Chennai, 6 December (H.S.) : The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) state secretary, P. Shanmugam, has called upon the Tamil Nadu government to introduce a dedicated scheme to guarantee adequate living spaces for families resettled from central Chennai to locations like Kannagi Nagar. Speaking to reporters on Saturday after paying tribute to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Shanmugam expressed grave concern over the current condition of the relocated families.

He stated that these families were living in severely cramped spaces, which he deemed unfit for dignified living, and pressed the government to urgently address these shortcomings in the resettlement process.

Beyond the housing crisis, Shanmugam also addressed other critical social issues. He highlighted that the monthly food allowance for students in government hostels, currently set at ₹1,500, is insufficient to cope with rising living costs, urging the State government to significantly increase the allocation for both school and college students.

Furthermore, he noted that many Scheduled Caste families statewide continue to lack basic facilities and criticized authorities for the frequent underutilization of funds specifically earmarked for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, stressing the need for better planning and year-round execution of welfare schemes.

Shanmugam concluded his remarks by emphasizing the broader threat to constitutional values, including secularism, socialism, and democracy, which he claimed were being undermined by the BJP-led government at the Centre, stressing the need for all secular forces to unite.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Dr. R. B. Chaudhary