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Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Wednesday, August 19, announced that all 234 MLAs in the state will be provided cars for constituency travel and public service work, along with a monthly allowance of Rs 75,000 for the driver's salary, fuel and vehicle maintenance.
Making the announcements under Rule 110 in the Legislative Assembly, Vijay said the measures were intended to ensure that legislators could travel to their constituencies and carry out their responsibilities without logistical constraints.
“In order to enable all members of the Assembly to carry out their public service work without any hindrance and to perform their constituency duties efficiently, a government vehicle will be provided to all MLAs,” Vijay said. He also pointed out that several MLAs in the current Assembly were first-time legislators from humble backgrounds and would benefit from this support.
The Chief Minister also announced that the government will provide each MLA with Rs 25,000 a month to appoint an assistant and meet their salary expenses.
The announcement came after Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) MLA Jothimani raised the issue of logistical support for legislators and said MLAs needed adequate resources to work effectively. The move was welcomed by legislators, including ruling party ally Congress MLA Tharagai Cuthbert, who said the announcement had made the MLAs “so happy”.
She also said the opposition MLAs would welcome the decision even if they might not agree in public.
School Education Minister Raj Mohan also backed the announcement, saying the provision would not only help MLAs but also create employment opportunities for drivers and assistants.
The government also announced an increase in the annual treatment limit under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 25 lakh. The expansion will cover medical and surgical services for transgender persons at government hospitals in Chennai, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Chengalpattu, Tiruvarur, and Kanniyakumari.
The government also announced an allocation of Rs 351 crore to increase student admissions in government medical colleges and strengthen medical and nursing education.
The initiative will cover 6,098 additional seats, including 660 BSc Nursing seats, 1,925 seats in nursing colleges and schools, 2,778 seats across 12 paramedical courses and 735 additional medical seats. Seven new government nursing colleges will also be established.
The government further announced plans to establish a 400-bed multi-speciality hospital in Perambur in Chennai at an estimated cost of Rs 300 crore, which will provide advanced and specialised healthcare services in the district.