I am proud of being Dravidian stock, TN CM Stalin says at 'Pudhumai Penn' scheme expansion

Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu: Tamil Nadu girls fared better in education and in securing employment and much of their empowerment was a result of the DMK government's pro-women initiatives like the 'Pudhumai Penn' financial aid for girl students, Chief Minister M K Stalin said on Monday and took pride in their socio-economic development.

Girls topped in getting marks, enrollment in higher education in the country, and in getting employment as well. Today, women were at the forefront of education, he said.

"This is Periyar’s (rationalist leader E V Ramasamy's) dream,” the Chief Minister said while launching the expansion of the Pudhumai Penn financial assistance to girl students who studied from class 6 to 12 in governmentaided schools through Tamil medium and pursued higher education.

The beneficiaries are provided a monthly grant of Rs 1,000 till they complete their first degree, diploma ITI courses. The students are eligible for this sum in addition to other scholarships.

"When I see thousands of girl students in one place, I feel proud of being a Dravidian stock. There is a stock that divides us on the basis of caste and religion," he said without directly naming anyone.

"That stock incites violence without thinking about development. An outdated stock that still talks about the idea of women staying at home," the Chief Minister said addressing the students at a well-attended meeting at Kamaraj College.

Stalin traced the contribution of the Justice Party, former Chief Ministers: K Kamaraj, C N Annadurai, and M Karunanidhi towards education and said his Dravidian model government has brought various schemes for women and attached importance to higher education and research.

Distributing cheques under the Pudhumai Penn scheme to the beneficiaries, he said apart from free bus travel passes to women, the Dravidian model government provided many schemes for women, such as extending loans to women's self-help groups, and monthly grant of Rs 1,000 to women. The Pudhumai Penn scheme has helped in improving the enrollment of girls in colleges, he added.

"Not only for the education of girls, I will break any obstacle for their betterment. I will not rest until I create a situation where there are no women in Tamil Nadu who have not pursued higher education." "If a man enters a college, it is educational development. But if a woman enters a college, it is a social revolution," Stalin further said and called upon the students to focus only on their studies.

"I am here to provide you with everything you need. The government is here. This is a competitive world. So don't stop with a degree, study further. Go to work even after marriage," he said and added that he would feel content when the beneficiaries tell him one day that they succeeded in life due to the Pudhumai Penn scheme.

Ministers Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, Geetha Jeevan, Anitha Radhakrishnan, MP Kanimozhi, and others participated in this event.

About 75,028 girl students will benefit from the expanded scheme that was launched on September 5, 2022, in North Chennai. The second phase was launched on February 8, 2023, in Thiruvallur. Since its roll out, 4,25,000 students of arts, science, engineering, vocational and medical colleges have benefited. A total of Rs 590.66 crores have been provided to the beneficiaries so far.

Meanwhile, BJP state chief K Annamalai flayed the Chief Minister for his remarks on women empowerment and alleged that the "Dravidian disaster model" hasn't ensured minimum security to a woman student on the university campus.

"The Chief Minister @mkstalin spoke today in a programme that if a woman enters a college, it is a social revolution. How can you speak thus, Chief Minister, when you are running a government and has not expelled the person from your party who entered a college and sexually assaulted a student studying there?" Annamalai asked in a post on social media platform X.

Quoting Stalin that if a woman enters a college, it is a social revolution, he said that "this Dravidian disaster model is a miserable government that cannot even ensure the minimum security that should be given to that woman."