CHENNAI: Tax-free Corporation budget again

Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai, on February 16, 2011:

Source:http://expressbuzz.com/cities/chennai/tax-free-corporation-budget-again/248438.html

CHENNAI: Continuing its four-year-long tradition, the Chennai Corporation on Tuesday again unveiled a tax-free budget for the period of 2011-12.

Presenting his budget estimates for Rs.1,945.16 crore, Mayor M Subramanian announced that the civic body has planned to gift laptops to zonal-level toppers of Class X examinations from the Chennai Schools.

He also extended this scheme — which was introduced last year and which met with instant success — for school-level Class XII toppers from its 32 senior secondary schools.

The health sector too got its share of the pie. The Corporation has planned to introduce a master health check-up scheme, comprising 19 tests — at a nominal rate of Rs.500 — for all at the civic body’s diagnostic centres in Kilpauk (E V R Salai), Perambur, Valluvar Kottam, Saidapet and Thiruvanmiyur.

Such check-ups at private hospitals would, in fact, set you back by Rs.4,500 per screening. Even government hospitals charge about Rs.750 for such a screening, revealed Subramanian said.

Besides, the mayor announced that Class X students of Chennai Schools who secure a centum in mathematics, science and social science would be given a cash award of Rs.25,000. Those who score a centum in all four main subjects in Class XII examinations would be given Rs.50,000 and first three State rank holders in Tamil language from classes X and XII would receive a cash award of Rs.25,000.

With a view to give medical coverage to the inhabitants of Chennai’s 1,460 slum dwelling units, the Corporation would launch a mobile clinic, which would attend to cases at their doorstep.

The civic body also plans to establish a vaccination facility on communicable diseases for people travelling abroad, and would issue vaccination certificates in this regard.