Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami distributed Rs 1.11 lakh to seven beneficiaries as a mark of commencement of the subsidy disbursal process. 

The state government had identified 3,780 beneficiaries and had allotted Rs 6 crore for Hajj travel subsidy for the year 2018-19. 

The scheme for providing subsidy for Hajj pilgrims was stopped by the Union government from 2018 onwards, but the state government continues to provide subsidy for Hajj and Jerusalem pilgrims. 

Labour and Employment Minister Nilofar Kafeel and Minister for Minorities Welfare C Valarmathi were present during the distribution of the subsidy. 

Moreover, Palaniswami, through video conferencing, inaugurated 28 integrated agriculture expansion centres, two soil testing centres and two fertilizer quality control laboratories at the cost of Rs 44.4 crore on Wednesday. The soil testing centres are constructed in Namakkal and Virudhunagar districts at the cost of Rs 1.2 crore. 

The fertilizer quality control laboratories were constructed at Kumbakonam and Tiruvarur at a cost of Rs 1.2 crore. Palaniswami, through video conferencing, inaugurated e-stamp registration in 56 sub-registrar  offices across the state on Wednesday. He also inaugurated an integrated registrar office campus at Thanjavur, at the cost of Rs 2.7 crore, office of Assistant Commissioner of Commercial Tax Department at Krishnagiri at a cost of Rs 1.42 crore and two sub-registrar offices at Kuduvancheri and Manavalanagar in Tiruvallur district at a cost of Rs 1.36 crore. 

The Chief Minister also opened a government ITI at Aruppukottai, in Virudhunagar district through video-conferencing on Wednesday. The ITI, constructed at the cost of Rs 2.75 crore will have five separate departments in which 200 students can be admitted.