By IANS,
Chennai : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi admitted Monday that the government’s welfare schemes had inbuilt error components.
“Nobody can create schemes to benefit the poor sans inbuilt mistakes. Even if Mahatma Gandhi or god were to launch them as political heads, they cannot ensure error free programmes. But, on that count, wouldn’t banning sops eternally be sheer madness as well?” Karunanidhi asked as he launched the rice at Re.1/kg scheme here on the birth centenary of late C.N. Annadurai, founder of the ruling DMK.
Leading opposition parties had launched a scathing attack on the scheme.
Actor-turned politician Vijaykanth had spoken against the scheme saying it was meant to serve those out to make fast money by smuggling rice beyond the state’s borders.
“The numbers of complaints of smuggling cheap rice to our neighbouring states when prices were Rs.2 a kg were innumerable. While one is not sure of the quality of the food, selling it in the black market will become an even more attractive commercial proposition to ruling party members,” Vijaykanth said Monday.
“Karunanidhi is claiming to dole out rice at Re.1 a kg. But, other cooking inputs like spices, lentils etc are so dear that the whole scheme is rendered useless as the prices of fuel like kerosene have gone through the roof and are unavailable to the common public,” opposition AIADMK general secretary J. Jayalalitha said Sunday at a public rally in Theni, a town bordering her assembly constituency of Andipatti, 450 km south of here.
Other political parties such as the MDMK, the PMK, the Left and smaller parties led by other actor-turned politicians like Sarath Kumar have also slammed the scheme.
Meanwhile, the government Sunday announced another scheme to supply subsidised spices and lentils from Oct 2 – the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.