Govt announces Rs 5 lakh award for Corporates

Chennai, Apr 12 (UNI) The Tamil Nadu government today announced a Rs five lakh award scheme for Corporates, which carried out their Corporate Social Responsibility in the best manner.

The scheme, designed to encourage Corporates and MNCs to continue their social responsibility, would be implemented from this year onwards, Local Administration Minsiter M K Stalin told the state Assembly today, replying to the debate on the demand for grants for his departments.

He said the best Corporates would be given a citation besides the cash award and added a sum of Rs 25 lakh has been alloted for this purpose.

He said after the DMK government lifted the ban on recruitment imposed by the previous AIADMK regime, vacancies were being filled up in various departments.

After coming to power in May last, the government had identified 17,819 posts, including people's welfare workers and had so far filled up 13,999 posts. The balance of 3,820 posts would be filled up during this year, he added.

Mr Stalin also announced reduction of power tariff for local bodies. While the tariff of Rs 3.40 per unit paid by the rural local bodies was reduced to Rs three, it was reduced from Rs 3.50 to Rs 3.30 in case of urban local bodies.

The concession in the tariff would apply to Tamil Nadu water supply and drainage board and Chennai Metropolitan water supply and sewerage board and the state government would make good the loss to the electricity board, he said.

Mr Stalin said the government has drawn up a Panchayat Union school development scheme, under which 22,000 panchayat union primary schools and 4,500 middle schools would be developed at a cost of Rs 135 crore.

UNI