She was a beautiful actress before her stint stared in politics. Fondly referred to as Amma she played an extremely influential role in the history of Tamil Nadu politics. She won 2 elections in a row and changed the entire political agenda of Tamil Nadu.

Here we look at some of the greatest achievements of the late Chief minister: –

• The Mullaiperiyar Dam:

The dam is located in Thekaddy and is owned and operated by the Tamil Nadu government. The Supreme Court in its verdict on May 2^nd 2014, cleared the dam as safe and allowed the government to raise the water level to 142 feet. The court’s decision came as a blessing in disguise that largely helped the agricultural communities.

• Amma – the Brand:

Under Jayalalitha’s owner packed governance, a lot of schemes for the welfare of the people were introduced like canteens with subsidised food called Amma Unavagam for the homeless,, free laptop for students, breakfast meals across government schools.

• Global Investors Meet:

This Global Investors Meet held in September 2015 was a landmark and Jayalalitha was deeply appreciated for ensuring huge investments approximately Rupees 2.42 lake crores.

• Power Situation Stability:

Excessive power cuts are a common problem in most villages across India and Tamil Nadu was no exception. Some remote areas suffered greatly for load shedding use to be for as long as 12 hours. Jayalalitha diligently pursued this problem and in her second term managed to effective tackle this problem by giving a strong push to solar energy.

• Planning Welfare and Infrastructural Development Strategically:

Amma realised the need for a planned and organised state and knew that it was a legitimate right of the people. Thus, she ensures the state government worked towards putting this plan in motion and providing a quality life style to one and all.

• Gold Scheme for Women:

The scheme was called “Thalikku Thangam”. It was started to provide financial assistance to women for conducting a marriage ceremony and to provide gold for a mangal sutra. According to research, 4 grams of gold with Rs. 25,000/– towards marriage assistance have been given to 86,676 poor women.

• Rainwater Harvesting:

The Rain water harvesting scheme was launched in 2001, and was the brain child of Jayalalitha and she decided to ahead with it despite opposition from many people. She made RWH mandatory for all government and residential buildings.

• The Cradle Baby Scheme:

Yet another wonderful initiative of the late chief minister, this scheme was started in 1992 to battle female infanticide. Under this scheme, parents are allowed to anonymously hand over newborns to Cradle baby centres. These centres are well equipped with utilities for newborns, life saving drugs, bed sheets etc.

The late Chief Minister – Jayalalitha was not just a political icon but a role model for women across the country. She was strong and fearless and chose to break all barriers and stigmas by choosing a career in politics which is primarily male dominated. She worked relentlessly for the welfare of her state and stood courageously against all odds.