DMK government finalises eligibility criteria for monthly assistance for women

As it prepares to roll out its flagship scheme of providing ‘rightful money’ of Rs 1,000 every month to women head of families, the Tamil Nadu government is in the process of finalising those eligible for the scheme which will exclude families that own a four wheeler and consume about 500 units of electricity per billing cycle.

Income tax payers and government servants will also be ineligible to receive the assistance, sources who are privy to discussions on the eligibility criteria told DH. After excluding the above categories, the new scheme will benefit about 1 crore women like street vendors, fisherwomen, housemaids, and construction workers among many other categories.

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The scheme known as Magalir Urimai Thogai (Rightful Money for Women) will be rolled out from September 15 on the occasion of the birth anniversary of DMK founder C N Annadurai. One of the key poll promises of the DMK in the run-up to the 2021 assembly elections, the tight financial condition of the state exchequer delayed the implementation of the scheme, inviting wrath from opposition parties.

The government is also facing questions on why the assistance is not being given to all women heads of families as promised in the manifesto.

“The eligibility criteria has been worked out broadly. We have taken the income tax limit of Rs 2.5 lakh and decided to exclude them along with women heads of families that own one or more four-wheelers and consume 500 units of electricity per billing cycle (two months). A detailed GO will be released in a week’s time,” a senior government official told DH.

The official added that the government will issue application forms, after the publication of the GO, for women to apply for the monthly assistance through 36,000 ration shops in the state with details of their bank accounts, address, and other contact details. The application forms will then be approved, and eligible beneficiaries will start receiving the assistance from September this year.

“After many discussions, it has been decided that the money will be transferred directly to the bank accounts of beneficiaries. The Chief Minister was very keen that the scheme should be implemented in a transparent manner and hence it was decided to adopt the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) model,” another official said.

The government has earmarked Rs 7,000 crore (September 2023 to March 2024) for the scheme. Officials said the government went through records and financial status of individual families to arrive at the beneficiary list.

While talking about the scheme in the Assembly in March, Stalin said the new programmee is modelled on the lines of Universal Basic Income which is being implemented in several countries.

“Such a scheme has been implemented in several countries among particular communities on a pilot basis. Researchers have found several changes in the economic condition of people who benefitted from the scheme. It was found that women use the money to buy medicines and spend on education. Some even start small businesses,” Stalin had said.