DMK President Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi on Jan.13 requested Chief Minister Jayalalitha to rise above narrow political consideration and shift the Secretariat to the new building in the interest of the people and officials. “I want the Chief Minister to act in a broad-minded manner. I hope she will. Let us see,” he said in a statement.
The theme, ‘Let us see Almighty in the smile of the Poor’ is given by our Dravidian Movement leader Arignar Anna and the DMK is the movement working and striving all through for helping the poor, removing their sufferings and see smile in their faces, following that theme. Whenever the rule of DMK was on, we have implemented various welfare schemes, Kalaignar said.
“When I studied in elementary school and high school, a beautiful advertisement was inscribed in the high walls of temples. The heading of the advertisement was written as ‘Sacred work of Mobile temple’, which did not mean they were going to construct mobile temples. Some explained it as ‘mobile hospital’. My Tamil teacher Mahavidwan Dhandapani Desikar explained the meaning as, Man himself is mobile temple – and according to Saiva Sithantham (Saivite philosophy), repairs for the defects occurring in it is called ‘Thirupani’ (sacred work). Hence the advertisement wording means medical assistance. It is that sacred work that whenever the DMK government is formed, it is performing”, he said.
For example, we started Beggars Rehabilitation Scheme in 1971, Eye Camp Scheme in 1972, Free Cycle Rickshaw Scheme in 1973, Physically handicapped Welfare Scheme in 1974 and started Mercy Homes in 1975. The DMK rule created Moovalur Ramamirtham Memorial Poor Girls Marriage Assistance Scheme, Nagammayar Memorial Free Education Scheme for Poor Women and Dr. Muthulakshmi Pregnancy Financial Assistance Scheme, that also started, “Kalaignar Health Insurance Scheme for life saving treatments.”
For protection of heart, ‘Heart Protection Scheme’ for young children – school children was started by DMK rule. Heart surgeries were performed free of cost for 653 young children and 1663 school students at an expense of Rs.13.65 crore. Their lives were saved and we are happy to see them thanking and moving around.
We started during DMK rule, Health Insurance Scheme at a cost of Rs.517 crore per annum as the next stage of this scheme. Not only this scheme, but also under this department alone, Varumun Kappom scheme, Heart Surgery Scheme for young children and school children, Poor Pregnant Women Financial Assistance Scheme of Rs.6,000/- for nutritious intake, 24-hour PHCs functioning, New Health Insurance Scheme for government employees, and many such schemes were started during DMK rule and the poor were benefited. Particularly under Health Insurance Scheme for life saving treatments 1.34 crore families got registered, and upto 31.3.2011, 3,03,328 patients underwent surgeries in 702 recognised hospitals at a cost of Rs.781.40 crore.
Recalling the desire expressed by her in the Assembly many times to construct a new Secretariat, Kalaignar wondered who would be the loser if she refused to utilise the new building because it was constructed by the DMK government.
“Does she know that officials and employees working in the old Secretariat are facing difficulties because of space crunch? Does she know that they are blaming her for obstinately resisting the idea to shift the Secretariat to the new building,” he said.
On converting the New Secretariat building into a paediatric hospital, he asked, “Who is going to lose if the building is converted just because it was built in the DMK regime?”.
“She should not view the schemes of the DMK government from the point of view of an opposition [party]. The schemes were not funded by my own money or by the DMK. The money came from the government. All are government schemes. It is not fair to differentiate them on the basis of the period to which they belong,” he argued.
Kalaignar said a party could win one election and come to power and lose it in another, and in a good democracy, working for the welfare of the people prevailed over all other considerations. Though Jayalalitha criticised the insurance scheme introduced by the DMK government, he had not reacted in a similar manner when the ADMK government brought in a new insurance scheme.
Kalaignar said he did not differentiate between schemes offered by various governments and expected his arch rival and Chief Minister Jayalalitha to be broadminded on such matters.
