<p>Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Monday launched special camps to enrol beneficiaries for the ambitious <em>Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam</em> (Rs 1,000 monthly assistance to women heads of families) ahead of its launch on September 15.</p>.<p>Stalin inaugurated a special camp at Thoppur in Dharmapuri district and enrolled details of a few women applicants using a dedicated mobile app designed by the Tamil Nadu government for the purpose. He also interacted with women who were waiting to submit their applications for the scheme, a key promise made by the DMK in the run-up to the 2021 elections.</p>.<p>“We will ensure that no eligible beneficiary is left out of the scheme. We are implementing several schemes to empower women and this is one of them. Our decision to allow free travel for women in town buses has immensely benefitted them. Many said we won’t be able to implement the monthly assistance scheme but we have disproved them,” Stalin said.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/south/tamil-nadu-cabinet-clears-investments-worth-rs-6000-crore-1239607.html">Tamil Nadu Cabinet clears investments worth Rs 6,000 crore</a></strong></p>.<p>The CM said while Rs 7,000 crore has been allotted for the scheme this financial year (from September 2023 to March 2024), the allocation for the 2024-2025 fiscal will be Rs 12,000 crore. The scheme is intended to benefit about 1 crore women a month with the government coming out with a slew of eligibility criteria. </p>.<p>“The scheme is not a welfare benefit. It is your right and the scheme is our way of recognising your unpaid labour,” Stalin added.</p>.<p>The applicants, after duly filling out the application forms, will have to visit the special camp in their area and enrol for the scheme. “The applications will be processed by the government after which women who are eligible to receive the monthly assistance will receive text messages via their mobile phones. They will receive the assistance from September,” an official said.</p>.<p>Stalin reiterated that the scheme will be launched on September 15 on the occasion of the birth anniversary of the late TN chief minister and DMK founder C N Annadurai. The CM said he was happy that the enrolment for scheme aimed at empowering women was being launched in Dharmapuri, the same district where M Karunanidhi launched self-help groups in 1989. </p>.<p>“I am happy to be here in Dharmapuri. If we sow something in Dharmapuri, the entire Tamil Nadu will reap it,” Stalin told the gathering. The government will organise 35,925 special camps across the state where about 68,000 volunteers will feed the information and complete the enrolment process. Besides, every camp will have a volunteer to help the intended beneficiaries. </p>.<p>Officials said the government believes that about 1 crore women like street vendors, fisherwomen, housemaids, and construction workers among many other categories will get the assistance.</p>.<p>The scheme has come under criticism of the opposition parties who have criticised the eligibility criteria announced by the government. While the DMK manifesto said all women heads of families will get assistance of Rs 1,000 per month, the party, after coming to power, said it will be a “targeted scheme.”</p>.<p>The government had recently released the eligibility criteria excluding taxpayers, government servants, families owning four-wheelers, elected representatives, business owners who pay GST, and families that consume over 3,600-unit electricity per year among others from the scheme. </p>
<p>Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Monday launched special camps to enrol beneficiaries for the ambitious <em>Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam</em> (Rs 1,000 monthly assistance to women heads of families) ahead of its launch on September 15.</p>.<p>Stalin inaugurated a special camp at Thoppur in Dharmapuri district and enrolled details of a few women applicants using a dedicated mobile app designed by the Tamil Nadu government for the purpose. He also interacted with women who were waiting to submit their applications for the scheme, a key promise made by the DMK in the run-up to the 2021 elections.</p>.<p>“We will ensure that no eligible beneficiary is left out of the scheme. We are implementing several schemes to empower women and this is one of them. Our decision to allow free travel for women in town buses has immensely benefitted them. Many said we won’t be able to implement the monthly assistance scheme but we have disproved them,” Stalin said.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/south/tamil-nadu-cabinet-clears-investments-worth-rs-6000-crore-1239607.html">Tamil Nadu Cabinet clears investments worth Rs 6,000 crore</a></strong></p>.<p>The CM said while Rs 7,000 crore has been allotted for the scheme this financial year (from September 2023 to March 2024), the allocation for the 2024-2025 fiscal will be Rs 12,000 crore. The scheme is intended to benefit about 1 crore women a month with the government coming out with a slew of eligibility criteria. </p>.<p>“The scheme is not a welfare benefit. It is your right and the scheme is our way of recognising your unpaid labour,” Stalin added.</p>.<p>The applicants, after duly filling out the application forms, will have to visit the special camp in their area and enrol for the scheme. “The applications will be processed by the government after which women who are eligible to receive the monthly assistance will receive text messages via their mobile phones. They will receive the assistance from September,” an official said.</p>.<p>Stalin reiterated that the scheme will be launched on September 15 on the occasion of the birth anniversary of the late TN chief minister and DMK founder C N Annadurai. The CM said he was happy that the enrolment for scheme aimed at empowering women was being launched in Dharmapuri, the same district where M Karunanidhi launched self-help groups in 1989. </p>.<p>“I am happy to be here in Dharmapuri. If we sow something in Dharmapuri, the entire Tamil Nadu will reap it,” Stalin told the gathering. The government will organise 35,925 special camps across the state where about 68,000 volunteers will feed the information and complete the enrolment process. Besides, every camp will have a volunteer to help the intended beneficiaries. </p>.<p>Officials said the government believes that about 1 crore women like street vendors, fisherwomen, housemaids, and construction workers among many other categories will get the assistance.</p>.<p>The scheme has come under criticism of the opposition parties who have criticised the eligibility criteria announced by the government. While the DMK manifesto said all women heads of families will get assistance of Rs 1,000 per month, the party, after coming to power, said it will be a “targeted scheme.”</p>.<p>The government had recently released the eligibility criteria excluding taxpayers, government servants, families owning four-wheelers, elected representatives, business owners who pay GST, and families that consume over 3,600-unit electricity per year among others from the scheme. </p>