Popular Leader, Populist Schemes

12/6/2016
Popularleader,populistschemesTheHindu
Jayalalithaa - 1948-2016
Popular leader, populist schemes
Our Bureau
CHENNAI OCTOBER 02, 2016 19:32 IST
UPDATED: DECEMBER 06, 2016 02:05 IST
Cradle baby scheme

A brainchild of Jayalalithaa, the 'Cradle Baby' scheme was launched in 1992 in Salem district,
during her first term, to combat the low sex ratio and to curb the menace of female
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infanticide.
She expanded it to five districts in 2001.
In the 2011 Census, all these districts registered an upward trend in the child sex ratio. The
scheme was expanded again to cover five more districts in the northern region, which
registered a fall in the child sex ratio in the 2011 Census.
In 2011, Jayalalithaa said 3,200 girls and 582 boys had been rescued. Of them, 2,088 girls and
372 boys had been given in adoption in the country, and 170 girls and 27 boys in foreign
countries.
A recent study of cradle babies at the Dharmapuri district headquarters hospital, published in
'Paediatric on Call', found that over 18 per cent of parents had a change of heart and took back
their babies.
In addition, Jayalalithaa instituted the Girl Child Protection Scheme, which provides
financial incentives to impoverished parents to tide over educational and marriage expenses
of their daughters.
All Women Police Stations
To specifically cater to the complaints and grievances of women, the first All Women Police
Station was set up in 1992 by her government. At present, 200 such police stations are
functioning in the State, with one in each sub-division.
About 40% of the All Women Police Stations in the country are located in Tamil Nadu. In
addition, every police station has been ordered to have one Woman Sub-Inspector. Women
police in the State perform duties on a par with men, whether it is mob control or crime
investigation or traffic regulation. It is a matter of pride that women are given opportunities
to distinguish themselves in the difficult and arduous job of policing, she recalled in her
speech recently. Tamil Nadu has one-fourth of women sub-inspectors in the country. Overall,
it accounts for one seventh of all women police personnel.
Rainwater harvesting
Another brainchild of Jayalalithaa, rainwater harvesting (RWH) was started as a kind of
movement by the government in 2001. She made RWH compulsory in all buildings to
replenish the groundwater tables, which were rapidly falling. Amendments were made to the
Tamil Nadu District Municipalities Act.
Having an RWH structure became a pre-requisite for obtaining water and sewer connections
in Chennai. There has been a marked improvement in the citys ground water table and
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quality since, and as of now 7.82 lakh buildings have over 8.47 lakh rainwater harvesting
structures.
The movement has been expanded to many other parts of the state (though it is not
mandatory) to make people realise the significance of judicious use of water and groundwater
recharge.
New Veeranam scheme
It was an ambitious project, pending for long, to cater to the drinking water needs of Chennai.
Nearly four decades after it was conceived first, the New Veeranam Scheme, which envisaged
bringing water from Veeranam tank in Cuddalore district to Chennai, was implemented by
the AIADMK regime led by her in 2004.
Originally mooted in 1967 by then chief minister C.N. Annadurai and later by M. Karunanidhi
who took over as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, the project was mired in corruption charges and
political controversy.
Jayalalithaa gave a new lease of life to the project in 1993 and proposed to lay pipelines to draw
180 million litres of water a day from the Veeranam tank. The DMK government that followed
dropped the scheme, citing huge expenditure.
After she returned to power in 2001, Jayalalithaa revised the project and renamed it the 'New
Veeranam scheme'. Huge pipelines were laid for a distance of 230 km to carry water from
Veeranam tank to the Porur water distribution station.
Since 2004, the Veeranam tank, located at the tail-end of the Cauvery river system, has been
one of the major water sources for Chennai. It is considered a proud achievement of
Jayalalithaa, one that helped to resolve the drinking water crisis in Chennai.
Tsunami relief and rehabilitation
Jayalalithaas administrative acumen was on display following the tsunami on December 26,
2004, that wrecked havoc along the coastal districts.
The entire official machinery was focussed on relief efforts. She got the best officers to lead
the teams in each district and set up mini-collectorates, with officials from about a dozen
departments working round the clock to provide immediate relief and long-term
rehabilitation. Aid came in from the Centre, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank,
and was supported by NGOs in the initial stages of operations.
In the aftermath of the deluge in Chennai, more than a decade later in 2015, her government
came in for criticism as most parts of the city went under water for days. Again, she ensured
that the government machinery worked overtime to prevent any disease outbreak.
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Free houses, goats and grinders

