Free mixers, grinders, fans and livestock
· Chennai
The new AIADMK government began giving households free mixers, grinders and fans, and goats and cows to poor families.
Fulfilling its 2011 election manifesto, the Jayalalithaa government decided to give free mixers, grinders and fans to households holding eligible ration cards. Families below the poverty line were to receive four goats or a milch cow. Children in government schools were promised three sets of free uniforms, school bags, notebooks and geometry boxes, and Class 11 and 12 students bicycles and laptops. Critics described the schemes as costly freebies, while the government presented them as support for poor women and families.
