The Hindu               03.01.2014

Physically challenged get scooters, sewing machines

Forty scooters, 40 units of hearing aid, four callipers and as many sewing machines — all purchased at a cost of Rs. 24.73 lakh from the MLAs’ constituency development fund — was distributed to the physically challenged at the Collectorate here on Thursday.

Cooperation Minister ‘Sellur’ K. Raju handed them over to the beneficiaries in the presence of Collector L. Subramanian and MLAs R. Samy (Melur), A.K. Bose (Madurai North), R. Annadurai (Madurai South), R. Sundarrajan (Madurai Central) and P.V. Kathiravan (Usilampatti).

Earlier, addressing the gathering, the Minister accused the Centre of having reduced fund allocation to the State from 13.4 per cent to 7.9 per cent after Chief Minister Jayalalithaa assumed office for the third time in 2011. He claimed that the allocation of kerosene to the State had also been brought down from 54,000 litres to 34,000 litres a month.

“People in the State are facing hardships owing to frequent power shutdown even now owing to lack of support for power projects from the Centre,” he said.

Mr. Raju traced the history of former Union Minister and incumbent Member of Parliament M.K. Alagiri’s migration to Madurai from Chennai and accused him of being in the company of goons all the time and allowing them to indulge in illegal activities. “Ever since the AIADMK came to power, have you ever come across even a single incident of a Minister or any other party cadre having interfered with the activities of the district administration or the police department,” he questioned the gathering.

The Collector listed various welfare measures implemented in the district. He said more than 13,000 physically challenged people in the district had been granted National Identity Cards and of them 4,711 had been receiving monthly financial assistance provided by the State government.

Distribution of hearing aids fixed behind the ears, magnifiers used by the visually challenged, walking sticks, talking watches and doubling the quantum of financial assistance provided to physically challenged school students were the other schemes being implemented by the State, he said.

Mayor V.V. Rajan Chellappa, Deputy Mayor R. Gopalakrishnan and District Differently Abled Welfare Officer K. Sakunthala spoke.

The Hindu              31.12.2013

Rajasthan to replicate Amma Unavagam

Aloysius Xavier Lopez

Will serve idli and sambar in our canteens, say officials from Jaipur

Rajasthan has decided to adopt the Amma Unavagam (subsidised canteens run by the Tamil Nadu government) model in the urban areas of the State to tackle poverty. The new BJP-government has sent a group of officials to Chennai to study the functioning of the canteens.

“The officials from Rajasthan visited Amma Unavagams on Monday in localities such as Santhome and Saidapet. They tasted the food served at some of the canteens,” said an official of the Chennai Corporation. They also collected data on the canteens after visiting the facilities.

“Our Chief Minister directed us to study Amma Unavagams in Chennai and emulate the model for similar welfare measures in our State. We visited the canteens and found the food hygienic. The facilities are maintained well with the support of women belonging to self-help groups,” said K.K. Sharma, Chief Engineer, Local Self Government Department, Rajasthan.

“We have some private agencies managing similar canteens in Rajasthan in 33 places. Only chappatis are served there. The model adopted in Amma Unavagam will be used to improve measures and launch new canteens in cities such as Jaipur. The final decision on the number of canteens will be made by the State government,” said Mr. Sharma. “We will serve idli and sambar in the canteens to be commissioned in Rajasthan,” he added.

Revenue Officer of Jaipur Municipal Corporation was also part of the team.