Jaya announces ‘Amma Gyms, Parks,’ for rural Tamil Nadu

Chennai, Aug 29 (PTI) The latest in a series ofinitiatives under brand ‘Amma’, Tamil Nadu government will setup 500 ‘Amma Gyms’ for youth and develop as many ‘Amma Parks’for the public in rural areas. In a suo motu statement in the Assembly, Chief Minister JJayalalithaa said 500 ‘Amma Gyms’ would be set up in ruralareas to promote physical and mental health of youth, at anestimated total cost of Rs 50 crore. Each gym would be set upat a cost of Rs 10 lakh, she said. Yet another welfare initiative under brand ‘Amma,’ itwould also augment basic infrastructure in the hinterland. Jayalalithaa also announced setting up of 500 ‘Amma Parks’in village panchayats wih all amenities, including playequipment for children, toilets, cement benches for seating andpaved pathways for walking at a total outlay of Rs 100 crore. In an initiative to help kin of those admitted asin-patients’ in state-run hospitals, 23 ‘short stay homes’ willbe built at a cost of Rs 11.62 crore in districts, includingChennai, where those attending on patients could stay back. The Chief Minister unveiled a host of other initiatives,including converting incandescent bulbs used for streetlighting into energy efficient LED to bring down spend onelectricity consumption bills by 35 per cent and steps tocompletely do away with open defecation. She said municipalities and corporations spent about 25per cent of revenue towards electricity charges for streetlights, she said, adding these would be converted to LED tocut down power consumption charges. In the first phase, fluorescent bulbs in 10 corporationsand 37 municipalities are being changed to LED. In rural areas,work was on to convert 8.24 lakh incandescent lamps to LED forstreet-lighting at a cost of Rs 300 crore and 8.22 lakh moresuch conventional lights will be made LED this year, she said. "This year, street lights in Dindigul Corporation and allmunicipalities will be changed to LED under Public PrivatePartnership at Rs 320 crore outlay," an initiative which wouldbring down spend on power consumption bills by 35 per cent,she said. As part of efforts to fully do away with open defecationin town panchayat areas, this year 90,150 lavatories would bebuilt at a cost of Rs 108.18 crore and 2,620 more toilets willbe built under community toilet plan at a cost of Rs 17.03crore. Low cost state-run food retail chain ‘Amma canteen’introduced during Jayalalithaa’s previous tenure turned out tobe a huge hit, prompting the governnment to go in for more suchoutlets across the state. Amma drinking water, Amma pharmacies, Amma cement and Ammasalt are among the other initiatives under ‘Amma’ brand. PTIVGN APRDIP