Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday announced launching pharmacy outlets ‘Mudalvar Marunthagam’ (Chief Minister’s Pharmacy) soon to ensure the availability of generic and other medicines at low cost to the people.

In his Independence Day address after hoisting the national flag at Fort St George, Stalin announced a comprehensive scientific study on natural calamities triggered by heavy rains in the mountainous regions of the state, including the Nilgiris. He referred to the challenges posed by climate change and the recent landslides at Wayanad in Kerala. The study under the auspices of the state disaster management authority will be conducted by a multidisciplinary team of experts and the panel will recommend to the government measures aimed at goals including disaster prevention, mitigation and risk reduction.

The low-cost pharmacy chain will be the latest addition to a string of welfare schemes of the Stalin-led DMK regime and such initiatives include Rs 1,000 monthly support to college-going students.

Stalin said over 75,000 openings will be filled by January 2026 in the government sector and more than 25 lakh youth are set to get employment --direct and indirect-- in the private sector.

The Chief Minister’s pharmacy scheme will be launched next year, on the day of Pongal, the harvest festival, (January 14, 2025) and as many as 1,000 pharmacy outlets will be opened in the first phase. In order to effectively implement the scheme, pharmacists and cooperative societies will be provided by the government neccessary credit facilities and Rs 3 lakh subsidy. Also, he announced ‘Mudalvarin Kakkum Karangal’ (CM’s protecting hands) scheme for the welfare of retired personnel of the Armed forces.

Under the scheme, which envisages 30 per cent capital and 3 per cent interest subsidies, the beneficiaries will be provided facilitation to avail bank loan, up to Rs 1 crore, to launch business ventures and kin of soldiers who made supreme sacrifices while performing their duty are also eligible. In the next two years, to benefit 400 ex-servicemen, Rs 120 crore capital subsidy and 3 per cent interest subsidy will be provided for Rs 400 crore worth projects.

Tracing the origin of CMs hoisting the tricolour, Stalin said it was late Chief Minister M Karunanidhi who secured from the Centre in 1974, the right for the Chief Ministers to hoist the national flag on the Independence Day and it was also a kind of independence struggle, to secure more rights for the states.

The CM said he was proud to hoist the tricolour for the fourth consecutive year, which coincides with the completion of the centenary celebrations (2023-2024) of Karunanidhi (1924-2018). Though he has explained the Dravidian model several times, the Chief Minister said it would be appropriate to once again make it clear.

“The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam is a movement that stands on the foundation of principles of social justice, equality, self-respect, love for language (mother tongue), racial right and state autonomy.”

In sync with the Dravidian ideology, during the past three years of his party-led regime, the growth witnessed by Tamil Nadu is spread across all the sectors.