Welfare schemes on Karunanidhi's b'day

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi will celebrate his 83rd birthday on Saturday with the launch of a slew of welfare programmes including distribution of rice at Rs two per kg through the Public Distribution System (PDS).

Karunanidhi will formally launch the PDS cheap rice scheme in Thousand Lights constituency, represented by his son and Local Administration Minister M K Stalin.

The Government's decision will incur an additional expenditure of Rs 500 crore per annum.

The octagenarian leader, who assumed Chief Ministership for the record fifth time on May 13, took everyone by surprise by signing the orders on the dais of the swearing-in ceremony to fulfil some of his poll promises.

Besides waiving off farmers' cooperative loans, he also signed orders for provision of cheap rice through PDS and supply of eggs twice a week to children covered under noon meal scheme.

Coinciding with the Chief Minister's birthday, the Government will also launch a marriage assistance scheme under which 33,333 girls will be provided Rs 15,000 each during 2006-07.

'The Moovalur Ramamirthammal Memorial Marriage Assistance Scheme' which was launched by the earlier DMK regime, was scrapped after the AIADMK assumed power in 2001.

The scheme has now been revived with an enhanced assistance of Rs 15,000 as promised in the DMK poll manifesto.

Fulfilling yet another promise, Karunanidhi will unveil the statue of Kannagi, which had been reinstalled on the Marina beach front, about four and a half years after it was suddenly removed and kept in the Government museum by the previous AIADMK government.

The DMK Chief's pet scheme 'Uzhavar Sandhai' (farmers' market), facilitating farmers to directly market their produce without any middlemen or traders is also being revived.

Karunanidhi will inaugurate the 'Samathuvapuram' and 'Uzhavar Sandhai' in suburban Ambattur.

Mass feeding, distribution of school uniforms, text books and financial assistance to children, free medical camps and distribution of welfare assitance to the poor will be organised during Karunanidhi's birthday celebrations across the state.