KAKKALUR (THIRUVALLUR): Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Thursday launched various welfare schemes towards fullfilling her electoral promise and hit out at her detractors, who knocked the doors of the Supreme Court against the rollout. She also flayed DMK president M Karunanidhi for levelling baseless charges.“These welfare schemes are aimed at uplifting the economic status of the poor and downtrodden and enabling them to stand on their own feet. Anyone who knows economics will not accept maligning these schemes as mere freebies,” the CM said launching the distribution of milch cows and goats to needy women, free laptops and incentives to the students of SSLC, Plus One and Plus Two, besides mixies, fans and grinders to housewives, at a function here.Stating that certain people have maligned the distribution of things that are useful in earning their livelihood and things that could be used in day-to-day life, the Chief Minister referred to a petition filed before the Supreme Court seeking a stay in the implementation of these schemes.The scheme for distributing 60,000 milch cows was an excellent one aimed at increasing the milk production of the State manifold and hence would pave way for a white revolution in Tamil Nadu, the CM said and pointed out that since 30 per cent of the beneficiaries would be chosen from Adi Dravida community, the scheme would enhance the status of the oppressed section of the society.Recalling the statement of her predecessor M Karunanidhi that freebies would continue as long as poor people exist, Jayalalithaa said he had maligned the downtrodden by saying so. “Now, he is issuing statement after statement every day finding fault with every action of mine,” she said.The DMK leader had charged that the AIADMK government had replicated the policy note for a partic ular department, prepared by the previous DMK government, for the current financial year. But on enquiry, it was revealed that the DMK regime was the real culprit in this issue. The DMK government that took over in 2006 had literally copied the first paragraph of the policy note prepared by the AIADMK government for 2005-06 and trumpeted that it was their own policy note. The CM said the free laptops shceme would open up a new vista of knowledge for the student community while the scheme for paying incentives to the students of SSLC, Plus One and Plus Two would help them in pursuing higher studies. Provision of mixies and grinders would lessen the workload on the housewives and they could spend their time in earning more money or useful activities for self-improvement and social service, she added.Assembly Speaker D Jayakumar presided over the function while State Ministers O Panneerselvam, KA Sengottaiyan, R Viswanathan, M C Sampath, NR Sivapathy and BV Ramana spoke on the welfare schemes of the government.
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