<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Prime Minister Narendra Modi today launched the ambitious Amma Two-Wheeler Scheme in Chennai, on the birth anniversary of late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.&nbsp;</span></div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">He launched the Tamil Nadu Government's Scheme by handing over the keys of scooters to five working women. The scheme aims at providing 50 per cent subsidy to working women and Divyangs to buy two-wheelers.&nbsp;</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Under the scheme, over lakh women can buy two-wheeler with the state government's subsidy of fifty percent, subject to the ceiling of 25-thousand rupees. This is a welfare scheme of the AIADMK government and was also a pet project of Jayalalithaa.&nbsp;</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister said, when a woman is empowered, her whole family is empowered. Mr Modi stressed that the NDA Government is focusing on women's empowerment as it leads to all-round development. He said, it gives prime importance to facilitate ease of living for common public.</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Mr Modi recalled the PM Mudra Yojana loans disbursed to lakhs of people without guarantees and Jan Dhan Yojana accounts where a significant portion of the beneficiaries were women.&nbsp;</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">He also pointed out to the reduction of GPF amount for new women recruits in companies from 12 percent of their salaries to eight percent in the Union Budget while retaining the employer's contribution at 12 percent.&nbsp;</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">He said, the maternity leave has been enhanced from 12 weeks to 26 weeks and houses under the Prime Minister's Awas Yojana are made in the names of women in the beneficiary families.&nbsp;</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">He said, the construction of toilets in households and schools under the Swachcha Bharat scheme ensures the dignity of women and the free LPG connections help reduce carbon footprints besides helping them.&nbsp;</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Mr Modi said, Tamil Nadu government's decision to commemorate the 70th birth anniversary of Jayalalithaa by planting 70 Lakh saplings will go a long way. He said, these initiatives will go a long way in the empowerment of women and protection of nature.&nbsp;</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Prime Minister said, the government has made a change in the Factory's Act and suggested that States should allow women to work in the night shift as well. Mr Modi said, when there was a Congress-led government at the Centre, Tamil Nadu had received 81 thousand crore rupees under the 13th Finance Commission, while under NDA government the amount was increased to one lakh 80 thousand crore rupees under the 14th Finance Commission.</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The Prime Minister will stay at the Raj Bhavan in Chennai and leave for Puducherry tomorrow morning.&nbsp;</div>