For a change, Tamil Nadu assembly sees lighter moments

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Assembly on Thursday witnessed lighter moments when food minister R Kamaraj and cooperation minister Sellur K Raju targeted the previous DMK regime while spelling out the welfare schemes being implemented in the AIADMK regime. Kamaraj, narrating a 'story' said a man was shocked to find horse meat in his chicken biriyani in a hotel. The hotelier said casually that "for the size of one chicken we mix a full horse's meat to enhance flavour".

"Similarly, during DMK regime the projects were similar to the size of chicken and corruption was like a horse. This was the practice of the previous DMK regime," he said evoking chuckles in the House during his reply to the discussion on the Demand for grant for his department.

DMK members, were however, not present when he and Raju made the remarks. Cooperation minister Sellur Raju said during the previous DMK regime, only four Primary Agriculture Cooperative Credit Societies (PACCS) out of the over 4,000 were computerised. In his own style with pauses and body language in sync, he said: "It was our Puratchi Thalaivi Amma who restarted the work which had hung (deadlocked) and in rocket speed has completed computerisation in 4,490 PACCS, 47 branches of TNSC Bank, 23 District Central Cooperative banks and their 794 branches in the past just four years". Spelling out the welfare schemes, he looked at the Opposition benches where Left party members were seated and asked them: "Comrades please listen, where else in the world you could find such welfare schemes?" Stating that free rice was being distributed to remote hilly terrains, he detailed how commodities were being supplied to even a mountainous hamlet of just 16 families. "What do you say comrades? this is a world marvel..." he said winding up discussion on his department.

Jaya announces schemes for rural development

Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa on Thursday made a slew of announcements aimed at ensuring rural development, including in the areas of infrastructure, all running into several crores of rupees.

Making a suo motu statement in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, she recalled that her government had earlier created a Tamil Nadu Rural Roads Development Scheme for the year 2015-16 with an allocation of Rs 800 crore, and unveiled more projects under the same. While the scheme envisaged development of 4,000 km of rural roads, more projects, including bridges and panchayat office buildings, will be taken up even as she announced an additional allocation of Rs 200 crore to it.