Who is eligible for Tamil Nadu govt’s Rs 1,000 monthly allowance for women?

The beneficiaries should have an annual family income of less than Rs 2.5 lakh and own less than five acres of wetland and 10 acres of dry land.

The Tamil Nadu government announced a list of categories of women who will be eligible to receive Rs 1,000 monthly under its ambitious Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam (Kalaignar women’s entitlement scheme).

Women who will be considered eligible for the benefit should have an annual family income of less than Rs 2.5 lakh and own less than five acres of wetland and 10 acres of dry land. The annual domestic power consumption should be less than 3,600 units. Each family can nominate one woman member on the ration card for the benefit.

Any woman above 21 years of age is eligible to apply for the scheme. This includes unmarried and widowed women heading families. Also eligible are transgender people, as per an official release.

Income tax payees, professional tax payees, employees of state and central governments and public sector undertakings, bank employees, pensioners, elected representatives in local bodies and those who own a four-wheeler are ineligible to apply for the scheme.

Chief Minister M K Stalin, speaking at a review meeting on Friday, said the government had allocated Rs 7,000 for the scheme. He said it would be rolled out on September 15, on the birth anniversary of the state’s first chief minister, C N Annadurai.

The government expects to receive 1.5 crore applications under the scheme. District collectors have been asked to conduct special camps at ration shops to accept applications and to ensure enough security so that there are no large gatherings and untoward incidents.

“The collectors should ensure that poor, downtrodden, tribals, pavement dwellers and sanitary workers are benefited by the scheme. Even if they don’t have the family card, Aadhaar card and other necessary documents, the collectors should ensure that they get the benefit,” Stalin said.

A monitoring committee has been formed under the chief secretary to oversee the implementation of the scheme.

Ever since the announcement of the scheme, the Opposition AIADMK and BJP have been criticising the government for not fulfilling the DMK’s poll promise of monthly Rs 1,000 to all homemakers.