Funds for renovating churches, mosques
Jayalalithaa also revealed that funds have been earmarked for the welfare of Adi Dravidar and tribal students and farmers.
Chennai: Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa on Sunday announced a slew of measures including funds for carrying out renovation at churches and refurbishing and renovating mosques.
She also revealed that funds have been earmarked for the welfare of Adi Dravidar and tribal students and farmers. Recalling that her party (AIADMK) had during the run up to the May Assembly election, assured to provide funds to carry out renovation at churches, Ms. Jayalalithaa said a sum of Rs 1 crore would be allotted for the purpose. She also referred to a similar assurance for refurbishing and repairing mosques and darghas under the Waqf Board by creating a corpus.
At present, the government disbursed Rs 60 lakh per annum for renovation of mosques and darghas under Waqf Board. “Now, in tune with the electoral promise, a corpus will be created…I have ordered the release of Rs 3 crore for the corpus fund,” Ms. Jayalalithaa said and added that through such initiatives, the places of worship of minorities would get a facelift.
The CM also unveiled welfare measures for members of the SC and ST communities, including “quick electricity connections” to 1,000 Adi Dravidar (SC community) farmers. And for the benefit of students, she ordered the construction of a hostel building for a Tribal residential school at Karumanthurai in Salem District, and increased the strength of girl students in the school to 200 from 135. ‘Smart Class Rooms’ would be set up in 25 schools for tribals at an outlay of Rs 1.29 crore.
Ordering electricity connection for pumpsets to 1,000 SC farmers under a plan to provide quick power supply, she said the aggregate deposit of Rs 7.50 crore that has to be remitted to TANGEDCO (Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation) by the ryots would be borne by state-run Tamil Nadu Adi Dravidar Housing and Development Corporation Limited.