Here are the big stories from Tamil Nadu today
The Hindu
Welcome to the Tamil Nadu Today newsletter, your guide from The Hindu on the major news stories to follow today. Curated and written by Lalitha Ranjani.
Presenting the State Budget a year ahead of Lok Sabha election, Tamil Nadu Finance Minister announced that the scheme for disbursal of ₹1,000 monthly honorarium for eligible women heads of families (which was DMK’s much-debated poll promise) would be launched by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on September 15.
The Finance Minister further announced Metro Rail project for Coimbatore and Madurai cities at an estimated cost of ₹9,000 crore and ₹8,500 crore respectively.
Other key announcements include reduction of registration fee for the deeds of sale, gift, exchange and non-family member settlements, from the existing four per cent to two per cent, implementation of ‘Vada Chennai Valarchi Thittam’ at a cost of ₹1,000 crore, coverage of industrial workers including migrant labourers under Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam scheme.
The State is to get its 18th wildlife sanctuary, named as ‘Thanthai Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary’. It is to be spread across 80,567 hectares in Erode district.
The newly-elected Congress MLA of Erode (East) Assembly constituency, E.V.K.S. Elangovan, who is admitted at Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre in Chennai, has been diagnosed with mild COVID-19 infection and coronary artery disease.
According to a press release from the hospital, the 74-year-old senior Congress leader was admitted on March 15 with a mild chest infection. He is recovering well in the intensive care unit, the press statement added.
A 65-yer-old captive elephant Lalitha, which was unwell due to age-related factors and wounds for nearly three months, died in Virudhunagar this morning.