look news india
In the politics of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, a masterstroke decision by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay has caught everyone’s attention. Since assuming power in the state, Chief Minister Vijay has been continuously taking big and shocking decisions, but this time he has given such a gift to all the MLAs of the Assembly which is being discussed in the entire country. The Tamil Nadu government has made a historic announcement of giving free government vehicles (new cars) and a huge allowance of up to Rs 1 lakh every month to all the 234 MLAs of the state for their smooth functioning in their constituencies and speedy resolution of public complaints. After this step of the Chief Minister, the question is increasingly being raised in the political circles as to why Thalapathy Vijay has suddenly become so kind to the MLAs of his state.
Big announcement made in the Assembly under Rule 110
Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay announced this huge financial package using Rule 110 during the session of Tamil Nadu Assembly. When the issue of logistics and transportation related problems of the MLAs was raised during the discussion in the House, the Chief Minister took an immediate decision without any delay and talked about providing official vehicles to all the MLAs of the state. Under this special scheme, each MLA will be given a vehicle allowance of Rs 75,000 every month for car maintenance, fuel and driver’s salary. Apart from this, an additional grant of Rs 25,000 per month will also be given to hire a private secretary or assistant to handle office work and paperwork of public interest. In this way, every MLA will get a total financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh per month.
What is the real administrative compulsion behind being kind to the MLAs?
Political analysts believe that this decision of the Tamil Nadu government is not just a gift, but behind it lies a bigger strategy to make the administrative work at the grassroots level transparent and faster. Local bodies in the state such as mayors, deputy mayors, municipal chairpersons and panchayat chiefs already had official vehicles and travel facilities, but MLAs, despite being elected, had no such permanent government arrangement to move around in the constituencies. Because of this, it often became difficult for MLAs to go to remote rural areas and listen to people’s problems and monitor the ground progress of government schemes. Chief Minister Vijay has taken this bold step to bridge this gap and free the MLAs from any kind of financial or logistical helplessness.
Use of public money and impact on government treasury
After this big decision, discussion has also started on the financial structure of the state. According to government data, this package of Rs 1 lakh per month and the provision of vehicles to all the 234 MLAs of Tamil Nadu will put an additional burden of crores of rupees annually on the state exchequer. However, the government is of the view that unless the public representatives are given strong basic resources, they will not be able to develop their areas with full honesty and strength. A section of opposition parties and experts are giving mixed reactions to this decision, but there is a discussion among the general public whether such huge allowances will really accelerate the development work at the grassroots level or not.
Many important changes were also made regarding health and dairy sector.
Chief Minister Vijay not only took care of the facilities of the MLAs, but during this period also made many big announcements in the interest of the general public and farmers. Giving relief to more than 3.16 lakh milk producers associated with the cooperative dairy brand ‘Aavin’ in the state, the purchase price of milk has been increased from Rs 38 to Rs 41 per liter. Apart from this, the limit of annual medical coverage under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS) has been directly increased from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 25 lakh, so that even the poorest of the poor can get free and better treatment. Through all these decisions, Chief Minister Vijay is trying to strengthen his hold in the politics of the state.