I-Day 2024: CM Stalin announces new low cost drug scheme for people

CHENNAI: Chief Minister M. K. Stalin on Thursday announced a new low-cost drug (medicine) supply scheme called the “Chief Minister’s Pharmacy” scheme, which would be launched on Pongal Day in 2025. Chief Minister Stalin also announced a hike in the pension/assistance disbursed to freedom fighters and their families.

Delivering his Independence Day address after hoisting the national flag at Fort St. George, Stalin said that a new “Chief Minister’s Pharmacy” scheme to facilitate the supply of generic and other medicines at low cost to the people would be implemented by the state government.

Stating that the middle-class people availing of treatment at private hospitals had to pay a high price to procure the drugs, and they incur huge expenditure owing to the continuous purchase of medicine for ailments like diabetes and hypertension, the CM said, “To resolve this, the state government will implement a new Chief Minister’s Pharmacy scheme to supply generic drugs and other drugs at low cost to the people.

”About 1,000 pharmacies would be opened for the scheme, which would be launched on Pongal Day in 2025, the CM added, and announced that the state government would provide necessary loan support besides a Rs 3 lakh subsidy to pharmacists and cooperative bodies for the efficient implementation of the scheme.

New scheme for ex-servicemen

Stalin also announced a new “Chief Minister’s Kaakum Karangal” scheme to safeguard the life and livelihood of ex-servicemen in the state. Under the scheme, the state government would facilitate bank loans up to Rs 1 crore to ex-servicemen in addition to providing 30% of the loans as capital subsidies and another three percent as interest subsidies. 

The government would also provide them entrepreneurial and skill development training under the scheme, which would also benefit families of martyred defence personnel. A capital subsidy and a three percent interest subsidy to the tune of Rs 120 crore would be disbursed for Rs 400 crore worth of projects to 400 ex-servicemen in the next two years.

The chief minister also announced that the monthly pension disbursed to freedom fighters would be increased by Rs 1,000 to Rs 21,000 and the family pension disbursed to families of freedom fighters would be increased to Rs 11,500.

The monthly special pension paid to the heirs of Veerapandiya Kattabomman, Maruthu brothers, Ramanathapuram king Muthuramalinga Vijaya Ragunatha Sethupathy, and VO Chidambaranaar would also be increased to Rs 10,500.

Multi-disciplinary study of natural disasters in western and eastern ghats

To address the issue of natural disasters in hilly regions in the wake of the Wayanad tragedy, the chief minister on Thursday announced that a detailed scientific study of natural calamities would be undertaken by the state environment department with multi-disciplinary experts from the state forest, geological sciences, housing and urban development, and environment departments in western and eastern ghats. 

Stating that the Tamil Nadu government decided to undertake a comprehensive study of natural calamities during torrential rains in hilly regions like Nilgiris, Valparai, and Kodaikanal in the western ghats besides Yercaud and Yelagiri, the CM said that the expert committee would make recommendations to the state government on forecasting and preventing disasters and minimising their impact in the long term. 

The CM assured that the state government would undertake appropriate action on the recommendations of the committee.