Officials to identify gaps in implementing welfare schemes: Stalin

CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Friday asked the members of the Tamil Nadu Planning Commission to identify the gaps in implementing public welfare schemes.

The Chief Minister participated in the third meeting of the state Planning Commission in which he reviewed the implementation of various public welfare schemes, including the free bus travel for women. "In the free bus travel scheme for women more than 80 per cent of the beneficiaries are from Adi Dravidar and Backward classes and in the families 8 to 12 per cent of the monthly earnings were saved due to the scheme. The scheme cannot be narrowed down to a mere free scheme but should be taken as a revolution"

"You (members) should identify the clauses to make the scheme more beneficial to the public. You must also identify how the scheme improves the livelihood of the public. Members should identify the gaps in implementing the public welfare schemes including the free bus travel scheme for women, public distribution scheme, 'Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam', 'Illam Thedi Kalvi' and so on,” said the Chief Minister.

The Tamil Nadu Planning Commission has been entrusted with the task of preparing various policies including electric vehicles policy, Industry 4.0 policy, MSMEs policy, handlooms policy, tourism policy and so on. The Chief Minister said: “You are about to submit the policies to the State government and I have the complete confidence that you have undertaken all the required research. Whatever be the policy it should benefit the public and should aid in the development of the state."

The Chief Minister also said that whatever be the scheme announced the planning commission should analyse both the positives and the negatives and should not just stop as a mere planning body, but also should function as a monitoring body. The Chief Minister also asked the members of the planning commission to prepare articles on the benefits of the public welfare schemes and to publish them at the state and national levels.