Chennai, Dec 21 (IANS) Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan on Monday promised freebies such as free computers with 100 mpbs speed internet connection to every household in the state and payments for their domestic work to women who are homemakers. He also ruled out any electoral alliance with the AIADMK and the DMK and added that in January an announcement will be made in this regard. Haasan said if there is an alliance with the Rajinikanth's yet-to-be-launched party, then the Chief Ministerial candidate will be decided by the two. Haasan, who has floated the Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) party, announced the party's seven-point Governance and Economic Agenda towards "Reimagining Tamizhnadu" on the 2021 assembly polls campaign trail in Kancheeprum. "The MNM Government shall provide a computer along with high-speed Internet (100 mbps and above) through Optical Fibre Cable to each and every home, as a Common Property Resource, by implementing the BharatNet and TamilNet projects," the MNM said. This will be one of the highest investments in Human Resource Development anywhere in the world, and can bring huge and far-reaching transformational changes in rural families and societies. "The Internet will be declared as a basic human right," the party said. It may be recalled the DMK had promised and gave colour television some years back and the AIADMK government gave mixie/grinders, fans and laptops to school students. The MNM also promised that homemakers' contribution will be recognised through payment for their work at home. However, the MNM document is silent whether the payment will be made from the government coffers or by enacting a law whereby the spouse will be made to pay. Though announcement of freebies by political parties are not prohibited, the Election Commission of India has stipulated that the manifestos should specify the mode of funding the freebie schemes. "Women will break through established glass ceilings by the equal opportunities provided to them by our MNM government," the party promised. For the farmers, the MNM promised 'Green + revolution' turning the former into agri-entrepreneurs and setting up infrastructural and logistics facilities from the Village Panchayat onwards, that shall maintain the cold chain at static locations and during transport, to ensure freshness of food stocks, throughout the supply chain till the end. "Investments will be directed towards "Value added farming" which will multiply the efforts of our farmers and guarantee value for their produce and thus improvement in their livelihood. Organic farming will be given a fillip," the party promised. In order to make the lives of people easy, MNM has promised introduction of paperless Government offices that run on a single ERP, from the Panchayat Office to the Chief Minister's office. "We will ban the use of physical files. All online activities will be coordinated by the new "Ministry of Digital Governance" , the party said. According to the Economic Agenda, the Right to Government Services Act and Predictive Governance will be part and parcel of the Green Channel Government. "All statutory certificates and documents that Government issues, shall henceforth be issued without the citizen applying for it. The same shall be delivered to the individual on his smartphone. Citizens will no longer have to go to Government offices for the same. Emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain etc will be used for the purpose," MNM promised. The state's anti-corruption bureau Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) will be renamed as Clean Governance Monitoring Agency, the party said.
Kamal Haasan promises freebies for TN assembly polls including payment to homemakers
- by Rinku
- December 22, 2020 2 minutes
Actor Kamal Haasan. (File Photo: IANS)