3% DA Hike Announced For All Govt Employees, Pensioners In This State

From August 15, the monthly pension granted by the Tamil Nadu State government to freedom fighters would be revised from ?18,000 to ?20,000 whereas the family pension would be revised from ?9,000 to ?10,000

Increased Pension

CM Stalin said that the descendants of freedom fighters Veera Pandiya Kattabomman, Sivaganga Marudhupandiyar Brothers, Sivaganga Muthuramalinga Vijayaraghunatha Sethupathi, V.O. Chidambaranar would get an increased pension of ?10,000 instead of ?9,000. 

Speaking about the freedom struggle and contribution of Mahatma Gandhi in it, he said that “When Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated by religious fundamentalists, Thanthai Periyar [E.V. Ramasamy], who initially fought for the country’s freedom and later for social freedom, said the country should be named ‘Gandhi Desam’.” 

He recalled the nonviolent means of freedom struggle and the sacrifice of several freedom fighters led by Mahatma Gandhi.

While retrospection, he said that the former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi was instrumental in Chief Ministers getting the right to hoist the national flag on Independence Day in 1974.

Then PM Jawaharlal Nehru gave a speech when the national flag was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India on July 22, 1947. Mr. CM Stalin recalled the same.

He bowed down to the sacrifices of numerous freedom fighters and their families as the country celebrated 75th year of Independence. He recalled Pulithevan’s defiance against the East India Company as the first voice calling for freedom came from Tamil Nadu in the entire Indian sub-continent, which dates to nearly 1755.

CM Cited South India’s Contribution in the Freedom Struggle

During the 1700s and 1800s, there were many instances of defiance by rulers in Tamil Nadu and recalling the same he said that “These were incidents even before 1857. Some say that the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny was the ‘First Battle of India’s Freedom’. But these incidents happened in the South even before.”

Speaking of the steps taken by the DMK governments over the years, CM said that back in the times ?6 crore was contributed by then Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi to then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi during India’s war against Pakistan in 1971 to liberate Bangladesh.

Remaining true to the people of Tamil Nadu, he took a pledge in the shade of the national flag and said that “Though there are differences, unity will protect India. If we are to win over attacks by external forces, internal unity is essential.”

Earlier, Mr. Stalin arrived in Fort St. George and received the ceremonial salute after which he inspected the guard of honour in an open vehicle. Chief Secretary V. Irai Anbu introduced senior officers of the Indian Armed Forces to the Chief Minister. Assembly Speaker M. Appavu, Council of Ministers, senior officers of the State government, members of the Consular corps and the general public witnessed the hoisting of the national flag on the Secretariat campus.