CM’s virtual talk: Economic advisors suggest tweakings in govt schemes

CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday held a meeting with the members of his Economic Advisory Council (EAC) comprising Nobel laureates and eminent economists.

Chief Minister Stalin took part in the virtual meeting which was attended by Nobel laureate Esther Dufflow, eminent economist Jean Dreeze, former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan, former chief economic advisor to the Government of India Arvind Subramaniam and economist S Narayan. State Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu, Chief Secretary N Muruganandam and state finance secretary T Udayachandran also took part in the virtual meeting during which the Chief Minister's Economic Advisory Council was learnt to have discussed the progress of pioneering schemes like the Chief Minister's Breakfast Scheme, Kalaignar Mahalir Urimai Thogai (KMUT) and Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam (MTM) Schemes. The Vidiyal Payanam free bus travel scheme for women, and nutrition programme executed by the state was also deliberated upon by the council.

The CM and the economists were said to have pondered over the studies of the State Planning Commission that analysed the efficacy and outcome of the pioneering schemes-mainly the breakfast scheme, KMUT and MTM-which have improved the financial independence and mobility of the women in the state to a great extent. Highly placed government sources told this paper that the council members suggested some tweaks and upgrades to the existing schemes. Some of which, like the Illam Thedi Kalvi scheme introduced after the Covid second wave and MTM besides the breakfast scheme were ideated by the council.

The Chief Minister is also understood to have elicited the views of the scholars on the launch of new schemes to increase the socioeconomic mobility of the masses in the state. A significant part of the meeting was allotted to reviewing the status of special schemes, including a few conceived to address malnutrition.