Jaya writes off farm loans, orders free power

J Jayalalithaa, who was yesterday sworn in for the sixth time as the Tamil Nadu chief minister, signed orders writing off farm loans, and giving free power for the first 100 units for domestic consumers and 750 units for handloom weavers.
In an effort to fulfil her poll promise of phased implementation of liquor prohibition in the state,  Jayalalithaa also announced the closure of 500 liquor shops and ordered reduced the working time of liquor outlets by two hours.
In a statement here, the government said Jayalalithaa signed the orders to waive off the farm loans, medium- and long-term loans from co-operative banks.
The financial impact for the government will be Rs57.8bn, the statement said.
She also signed the orders to offer free power to domestic users up to the first 100 units.
The government would provide an additional subsidy of Rs16.07bn to the power utility per year for this. Jayalalithaa also passed orders to provide 8g gold – from the earlier 4g - to poor girls on their marriage.
A statement issued by the government said liquor shops will be now open between 12 noon and 10pm. Earlier, these shops worked between 10am and 10pm.
Reacting to the announcement, Pattali Makkal Katchi founder S Ramadoss said the government should have curtailed the liquor shop working hours in the evening when the sales peak.
He said the government has not said when the 500 outlets would be closed.
Medanwhile, hours after being sworn-in with a 28-member council of ministers, Jayalalithaa expanded her ministry by inducting four more ministers.
The 68-year-old All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham chief was earlier sworn in in a packed hall in Madras University as thousands lined up on the roads outside. She was administered oath of office and secrecy by Governor K Rosaiah.
Jayalalithaa later went to the Secretariat to sign some papers.
Rosaiah also administered the oath of office to her council of ministers, days after the AIADMK-led alliance won the May 16 assembly election which saw a multi-cornered contest.
This is the first time since the death of former chief minister M G Ramachandran, popularly known as MGR, that a party returned to power for the second consecutive term in Tamil Nadu.
Federal ministers Venkaiah Naidu, Pon Radhakrishnan, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader M K Stalin, industrialists and other personalities attended the ceremony.
However, DMK president M Karunanidhi complained that the AIADMK had insulted his party with Stalin relegated to the back rows.
In a statement Karunanidhi said that the DMK, by winning 89 seats will be the principal opposition party in the assembly and Stalin will be on the front rows, while at the ceremony, R Sarathkumar, of All India Samathuva Makkal Katchi, was seated in the front row, and Stalin and other DMK leaders were allotted seat in the tenth row.
A large number of people gathered at the venue. People lined up along both sides of the road from Jayalalithaa’s residence at Poes Garden through the stretch from Kamaraj Salai on the Marina up to Madras University campus.