Chennai: Ahead of the Tamil Nadu assembly election, APJ Abdul Kalam’s scientific advisor V Ponraj joined Kamal Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) on Wednesday (March 3, 2021).
The Makkal Needhi Maiam appointed V Ponraj as the Vice President of the party.
The party also unveiled the agenda for women’s welfare. It said that as announced earlier, the MNM promises to give dignity and recognition to homemakers.
Here are the key points of Kamal Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Maiam agenda for women’s welfare:
50% of WOMEN IN UNIFORM SECTOR:
Every uniformed sector in state services should have 50% women representation.
PROTECTION FOR WOMEN IN DISTRESS:
Hostels in every district for free emergency overnight stay for women in distress and establish a follow-up system on complaints registered with 181 women’s helpline.
UNIVERSAL DISTRIBUTION OF FEMININE PRODUCTS:
Government to procure and distribute sanitary napkins via PDS for poor, urban and rural adolescent girls and women.
MAGALIR VANGI (banks run by women) AT DISTRICT LEVEL TO BE ESTABLISHED FOR WOMEN:
Banks that will be run by women and for women, will be established.
UMBRELLA OF SUPPORT FOR SINGLE MOTHERS:
Education, skill-building, employment, and socio-economic support to be given to all single mothers.
PERSONAL CARE SPACES:
Government, in collaboration with NGOs, will provide infrastructure in public spaces (bus stops, railways stations, etc) for women.
FREE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CHECK-UPS FOR ALL WOMEN:
Government to organise reproductive health check-up once every six months.
ASSURED EMPLOYMENT:
On forming the government, the MNM promises 50 lakh new job opportunities within the tenure.
GUARANTEED JOBS WITHIN 100 SQUARE KMS:
The agenda list also guaranteed jobs within 100 square km from one’s pin covid for any graduate.
REVISION OF UNEMPLOYMENT ALLOWANCE:
The agenda also read that the revision of the unemployment allowance will be done based on the cost-of-living index.
YOUTH FOR YOUTH:
Any youth employing five or more youth will be eligible for special financial incentives, as per the agenda.
E-BIKES AT ZERO INTEREST RATES:
The agenda stated that electric bikes will be provided at zero interest rates for the first time employees.
REGULATION OF WORK OF GIG ECONOMY:
To ensure the dignity of workers with Off-Grid breaks and Accident Insurance.
YOUTH EXCHANGE:
The Party said that the youth exchange within and outside the state and country will be actively encouraged.
This is to be noted that the Tamil Nadu assembly election will take place in one phase on April 6. Polls for 234 seats in the state will be a contest between the Congress-DMK and BJP-AIADMK alliance.
