Declare TN floods as severe national disaster': CM M K Stalin

 Chennai: Chief Minister M K Stalin urged the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare the recent rains and floods that ravaged the State as a ‘severe national disaster’ and release the necessary funds from the National Disaster Fund to the State government, which was responsible for providing medical care, education and essential services to the people by closely interacting with them.

Speaking at the event organized at the Tiruchi international airport for the inauguration of a new terminal building on Tuesday, Stalin made the demand in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a few days after Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had brusquely ruled out the possibility of declaring the floods as a national disaster.

The raising of demands on behalf of a State only amounted to upholding the State’s rights and also echoing the needs of the people and should in no way be construed as political trumpeting, Stalin made it clear after listing out a slew of demands on funds for the development of various departments like aviation, Metro Rail and National Highways.

At the 38th convocation of the Bharathidasan, Stalin said that his Dravidian Model government was creating a revolution in social justice by democratizing education and changing the once prevalent situation under which only certain classes of people could pursue academic studies.

Recalling the role played by the Justice Party a century ago, he said that it was the seeds sown then that enabled the State to be the Number One in any ‘best list’ related to the field of education, particularly higher education.

Working with the objectives of providing ‘universal education‘,’ ‘college education for all’ and ‘research opportunities for all,’ the DMK government had created a wide range of opportunities through a plethora of welfare schemes like ‘Naan Mudhalvan’ (I am the leader), CM Research Grant Scheme, CM Fellowship Programme, he said.

Besides, the scheme to provide a monthly grant of Rs 1000 for women students pursuing higher education, benefitting 3,45,362 girls, and other programmes had led to Tamil Nadu having the highest enrolment in polytechnics in the country, highest enrolment of research scholars for the PhD programme and the State housing 35 of the top 100 arts and science colleges, 22 of the top 100 universities and 15 of the top 100 engineering colleges. Also Tamil Nadu secured the first place in National Institutional Ranking Framework and National Assessment and Accreditation Council, NAAC, he said.

Making the demand for expansion of airports in the State, Stalin said his Government was making efforts to acquire 2302.44 acres of land, including 294.57 acres for Trichy Airport and the rest for Coimbatore, Madurai, Vellore and Thoothukudi. He wanted the Union Government to speed up the expansion projects.

Appealing to the Prime Minister to upgrade the Madurai Airport as an international airport as the number of pilgrims to Rameswaram and Kanyakumari from across the country and foreign tourists arriving there was in high numbers, he wanted the introduction of direct flights connecting Chennai with Penang and Tokyo. He also urged Modi to help the MSME units in and around Trichy from whom BHEL had stopped procuring materials.