‘Women saved 888 a month through free bus rides'
Chennai: State govt on Tuesday said women in Tamil Nadu went on 682.02 crore bus rides under the '
Magalir Vidiyal Payanam Thittam
' (free bus travel for women scheme) in the past four years. "Women, differently abled and transgender people can travel for free under the scheme," an official release said.
"Of the 682.02 crore free rides, 36.89 lakh rides were claimed by transgender people, and 3.78 crore rides by differently abled people.
Women were able to save up to 888 a month."DMK govt, which is set to complete four years, has launched several schemes for the welfare of women. Some of them are Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam, Pudhumai Penn Thittam, and Thozhi hostels for working women.Under the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam, 1.15 crore women householders receive 1,000 a month. For women in self-help groups, DMK govt increased the credit limit from 12 lakh/SHG to 20 lakh/SHG, resulting in higher bank loans to the tune of 1.12 lakh crore in four years, which is nearly 300% higher when compared to the previous AIADMK govt (from 2016 to 2020).
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Gazette
an hour ago
- India Gazette
"Mortgaged election symbol to DMK in exchange for RS seat": BJP's H Raja takes dig at Kamal Haasan
Pudukkottai (Tamil Nadu) [India], June 7 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader H. Raja criticised Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) President chief Kamal Haasan, saying that the actor-turned-politician has 'mortgaged' his party in exchange for a Rajya Sabha seat. The BJP leader stated that the MNM chief, who used to oppose the DMK's freebies and corrupt rule, has 'mortgaged' his torchlight election symbol to the DMK in exchange for a Rajya Sabha seat. He even claimed that the actor has said to never form an alliance with the DMK. 'Everyone knows what Kamal Haasan did in the past. He opposed the DMK's freebies and corrupt rule. He even said he would never form an alliance with the DMK. Now, out of embarrassment, he has mortgaged his torchlight election symbol to the DMK in exchange for a Rajya Sabha seat. It is a waste of time to talk about him,' Raja said on Friday. This came after Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) President and Actor Kamal Haasan filed his nomination for Rajya Sabha at the Tamil Nadu secretariat after DMK allocated one upper house seat to MNM. Haasan filed his nomination in the presence of DMK President and state Chief Minister MK Stalin and his Deputy Udhayanidhi Stalin on Friday. In the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, each candidate requires a minimum of 34 votes to clinch a Rajya Sabha seat. The DMK-led INDIA bloc, with 158 MLAs (DMK: 133, Congress: 17, VCK: 4, CPI: 2, CPM: 2), is poised to win four seats comfortably. The ruling DMK has named its three candidates for the Rajya Sabha election scheduled for June 19 this year. According to a release of the DMK, Salma, Advocate P Wilson, and SR Sivalingam are its candidates. Actor Kamal Haasan launched Makkal Needhi Miam at a public meeting in Madurai in 2018. Makkal Needhi Miam did not contest in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, and instead it campaigned for the DMK-led INDIA bloc in the State. In return, the DMK had promised a Rajya Sabha seat for the party. Makkal Needhi Miam had secured 2.62 per cent of the votes in the 2021 State Assembly election. Earlier on Thursday, Kamal Hassan's latest film Thug Life was released. Fans flooded the venue, waving banners and cheering for their beloved actor, creating an electrifying atmosphere at the premises of the cinema halls. The buzz was unmistakable, with several fans even breaking into spontaneous dances to celebrate the much-awaited release of the film. At the centre of the buzz, Haasan expressed his gratitude and excitement for the project, particularly his collaboration with the acclaimed director Mani Ratnam. 'It is true that working with him (Mani Ratnam) was a pleasure for me. I would like to thank Tamil Nadu and its people for their unwavering support,' Haasan said, reflecting on the warmth he has received throughout his career. In 'Thug Life', Haasan leads an ensemble cast that includes Silambarasan TR, Trisha Krishnan, Ashok Selvan, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Joju George, Ali Fazal, Sanya Malhotra, and Rohit Saraf, among others. In 'Thug Life', Haasan leads an ensemble cast that includes Silambarasan TR, Trisha Krishnan, Ashok Selvan, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Joju George, Ali Fazal, Sanya Malhotra, and Rohit Saraf, among others. (ANI)
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Without imposition, we will learn: Kamal Haasan on issue of imposition of language
