AIADMK promises national poverty eradication scheme

The AIADMK promised on Tuesday a slew of measures in its manifesto, including a national poverty eradication initiative that will be named after late chief minister J Jayalalithaa.

Releasing the manifesto for the general election at a press conference here, AIADMK coordinator and Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam said the party would "vigorously pursue" the Amma National Poverty Eradication Initiaitive (ANPEI).

"Based on the experience already gained by the AIADMK government in this regard, a direct transfer of Rs 1,500 per month to the targeted population of the poor and the deprived (people below poverty line, destitute women, widows without income, differently-abled, landless agricultural labourers, rural and urban manual labourers, destitute senior citizens etc) should not be difficult to implement," the party said.

Jayalalithaa is addressed as 'Amma' (mother) by supporters and the ruling AIADMK is already implementing a series of welfare measures under the Brand Amma initiative, including the popular Amma subsidised canteens.

Among others, it promised to press for the release of the seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandjhi assassination case and strive for the scrapping of the National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test (NEET) for medical admissions.

The state goes to polls in a single phase on April 18.