Stalin Announces Rs 2,000 COVID Relief for Ration Card Holders, Cut in Aavin Milk Price

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Friday announced a COVID pandemic time relief of Rs 2,000 for the people of the state, a cut in Aavin milk rate and free travel for women in state-run buses, all promises made by his DMK ahead of the April 6 Assembly elections.

Issuing his first set of orders after taking over as CM, Stalin also announced bringing COVID treatment in private hospitals under a government insurance scheme, to provide succour to such people, an official release here said.

It recalled the party's promise of providing Rs 4,000 for rice ration card holders to aid citizens affected due to the pandemic and help them with their livelihood.

"To implement that, the Chief Minister has signed the order to provide the first instalment of Rs 2,000 in May itself at Rs 4,153.69 crore, covering 2,07,67,000 ration card holders," it said.

He also signed another order, reducing the price of milk supplied by state-run Aavin by Rs 3 with effect from May 16.

Women can travel free of cost in all ordinary fare city buses operated by State transport corporation from Saturday onward  and the government has allocated a sum of Rs 1,200 crore as subsidy for this purpose, the release said about another poll promise.

Further, he approved constituting an IAS officer- headed department to implement the "Chief Minister in Your Constituency" scheme, to fulfil another assurance of redressing people's issues within 100 days of taking over, on peti
tions received by him ahead of the polls as DMK chief.

Oath by Conscience Earlier in the day, Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin, the DMK president who led his party to a huge victory in the Assembly polls ,was sworn in as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu by Governor Banwarilal Purohit.T his is the 68-year old’s first stint as CM.

A total of 33 ministers were also sworn in following Stalin, of whom 15 are first-time ministers. All the 34, including Stalin, took the oath as per their conscience and in Tamil, in sync with the decades old tradition of the DMK.

Earlier, Stalin, clad in a white shirt and dhoti introduced his Cabinet to Purohit.

Stalin's family members including his wife Durga and son Udhayanidhi Stalin, who won from Triplicane-Chepauk constituency here, took part in the event.

When Stalin took the oath, beginning with words "I Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin," his wife's eyes welled up in joy.

The DMK chief's elder brother, M K Alagiri's son Dayanidhi and former union minister Dayanidhi Maran were present.

AIADMK top leader O Panneerselvam, leaders from alliance parties including Congress's P Chidambaram, MDMK chief Vaiko and top state officials took part in the ceremony.

The ceremony, which went on for about an hour and 10 minutes witnessed adherence to COVID-19 guidelines including wearing masks.

Later, when Stalin paid floral tributes to a portrait of his father and late DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi at the residence of the late leader here, he turned emotional and he took the blessings of his mother Dayalu Ammal.

Stalin's family members including his sister Selvi were present when he visited the Gopalapuram house.