Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay on Tuesday promised a waiver of crop loans for farmers in Tamil Nadu ahead of elections and criticised the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) over the alleged closure of several Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the state.
Addressing a rally in Tiruppur, he also announced that a detailed election manifesto for the upcoming Assembly polls will be released on April 16.
Full waiver of crop loans for small farmers: Vijay
"This is the achievement of the DMK," he remarked sarcastically.
Pledging to allocate Rs 15,000 crore as a state guarantee fund for weaker MSMEs, he said peak hour electricity charges will be scrapped for MSMEs, besides providing tax-free electricity for five years.
Vijay assured a complete waiver of crop loans for small farmers in Tamil Nadu owning less than five acres of land, while promising a 50% waiver for those with larger holdings. He also announced procurement support, stating that paddy would be purchased at Rs 3,500 per quintal and sugarcane at Rs 4,500 per tonne.
Claiming a decline in the industrial sector in the state, Vijay said while Tamil Nadu once had more number of MSMEs, many have been shut during the DMK regime, which is the second highest in the country.
Vijay announces welfare schemes
Vijay also announced a range of welfare measures, stating that a state-run e-commerce platform will be set up to help showcase local products in international markets, along with the establishment of new showrooms to boost their reach.
He said a 50 per cent subsidy scheme will be implemented for the weavers for the purchase of raw products. "The pension amount for the weavers will be increased to Rs 3,000," he said, adding the weavers will also be provided an insurance policy to the tune of Rs 10 lakh each.
Regarding state government employees, he said the implementation of the old pension scheme will be considered. "Temporary government teachers, nurses and writers, who worked more than five years, will be regularised," he said and assured that "bribery culture" for the promotion of government employees will be totally stopped.
Vijay further said that all transfers of government staff would be carried out in a transparent and time-bound manner.
Vijay promises basic salary of Rs 25,000 for police
For the state police force in Tamil Nadu, he promised to increase the basic salary from Rs 18,200 to Rs 25,000 and implement a Police Welfare and Working Conditions Act to regulate duty hours. He also announced that the washing allowance would be doubled from Rs 500 to Rs 1,000.
Police welfare hospitals will be established in Madurai, Coimbatore, Trichy, Salem, Tirunelveli and Vellore, besides providing separate restrooms for female personnel and providing mobile toilets. "Rotation-based weekly off will be implemented for the police personnel, who work more than the stipulated time," he added.
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