DMK a govt for the working class: Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin

CHENNAI: The DMK government is a government for the labour force and not one that stops at just showering accolades on labourers, said chief minister M K Stalin.
Addressing a May Day event at the May Day Park in Chintadripet in Chennai on Sunday, the CM, dressed in a red shirt to express solidarity with the labour force, recalled that it was his father and former chief minister M Karunanidhi, who had installed the May Day Pillar. “From the days of ‘Arignar’ Anna (DMK founder C N Annadurai), Kalaignar (Karunanidhi) and now, the DMK government has always been one that works for the welfare of labourers,” said Stalin.
He said it was the DMK which constituted the slum clearance board, and it was Tamil Nadu which was the first state to provide free power to farmers during the DMK rule. “We did away with hand pulled rickshaws too,” said Stalin.
He recalled how his government ensured ‘the right to sit at work’ for workers of all industries. A total 500 members of the unorganised sector welfare board were given auto rickshaws with a subsidy of ₹1 lakh. Benefits, which had been kept pending during the previous government, were given to members of the unorganised sector, he said.
His government raised accident benefits to workers in the unorganised sector from ₹1 lakh to ₹2 lakh, maternity benefits to workers in the construction industry from ₹6,000 to ₹18,000 and marriage benefits of ₹20,000 for both male and female workers in the construction industry, he said.
Welfare measures to the tune of ₹247 crore were given to 1,35,600 members of 18 unorganised sectors’ welfare boards by this government so far, he said.