will also rise from ₹3 to ₹5 per litre.
The higher procurement price is expected to increase the government’s expenditure by around ₹30 crore per month, amounting to approximately ₹360 crore annually.
The announcements by CM Vijay cover MLA support, healthcare, medical education and assistance for milk producers, making them among the major decisions announced by the Tamil Nadu government in the Assembly.
