DHARMAPURI: Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Thursday reviewed the measures taken to eradicate Covid-19 infection, inaugurated 20 projects worth Rs 15.91 crore and laid foundation stone to 117 projects undertaken by various departments at a cost of Rs 69.90 crore in the district.
During the review meeting, the chief minister lauded the district administration for its efforts in curbing the spread of Covid infection and said that Dharmapuri, when compared to other districts, witnessed a low transmission rate.
Saying that the district has followed all the protocols recommended by the State government, he said that over 58 special fever camps had been held so far in the district. He explained that fever camps were set up to identify Covid patients and provide them with proper treatment as early as possible.
The chief minister, after inaugurating several projects, including community halls, classrooms, hostels for students and public health centres, said that the recent spike in Covid-19 cases was due to returnees from other States, districts and countries.
‘Govt shares friendly relationship with farmers’
Palaniswami claimed that no farmer was affected due to the pandemic and the district was flourishing because the State government shared a friendly relationship with farmers. Saying that all efforts were taken for farmers’ welfare, the chief minister added, “Dharmapuri is an agrarian district. No farmer was affected as special permission was given to market their products along with special aids.” “The AIADMK government has also provided crop loans, crop insurance and drought relief to farmers. Farmers are provided farming equipment like tractor, power tillers at subsidised rates. Seeds and fertilisers are also made available at subsidised prices,” he said.
Success of Kudimarathu
Palaniswami claimed that the Kudimaramathu scheme was a grand success in the district and said that the groundwater level was recharged after rainwater was collected in lakes. “In the past three years we have allocated Rs 1,000 crore for the construction of check dams,” he said. With several major developments in the pipeline, Dharmapuri will be one of the most prosperous districts in Tamil Nadu, assured Edappadi K Palaniswami.
The chief minister reached Salem on Thursday night and will be headed to Namakkal on Friday to review the Covid-19 prevention measures. On Saturday, he is expected to conduct a meeting with the AIADMK functionaries. Due to complete lockdown on Sunday, he will be staying at his residence in Salem and will return to Chennai on Monday.