TN to ban sale of cow dung paste to prevent suicides: Ma Su

TIRUCHY: In order to prevent suicides across the State, the government has initiated to stop the sale of cow dung paste and control the sale of rat paste, which are found to be the most used medium for suicides, said the Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ma Subramanian in Tiruvarur on Thursday.

The minister was in the district to inaugurate a building at Medical College constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 2.67 crore which would house various departments, including senior citizens treatment centre.

He told reporters that the Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam has created a record among the people and till August 31, as many as 86.82 lakh people were benefited for the first time and 1.72 crore are undergoing follow up treatment.

Meanwhile as per the orders of the Chief Minister, as many as 9 new primary health Centres are established in Tiruvarur distict at an estimated cost of Rs 2.13 crore.

While a list for filling up of 4308 vacancies have been forwarded to the Medical Recruitment Board based on which as many as 237 persons were handed over the appointment order by the Chief Minister last week. “By the end of October all the existing vacancies would be filled," assured the minister.

Expressing concerns about the suicide rate in the State, the minister said that the steps are on to ban the sale of cowdung power in the market. While the sale of rat paste would be controlled, he said.

Subsequently, the minister inspected the site identified for the expansion of Tiruvarur Government Medical College hospital.

District Collector B Gayathri Krishnan, Joint Director (PHCs) Dr Suresh, Medical College Dean Dr Joseph Raj and others accompanied the minister.

Later, the minister visited Nagapattinam and inaugurated various projects and distributed welfare assistance to the beneficiaries.