Touted as the first such project in the country, the Chief Ministers Solar Powered Green House
Scheme was one of her flagship schemes. Launched in 2011-2012, it aimed at providing a
proper home for families living below the poverty line, along with the solar powered home
illumination.
By that time, Jayalalithaa was keen on the welfare of the poor more than ever before, and
always talked about inclusive growth. Apart from the housing scheme, she distributed free
grinders, mixies and fans, benefiting 1.80 crore women from economically poor backgrounds
so that their daily burden could be reduced.
Another big hit among the rural folk was the distribution of milch animals in villages. It
improved the living conditions of the poorest of poor, who were very thankful to her.
The government spent thousands of crores on these freebies every year, and defended it by
saying the beneficiaries were poor who otherwise would not be able to afford to such basic
requirements.
The schemes are, perhaps, one the reasons she returned to power in 2016.
Maternity assistance
In 2011, maternity assistance under the Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy Maternity Benefit Scheme
was increased from Rs. 6,000 to Rs. 12,000 and given in three installments.
The first installment is given before delivery to those availing all required antenatal care
services in government institutions; the second for those giving birth in government
institutions and the third installment after immunization of the child.
Sri Lankan refugees are also eligible for assistance under this scheme. The scheme is aimed at
providing assistance to poor pregnant women/mothers to meet the expenses of a nutritious
diet, to compensate for the loss of income during motherhood and to avoid low birth weight
of newborn babies. On an average, 6 lakh women benefit from the scheme every year.
Free laptop scheme
Taking the freebies scheme a step ahead in 2011, Jayalalithaa unveiled a free laptop scheme for
students of government and government-aided schools and colleges.
The objective was to empower students and enhance their skills and ability, and was especially
targeted at those in rural areas. It also was aimed at tapping the first time voters.
In the past five years, the scheme helped more than 3.25 lakh students. The government has
further announced plans to distribute another 5.36 lakh laptops this year. Initially, the
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computers were not wifi compatible, but later all facilities were provided.
Despite criticism that some laptops made their way to the open market, there is no dispute
that the scheme was a game changer.
Amma canteens
Perhaps the most popular and successful scheme is that of Amma Canteens, launched
primarily to provide food to the urban poor at a low cost.
She launched the scheme at Santhome, Chennai, in February 2013. Now, the city alone has 407
Amma Canteens; other cities and towns have 247 more. Combined, they provide food at cheap
rates to at least 10 lakh people every day. One idli costs Re. 1, pongal costs Rs. 5, variety rice Rs.
5 and curd rice Rs. 3.
Despite pointing out the rising expenditure for the scheme, even the Comptroller and Auditor
General lauded the initiative. It is now being replicated in many other states.
Amma baby care kits
It was clear that everyone, from the elders to the newborns, came under her governments
welfare net. She launched newborn care kits for women giving birth in government hospitals
in August 2014. The scheme was inaugurated a year later in September 2015, and distribution
of the kits, containing 16 items, began.
The scheme is aimed at improving the hygiene of post-natal mothers and newborn babies, and
inculcating hygienic practices among the mothers.
The kits contain, among other things, a towel, dress, bed, protective net, napkin, oil, baby soap,
shampoo, soap box, liquid hand wash, nail cutter, baby rattle, toy, and 'sowbagya sundi
lehiyam (a medicinal preparation to improve mothers health).
Within a year, over 5 lakh mothers were given the kits.
(Reporting by R. Sujatha, R. Sivaraman, K. Lakshmi, B. Aravind Kumar, K. Manikandan, Zubeda
Hamid and Aloysius Xavier Lopez)
Rs105,176
Rs131,417
Rs135,066
Rs89,980
Rs100,576
Rs77,500
Printable version | Dec 6, 2016 6:52:31 PM | http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamilnadu/Popular-leader-populist-schemes/article15422328.ece

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Cradle baby scheme

Free houses, goats and grinders

Printable version | Dec 6, 2016 6:52:31 PM | http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamilnadu/Popular-leader-populist-schemes/article15422328.ece

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