Tamil Nadu Announces ₹3.8-Crore Drug Abuse Prevention Plan and Welfare Schemes

The Tamil Nadu government will formulate a State-level drug abuse prevention action plan at a cost of ₹3.80 crore, Minister for Social Welfare and Women Empowerment K. Jegadeshwari announced in the Legislative Assembly on Monday.

The action plan is designed to prevent drug abuse among children and youth while extending rehabilitation and social integration support to victims.

Presenting welfare measures for childcare and early childhood development, the Minister stated that the government will establish 300 new Anganwadis in urban areas at an outlay of ₹51 crore. Additionally, select existing Anganwadis will be reconstructed at a cost of ₹12.96 crore. A pilot project with an allocation of ₹5.20 crore will develop learning materials in Tamil and English for Anganwadi children across 50 blocks.

For senior citizens, a retirement residential facility featuring quality services will be established under a public-private partnership model at an estimated cost of ₹14.50 crore. To assist elderly residents in old age homes, the government will provide physiotherapy and palliative care services at an annual cost of ₹5.5 crore, focusing on pain management and overall health improvement.

Presenting the demand for grants for the Differently Abled Welfare Department, Ms. Jegadeshwari announced that petrol-powered scooters or battery-powered devices will be provided to persons with dwarfism at a total cost of ₹4 crore. She also announced that bus travel will be made free for all persons with disabilities and their companions.

Furthermore, 10 additional homes for persons with mental illness will be established through non-governmental organisations with an allocation of ₹1.82 crore. The State will also spend ₹1.77 crore to provide vocational training through NGOs at 10 homes for persons with intellectual disabilities, and set up two homes for individuals with spinal cord injuries at an estimated cost of ₹49 lakh.