Income ceiling for benefits of welfare schemes hiked

: Chief Minister N Rangasamy today announced that government had hiked the income ceiling for benefits of welfare schemes for those below the poverty line from Rs 24,000 per annum to Rs 75,000 per annum.
Replying to a plea in this regard by members of both the ruling and opposition blocks, he said the Social Welfare Deparment had all along been adopting income ceiling of Rs 24,000 per annum for benefits of welfare schemes to BPL families. Now it had been raised to Rs 75,000 per annum.
He noted that he had mentioned it while presenting the budget yesterday.
Opposition AIADMK member A Anbalagan alleged different departments were adopting different yardsticks on income ceiling. The Slum Clearance Board was fixing Rs one lakh per annum as income limit for housing schemes for the poor. But Welfare department was adopting a different norm."There should be uniformity in income ceiling," he said.

Former Revenue Minister and opposition Congress member Malladi Krishna Rao said government should not adopt income ceiling to provide assistance under Medical Relief scheme to enable those suffering from critical ailments to take treatment in corporate hospitals in other States. Assistance should be available without consideration of income, he said.
Chief Minister said all these suggestions would be considered.