Kamal Haasan voices strong opposition to Hindi imposition. He supports Punjab, Karnataka, and Andhra. His film 'Thug Life' faced release hurdles in Karnataka due to a language row. Haasan defends his stance, emphasizing education and linguistic diversity. He highlights the importance of English and the concerns of non-Hindi speakers. The film was not released in Karnataka after court intervention. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Where does Kamal Haasan stand on the issue of imposition of Hindi in the south? "I stand with Punjab. I stand with Karnataka. I stand with Andhra," is his quick pan-India superstar's latest film " Thug Life ", the 234th in a 65-year career, released in theatres this week amid controversy over his comment that Kannada was born out of Tamil. He refused to apologise and the film did not release in Karnataka."I am the actor from 'Ek Duuje Ke Liye'...," Haasan told PTI during a recent visit to the news agency's headquarters, referring to his 1981 hit Hindi film about a Tamil boy and his romance with his Hindi speaking neighbour."Without imposition, we will learn. Don't impose, because this is ultimately education and we must take the shortest route to education... and not put hurdles in its way," the actor ruling DMK in his home state Tamil Nadu has long opposed the three-language policy introduced under the National Education Policy (NEP). The party has repeatedly accused the BJP-led NDA government of attempting to "impose Hindi", a charge the Centre has that the imposition of a particular language only hampers the learning process, the 70-year-old said, "I stand with Punjab. I stand with Karnataka. I stand with Andhra. This is not only place which is resenting imposition."The Indian cinema stalwart, hugely popular in the south as well as in the north with films such as "Nayakan", "Thevar Magan", "Sadma", "Saagar" and Chachi 420" that bridged language divides, said if you are truly looking at "international breakthrough" you must learn one language."And English seems to be fair enough. You can do Spanish also, or Chinese. But I think the most practical thing where the shortest route to that is that we have 350 years of English education, slowly but steadily. So when you suddenly replace it, it's all over again. You make unnecessarily many people illiterate, especially in Tamil Nadu."You suddenly force all through Hindi and you tell them that you will not get your job beyond the Vindhyas, then you start wondering, what about the promises? What about my language? Am I not one of the 22 (official languages)? These are the questions that are coming."Tamil is one of the 22 official languages of the country, apart from Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Telugu, Urdu, Bodo, Santhali, Maithili and Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) had said it would not let "Thug Life" release unless Haasan apologised for his Kannada-Tamil comment at a promotional event in banner Raajkamal Films International filed a plea before the Karnataka High Court seeking protection for the release of the film, which sees him reuniting with Mani Ratnam after "Nayakan" in a rap from the court over the remark, the producers said "Thug Life" will not be released in Karnataka.
NDTV
4 hours ago
- NDTV
Madras High Court Orders Closure Of Liquor Shop Near School In Tamil Nadu
Chennai: In a significant judgment, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Monday (2 June, 2025) ordered the closure of a state-owned liquor shop (TASMAC) located in Dindigul town. The petitioner, P. Vetrivvel, argued that the liquor shop on Trichy Road was causing a nuisance for children passing through the area on their way to school. While the petitioner claimed that the school is located within 30 metres of the shop, the government countered that the TASMAC outlet falls within corporation limits, where the minimum required distance is 50 metres. It also contended that in a commercial area, the prescribed distance restrictions would not apply. However, the court dismissed the government's arguments and observed that the presence of the TASMAC outlet could indeed cause inconvenience and nuisance to the public, particularly to children during school hours. The court also stated, "It is contradictory for a welfare government to establish more hospitals on the one hand and simultaneously operate TASMAC shops on the other. This is not in consonance with constitutional ethos." The bench referred to Article 47 of the Constitution, which mandates the State to improve public health and endeavor to prohibit intoxicating drinks except for medicinal purposes. "It is a constitutional philosophy and the Directive principles insist that a welfare Government should strive wholeheartedly to enforce prohibition, rather than establish more TASMAC shops which adversely affect public health," court emphasised. It added, "When the right to health is a fundamental right, the State must ensure that the prohibition is slowly implemented in a phased manner to reduce harm to the public health". Irrespective of the political divide and the ruling DMK and the opposition AIADMK have been using TASMAC as a cash cow, unmindful of the health impact on consumers. Last year, the Tamil Nadu government earned a revenue of Rs 48,344 crore from TASMAC, an increase of Rs 2,483 crore from the previous year. Amid demands for prohibition, during her tenure as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Jayalalithaa initiated measures to reduce the number of TASMAC liquor shops. This included announcing the closure of 500 liquor outlets and reducing the business hours of state-run liquor shops. The ruling DMK too had initiated measures to downsize number of shops, but the sale or liquor is only on the rise. The government argues prohibition is practically difficult to enforce as all neighbouring states sell liquor and a prohibition in this scenario would only nurture illicit liquor. But on the ground this argument many say falls flat as the state witnessed two illicit liquor tragedies killing nearly 80 people over the last few years. The matter is now listed for reporting compliance on June 18, 2025.
