Chennai, Aug 19 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, C. Joseph Vijay, on Wednesday announced a five-fold increase in the annual coverage under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme, raising it from ₹5 lakh to ₹25 lakh per beneficiary family.

Making the announcement in the Legislative Assembly, Vijay said access to medical care was a fundamental right and should not remain a privilege available only to those who could afford it. The enhanced coverage is part of a series of measures aimed at strengthening the State’s healthcare system and ensuring that financial or geographical barriers do not prevent people from receiving quality treatment.

Chief Minister Vijay also announced a major support package for all 234 members of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. Under the initiative, every MLA will be provided with a government vehicle to facilitate travel within their constituencies and attend to the grievances of residents.

CM Vijay said legislators were required to travel frequently across their constituencies to meet people, inspect development works and coordinate with government officials. Providing them with official vehicles would enable them to discharge these responsibilities more effectively while promoting transparency and corruption-free governance, he added.

The government pointed out that several members of the present Assembly had been elected for the first time and that some came from economically modest backgrounds. Such legislators might not possess the financial resources or logistical support required to travel extensively and carry out their duties as public representatives, CM Vijay said.

The announcement followed a request by VCK MLA Jothimani, who told the House that legislators could not function efficiently without adequate logistical support and urged the government to provide them with vehicles.

Apart from the government vehicle, each MLA will receive a monthly allowance of ₹75,000 to meet expenses relating to the driver, fuel and vehicle maintenance.

The government will also provide a grant of ₹25,000 a month to enable every legislator to appoint a secretary to assist with constituency-related correspondence and other official work. The measures are expected to improve the functioning of constituency offices and help legislators respond more promptly to public grievances.

The government, however, did not immediately disclose the total financial outlay required for providing vehicles and allowances to all MLAs or when the new benefits would come into effect.

—IANS

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