Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin launched the Kalaignar Women Entitlement Scheme on September 15, a monthly assistance of ₹1,000 to women heads of families in the state.
The scheme known as "Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam," (Kalaignar Scheme for Right of Women) was launched from Kancheepuram, the hometown of DMK founder CN Annadurai.
Late DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi is popularly known as Kalaignar, which means an artist of eminence.
The Tamil Nadu government said ₹7,000 crore has been allocated for the scheme this year.
“Nobody took into account the work of women at their homes. This scheme aims at acknowledging their work. The other goal is that the ₹12,000 per annum aid would help women live with self-respect by eliminating poverty and improving their living standard. These two are the objectives of the scheme under the Dravidian model regime”, Stalin said at the event.
"We have devised this programme on the basis of lessons we learnt from Periyar, Anna and Kalaignar." Entire India was closely watching the schemes the DMK has implemented and other states were very eager to follow", PTI quoted the chief minister as saying.
Stalin listed a slew of initiatives led by Karunanidhi and it includes equal right in properties (by amending the Hindu Succession Act in 1989) for women. Also, he cited a string of programmes of his government aimed at women development which includes fare-free travel for in state-run town buses. The crowning initiative is the ₹1,000 basic income scheme.
{{/usCountry}}Stalin listed a slew of initiatives led by Karunanidhi and it includes equal right in properties (by amending the Hindu Succession Act in 1989) for women. Also, he cited a string of programmes of his government aimed at women development which includes fare-free travel for in state-run town buses. The crowning initiative is the ₹1,000 basic income scheme.
{{/usCountry}}"This is not an assistance, but your right. I repeat, this is not assistance but your right," he stressed.
The beneficiaries of the ₹1,000 scheme, which has 1,06,50,000 beneficiaries, if the 39 lakh beneficiaries of enhanced pension in other state schemes are also taken into account, about 1.45 crore families are benefitted in total.
Months ago, the state government had announced that the scheme would be launched on September 15, on the birth anniversary of Annadurai.