Centre ready to sanction more welfare schemes to TN: Vasan

Chennai, June 30 (UNI) The Union Government has sanctioned Rs 38,160 crore to Tamil Nadu for implementing 61 new schemes in eight departments, Union Minister of State for Statistics and Programme Implementation G K Vasan said today.

Participating in the golden jubilee celeberations of the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) here organized by the INTUC-affliated, National Electricity Workers Federation, Tamil Nadu, he said the Centre was ready to sanction more schemes to the state.

The UPA Government at the Centre and the DMK Government in Tamil Nadu were keen to protect the interest of the working class. In fact, the UPA Government had prevented 447 strikes in various departments in the last two years by effectively handling the issue soon after receiving the strike notices by the respective trade unions, he added.

Under the Rajiv Gandhi Rural Electrification scheme, electricity has been provided to one lakh villages so far, he said adding that 2.3 crore houses were given power connection.

Referring to the INTUC-led TNEB Labour Union demand that 21,600 contract workers of the Board be regularised and filling up of the existing 40,000 vacancies in the TNEB, Mr Vasan said these demands were reasonable.

He appealed to Chief Minister M Karunanidhi to fulfill these reasonable demands.

UNI