In a bid to ease the burden of healthcare costs of the people, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Monday launched yet another populist scheme ‘Mudhalvar Marundhagams’ (chief minister's pharmacies) across the state. The 1,000 pharmacies launched will sell generic medicines with subsidised rates and upto 75 per cent discount.
Established by the cooperation department, these 1000 pharmacies will be the first phase of the 'Mudhalvar Marunthagam' scheme. Stalin said that his government was committed to delivering the “good” for the people of the state despite a “financial crunch”, noting that his government is pushing forward the welfare schemes “without getting bothered by the restrictions” by the Centre by not allocating funds.
எல்லோருக்கும் உயர்தர மருத்துவம் என்ற இலக்கில்,
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) February 24, 2025
🩺 மக்களைத் தேடி மருத்துவம்,
🚑 இன்னுயிர் காப்போம் - நம்மைக் காக்கும் 48,
♥️இதயம் காப்போம்,
👩⚕️பாதம் பாதுகாப்போம் போன்ற திட்டங்களின் தொடர்ச்சியாக,
🏥குறைந்த விலையில் மக்களுக்கு மருந்துகள் கிடைத்திடவும்; B.Pharm., D.Pharm.,… pic.twitter.com/cCtlB6xQ9y
“This government would implement ‘Mudhalvar Marundhagams’ to provide generic and other medicines to the people at subsidised rates. In 48 hours, we can also make medicines available on request from other centres,” Stalin said while launching the scheme.
The new welfare scheme, modelled on the lines of Amma pharmacies, launched by Jayalalithaa during her 2011-2016 regime, was first announced by Stalin during his Independence Day speech on August 15, 2024. The whole idea of the scheme was to make crucial and essential medicines more “affordable, particularly for middle-class patients seeking treatment at private hospitals.”
In the first phase, 500 pharmacies will be run by the cooperative department while the rest will be run by entrepreneurs who are qualified pharmacists. As part of the scheme, the state government will give subsidies of up to Rs 3 lakh to support pharmacists and societies in setting up the 'Mudhalvar Marundhagams'. The scheme also offers employment for 1,000 graduates in pharmacy initiatives.
With just a year for the assembly elections, the DMK has been riding high on the populist schemes. And the CM pharmacy scheme is an initiative to support education and health which Stalin has always been calling as “crucial” for development. This again is in line with several welfare schemes like the free bus ride for women, the 1,000 rupees cash dole for women and the cash dole for students called the 'Naan Mudhalvan' scheme.
