Tamil Nadu to Open 10,000 Chief Minister’s Pharmacies for Generic Drugs

Chennai: People visiting private hospitals for treatment need not worry about paying through their nose for medicines from the coming Pongal as 10,000 ‘Chief Minister’s Pharmacies’ would be opened all over the State to dispense generic drug at nominal rates, Chief Minister M K Stalin announced as part of a package of welfare schemes that he unveiled on the occasion of Independence Day on Thursday.

Speaking from the ramparts of Fort St George, the seat of power in the State, after unfurling the national tri-colour, Stalin also said that a ‘Chief Minister’s Kakkum Karangal’ (Protective Hands) scheme would be launched to enable ex-service personnel, who dedicate their youth for serving the nation, lead a safe and secure retired life.

Families of ex-service personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty would also be eligible for the scheme, under which the beneficiaries would be encouraged to start industries with a bank loan of upto Rs one crore with the government extending a 30 per cent capital subsidy and 3 percent interest subsidy.

Under the Rs 400 crore scheme 400 ex-service personnel or their families would benefit with the government extending nearly Rs 120 crore capital subsidy, along with a three per cent interest subsidy, the Chief Minister said, adding that the freedom fighters’ monthly pension would be increased from Rs 20,000 to Rs 21,000 and family pension from Rs 11,000 to Rs 11,500.

Pharmacists and cooperative organisations that would set up the ‘Chief Minister Pharmacies’ would be given a Rs 3 lakh subsidy by the government, Stalin announced.

The special pension for descendants of Veerapandia Kattabomman, Marudhu brothers, Ramanad king Muthuramalinga Vijaya Raghunatha Sethupathi and V O Chidambaranar would be raised to Rs 10,500 from the present Rs 10,000, he said.

Among the other announcements made were one on creating 75,000 Government jobs in the next 16 months till January, 2026, and another one on conducting a scientific study by involving experts from various disciplines to prevent and reduce the damages caused by natural disasters like the recent landslides at Wayanad in neighbouring Kerala.

While the State extended all possible help to Kerala to overcome the disaster, the scientific survey to be conducted by the State Disaster Management Department would be taken in the hilly regions like Nilgiris, Valparai and Kodaikanal that were part of the Western Ghats and in other hills like Yercaud and Yelagiri and the government would act on the recommendations of the multi-disciplinary experts, he said.

Stating that his aspiration was to address the demands of every single individual in the State and was trying to achieve it on a daily basis, he said that he had dedicated himself to make Tamil Nadu a model State for the country and also guide the nation by drawing inspiration from the legends of the Dravidian movement, Periyar E V Ramasamy, C N Annadurai and M Karunanidhi.

Quoting statistics released by the Union Government, Stalin said that in the last three years 77,79,000 new jobs had been created in the organized private sector due to the Dravidian Model of Governance, under which the World Investors Meet held in January opened opportunities for 14,54,712 direct employments and 12,35,945 indirect employments through the 631 memoranda of understanding signed to bring in an investment of Rs 6,64,180 crore.