Chennai, May 13
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi today announced a series of sops including waiver of cooperative loans of farmers up to March 31, 2006, to the tune of Rs 6,866 crore and reduction of the price of rice, supplied through the public distribution system, from Rs 3.50 to Rs 2 per kg, fulfilling the DMK’s two major poll pledges.
He also announced that under the noon meal scheme, under which children are provided lunch, eggs would be given twice a week.
Instead of going to the state secretariat, he signed the files approving these schemes in front of a large gathering at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor stadium where the swearing-in ceremony was conducted.
Earlier, the largest ever 31-member DMK ministry headed by party President M. Karunanidhi was sworn in.
Tamil Nadu Governor Surjit Singh Barnala administered the oath of office and secrecy.
Karunanidhi, who led the DMK-led Democratic Progressive Alliance (DPA) to victory in the state Assembly polls became Chief Minister for the fifth time and a legislator for 11th time.
Karunanidhi’s son and DMK deputy general secretary M.K. Stalin became a minister for the first time.
Though he will be heading a minority government with the DMK having won only 96 seats, he has the support of other DPA allies like the Congress, the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and the two Left parties, which takes the DPA’s strength in the House to 163.
This is the second time that the state will be having a minority government, the first being in 1952, when C. Rajagopalachari formed a Congress ministry with the outside support of the Common Wheel party and Indian Peasants and Workers party, led by C. Manickavelu Naicker and S.S. Ramasamy Padayachi. However, these parties later merged with the Congress, thus converting the minority status of the ministry to a majority.
Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy were present at the function. Mr Mukherjee handed over a special congratulatory letter from Congress President Sonia Gandhi.
K. Anbazhagan, Arcot N. Veerasami, M.K. Stalin, Ko Si Mani, Veerapandi Arumugam, Duraimurugan, P.T.R Palanivelrajan, Dr K. Ponmudi, K.N. Nehru, M.R.K. Panneerselvam, I. Periasami, N. Sureshrajan, Parithi Ilamvazhuthi, A.V. Velu, Suba Thangavelan, K.K.S.S.R. Ramachandran, T.M. Anbarasan, K.R. Periakaruppan, N.K.K.P. Raja, Thangam Thennarasu, S.N.M. Upayathulla, T.P.M. Moideen Khan, N. Selvaraj, M.P. Saminathan, Dr Poongothai, Geetha Jeevan, Tamilarasi, K.P.P. Sami, U. Mathivanan and K. Ramachandran were sworn in as ministers at the
function.