He expressed happiness over the increase in coverage of illnesses from 642 to 1,016 under the new scheme, the inclusive coverage of existing beneficiaries under the Kalaignar Life Insurance Scheme and increase in the premium to Rs 4 lakh per family for 4 years from an earlier Rs 1 lakh for the same period.
“I welcome the scheme for the fact that it offers Rs.4 lakh for four years while it was Rs.1 lakh for same period earlier,” he said. In an epistle to partymen, Kalaignar said he was happy that beneficiaries chosen for the earlier scheme would also be covered.
Referring to media reports, he said she had opposed the Kalaignar Insurance Scheme saying it would only benefit certain insurance companies and some persons in the then ruling DMK.
“While she had criticised it, I have welcomed (her initiative). At the same time I expect her to be broad-minded in treating all schemes being executed as government ones and not implemented from the monies of DMK or mine,” the DMK President said.
“We have never differentiated any scheme as ADMK or DMK. Though we improvised schemes implemented by the previous ADMK regimes, we never scrapped schemes just because it was implemented by ADMK,” he said.
Pointing out that DMK never sought to change the name of the nutritious meal scheme because it was introduced by former Chief Minister M.G.R, he said instead the DMK government in 1996 expanded it by providing two eggs a week and later three eggs a week, and 5 eggs per week from 17.9.2010 during DMK rule. 57,74,673 school boys and girls were benefited and 37,249 children who do not consuming eggs were given plantains.
All nutritious meals cooks, assistants and Anganwadi assistants working in consolidated pay during ADMK regime got special scales only during DMK rule. During ADMK regime those workers were not given any other allowances than DA. But only during DMK rule, they were paid HRA and CCA, medical allowance of Rs.100, from 1.6.2009 and Festival advance of Rs.2,000/
But the present rulers had announced that they would not accept New Secretariat Complex in Omandurar Govt Estate, Anna Centenary Library, Thai first day as Tamil New Year Day, Paavendar Classical Tamil Research Library etc., because they were started during DMK rule. Although the Housing Scheme intended to make Tamil Nadu as a hut-free state was given up they have announced starting of another Green Housing Scheme.
He said the DMK rule always took into consideration the advantages of the schemes irrespective of their origin and never viewed them with narrow political motives.
The theme, ‘Let us see Almighty in the smile of the Poor’ is given by our Dravidian Movement leader Arignar Anna and the DMK is the movement working and striving all through for helping the poor, removing their sufferings and see smile in their faces, following that theme. Whenever the rule of DMK was on, we have implemented various welfare schemes, Kalaignar said.
“When I studied in elementary school and high school, a beautiful advertisement was inscribed in the high walls of temples. The heading of the advertisement was written as ‘Sacred work of Mobile temple’, which did not mean they were going to construct mobile temples. Some explained it as ‘mobile hospital’. My Tamil teacher Mahavidwan Dhandapani Desikar explained the meaning as, Man himself is mobile temple – and according to Saiva Sithantham (Saivite philosophy), repairs for the defects occurring in it is called ‘Thirupani’ (sacred work). Hence the advertisement wording means medical assistance. It is that sacred work that whenever the DMK government is formed, it is performing”, he said.
For example, we started Beggars Rehabilitation Scheme in 1971, Eye Camp Scheme in 1972, Free Cycle Rickshaw Scheme in 1973, Physically handicapped Welfare Scheme in 1974 and started Mercy Homes in 1975. The DMK rule created Moovalur Ramamirtham Memorial Poor Girls Marriage Assistance Scheme, Nagammayar Memorial Free Education Scheme for Poor Women and Dr. Muthulakshmi Pregnancy Financial Assistance Scheme, that also started, “Kalaignar Health Insurance Scheme for life saving treatments.”
For protection of heart, ‘Heart Protection Scheme’ for young children – school children was started by DMK rule. Heart surgeries were performed free of cost for 653 young children and 1663 school students at an expense of Rs.13.65 crore. Their lives were saved and we are happy to see them thanking and moving around.
