Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Wednesday announced a major package of support for Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), saying the measures will help them travel across their constituencies, address public grievances and monitor government projects without depending on others.

Making the announcement under Rule 110 in the Assembly, he said a government vehicle and monthly allowances will be provided to all 234 MLAs to enable them to carry out their public service work “without any hindrance” and perform their constituency duties efficiently.

Official cars and monthly allowances for all 234 MLAs

Under the new support measures, every MLA in Tamil Nadu will receive a government vehicle to be used for constituency-related work.

“In order to enable all Members of the Legislative Assembly to carry out their public service work without any hindrance, and to perform their constituency duties efficiently, a govt vehicle will be provided to all MLAs,” CM Vijay said in the State Legislative Assembly.

Along with the car, MLAs will get a monthly vehicle allowance of Rs 75,000 to cover expenses on driver, fuel and maintenance. In addition, they will receive a monthly assistant allowance of Rs 25,000 to hire a secretary for official work. Taken together, each MLA will have access to a car plus up to Rs 1 lakh per month in allowances for transport and office support.

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The Tamil Nadu government justified the expense by noting that many MLAs in the current Assembly have been elected for the first time and come from humble backgrounds. “MLAs need to travel to their constituencies frequently to address people’s problems. Government vehicle will ensure transparent and corruption free governance,” the Chief Minister said, adding that the support will help them discharge their duties as people’s representatives without logistical constraints.

The announcement came after VCK MLA Jothimani said MLAs cannot work effectively without the required logistics support and requested cars for them. The move was quickly welcomed by legislators across the House.

Cheers in the House: Song, thumping of tables as MLAs thank CM

The reaction in the Assembly was immediate and enthusiastic. TVK MLA K Sindhu broke into an MGR song, “Kodutthathellam Kodutthan”, in the House to thank the Chief Minister for the announcement of government vehicles for MLAs. CM Vijay was seen smiling as other MLAs thumped their tables in approval, signalling broad political support for the measure.

Shift to general public: Health insurance limit raised to Rs 25 lakh

After the MLA-related announcements, the Chief Minister outlined a series of measures for the general public, with a focus on healthcare. Now, Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS), the annual coverage limit for medical treatment will be increased from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 25 lakh.

“Medical care is a fundamental right, not a privilege, and the government aims to remove barriers to quality healthcare regardless of income or location,” CM Vijay said while making the announcement under Rule 110.

The enhanced insurance cover is expected to significantly reduce out-of-pocket expenses for families seeking advanced treatment in empanelled hospitals. In addition, specialised medical and surgical services for transgender persons will be provided under the scheme at seven government medical college hospitals, including those in Chennai (Stanley), Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Chengalpattu, Thiruvarur, Karur and Kanyakumari.

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New hospitals, cancer care push and medical education expansion

On infrastructure, the government announced a 400-bed, world-class multi-speciality hospital in Perambalur at an estimated cost of Rs 300 crore, intended to provide advanced medical treatment and healthcare services. As per Tamil Nadu CMO, in Chennai, a new integrated cancer treatment unit (G+4 floors) will be established at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital for Rs 471.80 crore, while the Chief Minister’s Cancer Care Mission will be upgraded with a budget of Rs 677.44 crore. Five regional cancer centres will also be set up in districts including Thanjavur, Coimbatore and Madurai.

To address shortages of medical staff, Rs 351 crore will be invested to create additional student seats in nursing and pharmacy programmes. This includes starting seven new government nursing colleges and expanding capacity in existing institutions. A total of 6,098 additional seats will be created for developing healthcare professionals: 660 B.Sc. Nursing seats, 1,925 additional seats in nursing colleges and schools, 2,778 seats across 12 paramedical courses, and 735 additional seats in medical courses.

Advanced equipment, including robotic surgery systems and linear accelerators, will be provided, along with HPV DNA testing for women in specific districts to prioritise early detection of high-risk human papillomavirus strains that can lead to cervical cancer.

Milk price hike and incentive boost for 3.16 lakh dairy farmers

On the livelihood front, the government announced an increase in the milk procurement price from Rs 38 to Rs 41 per litre. As a result, the government will incur an additional expenditure of Rs 30 crore per month and Rs 360 crore per year. In addition to the price hike, the government incentive for milk producers will be increased from Rs 3 to Rs 5 per litre.

Taken together, these measures are expected to benefit more than 3.16 lakh milk producers across Tamil Nadu, improving their earnings and supporting the state’s dairy sector.

Maternity leave for third child and the family planning debate

Separately, the government has also moved to grant maternity leave for the third child to women government employees, a step that has sparked debate over family planning. DMK spokesperson TKS Elangovan said, “Tamil Nadu is the first state to follow family planning in a restricted sense. That is why we stopped at two children. It is better to have only two children in a family, which will help the family and enable the parents to bring up their children. But if they are having a third child, it means they are abandoning the family planning programme. I don’t understand the meaning of this. This government does not want family planning. That is the only thing I can infer from this.”