The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Adi Dravidars' needs have been taken care of, says Minister

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Wednesday, Jun 13, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Adi Dravidars' needs have been taken care of, says Minister

Special Correspondent

Rs.641 crore earmarked for community this year: Tamilarasi

TV DISTRIBUTION: Adi Dravida Welfare Minister A. Tamilarasi, Higher Education Minister K. Ponmudy and Villupuram District Collector Brajendra Navnit at a free colour television sets distribution function at Ulundurpet panchayat union office premises.

VILLUPURAM: T he Government has taken special measures for the uplift of the Adi Dravidars, Adi Dravidar Welfare Minister A. Tamilarasi has said. This could be gauged from the fact that the Government has sanctioned Rs.641 crore this year for the purpose.

Ms. Tamilarasi was speaking at a function got up at Ulundurpet panchayat union office premises near here on Monday.

She said the Government had made a special allocation of Rs.25 crore for imparting training among the Adi Dravidar candidates to make them employable.

When she submitted a proposal for Rs.5 crore for the construction of Adi Dravida hostels, the Chief Minister had doubled the allocation to Rs.10 crore.

He had earmarked Rs.2 crore for imparting pilot training among 200 candidates, she said.

Ms. Tamilarasi distributed free colour television sets and cooking gas connections, and, inaugurated five Adi Dravida hostels, all worth Rs.2.26 crore. She also laid foundation stone for the construction of two more hostels and a community hall. Higher Education Minister K. Ponmudy said that 16,788 free TVs were being given away to people from 68 villages.

Till now, 34,203 TVs had been distributed in the district, and its number would touch 51,416 by month-end.

Mr Ponmudy said of the nine lakh ration-card holders, two lakh were owning colour TVs and the rest of them would also posses one within five years.

For about 9,000 new applicants, ration cards would soon be given, he said.

Brajendra Navnit, District Collector, Thanga Kailaperumal, Director of Adi Dravida Welfare Department, T. Udhayasooriyan, V. Kannan and A. Angaiyarkannai, MLAs, K. Janakaraj, Villupuram Municipal Chairman, and Mythili Rajendran, District Panchayat Vice-Chairman, participated.

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