Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Monday announced a series of major welfare measures aimed at women, including three free LPG cylinders every year and an expansion of the state’s existing free bus travel scheme.
The announcements were made in the Tamil Nadu Assembly as part of the government’s ‘Annapoorani Super Six’ welfare scheme.
3 free LPG cylinders every year
Under the proposed scheme, women heads of eligible households will receive the benefit of three free LPG cylinders annually.
The initiative is expected to have an annual budgetary outlay of around ₹4,000 crore and benefit approximately 1.3 crore families.
Vijay said the scheme would be implemented from Pongal in January.
The cost of the eligible LPG cylinders will be reimbursed and directly credited to the bank accounts of women heads of households after booking and delivery. The reimbursement will be based on official billing from oil marketing companies.
Who will benefit from the LPG scheme?
According to the announcement, the Annapoorani Super Six scheme will cover households with an annual income of up to ₹2.5 lakh.
It will also cover economically weaker sections, families of small and marginal farmers and families of persons with disabilities.
Free bus travel scheme expanded
Vijay also announced an expansion of the existing free bus travel scheme for women.
The benefit will now extend to state-run ordinary, express and deluxe buses, according to the announcement.
The chief minister said women would not face an income ceiling or restrictions on the number of trips while using the fare-free bus service.
The expansion is aimed at making public transport more accessible while reducing the financial burden on women commuters.
Chennai second airport plan dropped for now
In another major announcement, Vijay said the Tamil Nadu government would drop, for now, the proposed second airport at Parandur near Chennai.
The decision comes amid concerns over the impact of the project on agricultural land and the livelihoods of farmers and residents in the area.
Vijay said Chennai’s existing Meenambakkam airport has the capacity to handle around 30 million passengers annually. However, he acknowledged the need for additional airport infrastructure given the city’s growing passenger traffic, industrial development and increasing cargo movement.
The chief minister said any future second-airport project should be located in an area where its impact on agricultural land and residential areas is minimised.