We started during DMK rule, Health Insurance Scheme at a cost of Rs.517 crore per annum as the next stage of this scheme. Not only this scheme, but also under this department alone, Varumun Kappom scheme, Heart Surgery Scheme for young children and school children, Poor Pregnant Women Financial Assistance Scheme of Rs.6,000/- for nutritious intake, 24-hour PHCs functioning, New Health Insurance Scheme for government employees, and many such schemes were started during DMK rule and the poor were benefited. Particularly under Health Insurance Scheme for life saving treatments 1.34 crore families got registered, and upto 31.3.2011, 3,03,328 patients underwent surgeries in 702 recognised hospitals at a cost of Rs.781.40 crore.
Recalling the desire expressed by her in the Assembly many times to construct a new Secretariat, Kalaignar wondered who would be the loser if she refused to utilise the new building because it was constructed by the DMK government.
“Does she know that officials and employees working in the old Secretariat are facing difficulties because of space crunch? Does she know that they are blaming her for obstinately resisting the idea to shift the Secretariat to the new building,” he said.
On converting the New Secretariat building into a paediatric hospital, he asked, “Who is going to lose if the building is converted just because it was built in the DMK regime?”.
“She should not view the schemes of the DMK government from the point of view of an opposition [party]. The schemes were not funded by my own money or by the DMK. The money came from the government. All are government schemes. It is not fair to differentiate them on the basis of the period to which they belong,” he argued.
Kalaignar said a party could win one election and come to power and lose it in another, and in a good democracy, working for the welfare of the people prevailed over all other considerations. Though Jayalalitha criticised the insurance scheme introduced by the DMK government, he had not reacted in a similar manner when the ADMK government brought in a new insurance scheme.
Kalaignar said he did not differentiate between schemes offered by various governments and expected his arch rival and Chief Minister Jayalalitha to be broadminded on such matters.
He expressed happiness over the increase in coverage of illnesses from 642 to 1,016 under the new scheme, the inclusive coverage of existing beneficiaries under the Kalaignar Life Insurance Scheme and increase in the premium to Rs 4 lakh per family for 4 years from an earlier Rs 1 lakh for the same period.
“I welcome the scheme for the fact that it offers Rs.4 lakh for four years while it was Rs.1 lakh for same period earlier,” he said. In an epistle to partymen, Kalaignar said he was happy that beneficiaries chosen for the earlier scheme would also be covered.
Referring to media reports, he said she had opposed the Kalaignar Insurance Scheme saying it would only benefit certain insurance companies and some persons in the then ruling DMK.
“While she had criticised it, I have welcomed (her initiative). At the same time I expect her to be broad-minded in treating all schemes being executed as government ones and not implemented from the monies of DMK or mine,” the DMK President said.
“We have never differentiated any scheme as ADMK or DMK. Though we improvised schemes implemented by the previous ADMK regimes, we never scrapped schemes just because it was implemented by ADMK,” he said.
Pointing out that DMK never sought to change the name of the nutritious meal scheme because it was introduced by former Chief Minister M.G.R, he said instead the DMK government in 1996 expanded it by providing two eggs a week and later three eggs a week, and 5 eggs per week from 17.9.2010 during DMK rule. 57,74,673 school boys and girls were benefited and 37,249 children who do not consuming eggs were given plantains.
All nutritious meals cooks, assistants and Anganwadi assistants working in consolidated pay during ADMK regime got special scales only during DMK rule. During ADMK regime those workers were not given any other allowances than DA. But only during DMK rule, they were paid HRA and CCA, medical allowance of Rs.100, from 1.6.2009 and Festival advance of Rs.2,000/
But the present rulers had announced that they would not accept New Secretariat Complex in Omandurar Govt Estate, Anna Centenary Library, Thai first day as Tamil New Year Day, Paavendar Classical Tamil Research Library etc., because they were started during DMK rule. Although the Housing Scheme intended to make Tamil Nadu as a hut-free state was given up they have announced starting of another Green Housing Scheme.
He said the DMK rule always took into consideration the advantages of the schemes irrespective of their origin and never viewed them with narrow political motives.
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