Vijay rolls out slew of perks for TN MLAs: Car, monthly allowances, increased health cover

CM Vijay's big MLA package: Govt cars, Rs 75,000 monthly vehicle allowance announced

NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay on Wednesday announced that all Members of the Legislative Assembly will be provided government vehicles to help them travel to their constituencies and carry out public service work.Under the announcement, each MLA will receive a monthly vehicle allowance of Rs 75,000 to cover the driver's salary and car-related expenses. An additional Rs 25,000 per month will be provided to each MLA to hire an assistant.“In order to enable all Members of the Legislative Assembly to carry out their public service work without any hindrance, and to perform their constituency duties efficiently, a govt vehicle will be provided to all MLAs," Vijay said in the State Legislative Assembly.The announcement was made after VCK MLA Jothimani raised the issue of logistical support for legislators and said MLAs could not work effectively without the necessary resources.Meanwhile, Annual coverage under CM Health Insurance hiked from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 25 lakh.The Tamil Nadu government also announced an allocation of Rs 351 crore to expand student admission capacity in government medical colleges and strengthen medical and nursing education.

A total of 6,098 additional seats will be created under the initiative. These include 660 BSc Nursing seats, 1,925 additional seats in nursing colleges and schools, 2,778 seats across 12 paramedical courses and 735 additional seats in medical courses.The government will also establish seven new government nursing colleges as part of the expansion.The government announced plans to establish a 400-bed multi-speciality hospital in Perambalur at an estimated cost of Rs 300 crore.The facility will provide advanced medical treatment and healthcare services, expanding access to specialised care in the district.The government also proposed increasing the annual treatment limit under the Chief Minister's Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 25 lakh.

The scheme will additionally cover medical and surgical services for transgender persons at government hospitals in Chennai, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Chengalpattu, Thiruvarur, Karur and Kanyakumari.The announcements made under Rule 110 cover support for MLAs, expansion of medical and nursing education, healthcare infrastructure and increased access to insurance-funded treatment and specialised healthcare services across Tamil Nadu.