Published Aug 12, 2025 | 3:29 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 12, 2025 | 3:29 PM
MK Stalin launches ‘Thayumanavar’ scheme. (Screengrab)
Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday, 12 August, inaugurated the Thayumanavar Thittam, a new initiative aimed at providing doorstep delivery of ration items to senior citizens and persons with disabilities across Tamil Nadu.
The scheme will benefit more than 21.7 lakh people, including 20,42,657 individuals aged above 70 and 1,27,797 differently-abled beneficiaries under the State’s Public Distribution System (PDS).
Covering 34,809 fair price shops across the State, the service will operate on the second Saturday and Sunday of every month.
Dedicated vehicles will deliver essential commodities directly to the beneficiaries’ homes.
The launch event, held at Tondiarpet in Chennai, was attended by Minister PK Sekarbabu, several MLAs, Chief Secretary N Muruganandam, and senior officials.
Speaking at the event, Stalin said the government viewed the estimated ₹30.16 crore annual delivery cost not as an expense but as a responsibility to safeguard the welfare of its citizens.
Calling the programme one of his “favourite initiatives,” the Chief Minister expressed hope that it could serve as a model for the rest of the country.
He also highlighted that 2,394 ration shops had been opened in the past four years of the DMK government, bringing the total number in Tamil Nadu to 37,328, and the efficiency of these shops made Tamil Nadu free from hunger related deaths.
The Chief Minister urged officials and employees of the Cooperation Department to ensure complete implementation of the scheme, adding that the scheme was designed after recognising the difficulties faced by senior citizens in accessing ration shops.
