After assuming charge of CM's portfolios, Panneerselvam convenes his second cabinet meeting

The cabinet is said to have discussed the adoption of a central scheme- UDAY- that was previously opposed by CM Jayalalithaa

Days after taking charge of all the partofolios  held by Tamil Nadu's ailing Chief Minsiter J Jayalalithaa, the state's Finance Minister O Panneerselvam convened the second cabinet meeting on Monday with Jayalalithaa's photo in front of him.

While the government did not reveal the meeting's agenda, ministers are said to have discussed the adoption of a central scheme- the Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY), besides taking up the Cauvery issue, sources said.

Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of State for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines (Independent Charge), had said last week that the state had, in principle,  indicated thta it would join UDAY- a scheme that has been previoulsy opposed by Jayalalithaa as it was not felt beneficial for Tamil Nadu.   

Goyal had made the comment after meeting the state's Power Minister P Thangamani, who said that a final decision would be taken after a discussion with the CM.

Jayalalithaa, had however, agreed to the scheme later after putting forward a series of conditions to be fulfilled.

The cabinet, led by Panneerselvam, had first met on October 19 after the Tamil Nadu Governor Vidyasagar Rao gave the Finance Minister an ad-hoc charge of CM-held portfolios. 

Panneerselvam, who is a trusted aide of Jayalalithaa, has filled in for her on two earlier occasions when she was unseated for a brief period. 

The last occasion was when she was convicted in a disproportionate assets case last year and Panneerselvam, assuming the post of the CM,  held the fort until she was acquitted of all charges by the Karnataka High Court. 

During the last meeting, the Cabinet discussed the Cauvery dispute and the issue of land allotment to investors.

Jayalalithaa, 68, was admitted to the hospital last month after she complained of fever and dehydration and has been undergoing various treatments from September 22. 

Her health condition has shown improvement and she has started interacting, announced the hospital earlier.