Poll Pundit Podcast: Can Tamil Nadu afford MK Stalin's COVID-19 fiscal relief?

Episode 15,   May 10, 2021, 12:52 PM

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin's decision to dole out Rs 4,000 per BPL family affected by COVID-19 in the state, may have won plaudits, but it could come at a price. "While Stalin may have made good on a poll promise, the decision alone is expected to cost the state exchequer approximately Rs 8,300 crore," says political analyst Sumanth Raman.

After Stalin took oath of office as chief minister on Friday, the newly-elected government began ringing in changes to governance in the state. Aside of allotting Rs 4,000 per BPL family affected by coronavirus, the government extended state-sponsored health insurance coverage to all individuals enrolled in the insurance scheme receiving COVID treatment in private hospitals.

Stalin also made good on a poll promise to cut the price of milk sold at state dairy cooperative Aavin by Rs 3 and promised free bus travel to working women and girl students. The newly-elected government also spent its first day at work shuffling the state's bureaucracy. Tamil Nadu now has a new chief secretary in Dr Irai Anbu, while Chennai's new police commissioner is Shankar Jiwal.

In the latest Poll Pundit Podcast, CNBC-TV18's Jude Sannith speaks to political observer Sumanth Raman on the newly-elected Tamil Nadu government's latest welfare measures, its bureaucratic overhaul and the ideological and leadership plan for the DMK and AIADMK in a new political era.

Tune in to the Poll Pundit Podcast for more.