CHENNAI: There will be no mindless scrapping of schemes initiated by the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi has said.

"We will not do what they did with our schemes. We will look into the schemes and all the good ones will continue." Some of the schemes would be reorganised in tune with the needs of the people. The Ministries were evaluating each of the schemes.

Wasteland development

He said the wasteland development scheme was one that had to be completely overhauled. While the idea behind the AIADMK regime's scheme was to help the rich, the DMK planned to empower landless agricultural labourers.

The AIADMK scheme was to entrust wastelands to big corporations. This was not acceptable in a State that had a huge population of landless labour. Hence the scheme was changed accordingly. It was also one of the DMK's poll promises.

The free bicycle scheme for class 12 students would continue, he said. Even in the Assembly, Mr. Karunanidhi had stressed the need for continuing with the good schemes of the previous government and said this gesture would be welcome in any democracy.

To be revived

Also, many schemes introduced by the DMK government between 1996-2001 and abandoned by the AIADMK, would also be revived. The Ambattur Samathuvapuram (a residential area where people of different religions and castes cohabit) and the farmer's market were nearly complete and he would inaugurate these. The free marriage scheme for poor women would commence from June 3.

Even schemes showcased as the best by the AIADMK were not free of controversy, said Public Works Department Minister Durai Murugan.

CAG report

Pointing to a report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (civil) for the year ended March 31, 2004, he said the AIADMK government had diverted Central assistance meant for the purchase of bicycles for Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste Convert girl students in class 11 and 12. The government had also revised upward, the estimate of the Adi Dravidar Welfare department but did not utilise the money. "The CAG has pointed out several irregularities," he said. One of these related to students who had free bus passes or were in hostels on the same campus also receiving the bicycles.

Said the report: "Due to incorrect estimation by State Government Rs.11.46 crore was received in excess from the Government of India for the schemes `free supply of bicycles to SC/ST/SCC girl students of class 11 and 12,' which remained unutilised for more than two years and led to avoidable interest liability of Rs.4.23 crore."

Mr. Durai Murugan and senior DMK Ministers, including Arcot N.Veerasamy, said that the effort of the government would be to ensure these mistakes were not repeated when the schemes were implemented. They would be monitored at each stage and implemented in a transparent manner.

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