Promising to urge the enquiry commission to submit a report detailing the cause of death of All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) supremo J Jayalalithaa, leader of the Opposition MK Stalin made several key announcements on Saturday, 13 March.
A day after announcing its list of candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) released its manifesto on Saturday.
The late chief minister passed away in December 2016, and just a few months later, the mystery surrounding her death started growing. Several AIADMK ministers admitted that they had lied about her health when she had been hospitalised. In August 2019, Chief Minister Edapaddi K Palaniswami announced an inquiry into Jayalalithaa’s death, but so far there has been no major revelation.
Stalin also promised 75 percent job reservation in the government sector for Tamils and said that he will urge private companies to introduce a similar system. He also vowed to increase women’s reservation to 40% in government jobs and maternity leave to 12 months.
He further promised to scrap the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). In the past few years, there have been several student suicides reported and the party has been rallying against the entrance exam.
The DMK president visited Kalaignar Karunanidhi’s memorial at Marina Beach before presenting the manifesto at Anna Arivalayam.
Here are the key highlights from DMK’s manifesto:
- Education will be brought to the state List.
- Assembly proceedings to be telecast live.
- Rs 4,000 compensation for rice ration card holders affected by the pandemic.
- Petrol and diesel rates to be reduced by Rs 5 and Rs 4, respectively.
- Urad dal supply will be restored and additional 1kg of sugar will be supplied every month from PDS shops.
- Trichy, Madurai, Salem, Nellai and Coimbatore to get Metro train services.
- Student loans of those below 30 years to be waived.
- Electricity bill payment to be made monthly.
- Thiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural to be made a national book.
- Aavin milk price to be cut by Rs 3.
- Property tax will not be increased in the state.
- A separate court will be set up to investigate cases against AIADMK MLAs.
- Pongal to be celebrated as a massive traditional festival across the state.
- A monthly subsidy of Rs 100 per LPG cylinder.
- Rs 1,000 crore will be set aside for renovation of Hindu temples. For renovation of mosques and churches in the state, Rs 200 crore will be allocated.
- Monthly pension to individuals aged above 60 to be increased to Rs 1,500. Village priests’ salary and pension to be hiked. Old-age pension scheme to be introduced for transport employees.
- 500 Kalaignar unavagams (canteens) to be started.
- Compensation for doctors, medical workers and frontline workers who died due to COVID-19.
- Rs 10,000 subsidy for farmers, auto drivers, Rs 24,000 aid for pregnant women.
- Government school students to get tablets.
- Rs 15,000 loan without interest for small traders.
- Tamil language to be made compulsory till Class 8.
- Free sanitary pads for school and college students.
The party said a separate ministry will be created to fulfil all these promises.
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