The Tamil Nadu government has expanded the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam scheme to include 16.9 lakh additional women in its second phase, announced on Friday, December 12.
The Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam is a flagship welfare scheme launched by the state government in 2023 to provide a monthly assistance of Rs 1,000 to one woman per family with an annual income below Rs 2.5 lakh.
In its first phase, the scheme covered 1.13 crore women. With the addition of 16,94,339 beneficiaries in the second phase, the total number of women covered under the scheme has risen to 1,30,69,831.
For 2023–24, the state allocated Rs 7,000 crore for the scheme, while the allocation was increased to Rs 13,000 crore in 2024–25.
The scheme extends financial assistance to one woman registered on each ration card in families owning less than five acres of irrigated land or less than ten acres of unirrigated land, earning less than Rs 2.5 lakh annually, and using less than 3,600 units of electricity per year for domestic purposes.
The announcement was made by Chief Minister MK Stalin at an event titled ‘Vellum Tamil Pengal’ (Victorious Tamil Women), held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai on Friday. At the event, he also felicitated social activist and Gandhian Krishnammal Jagannathan, and Paralympic gold medallist badminton player Thulasimathi Murugesan.
“The Rs 1,000 assistance is only a starting point. After reviving Tamil Nadu’s growth, which had been stunted for the past ten years, we have managed to grow at a pace rivalling other Indian states. This scheme was introduced to ensure that women receive a share of that growth. As women progress, the amount will grow, and so will their rights,” Stalin said.