CHENNAI: Since only 24.5 per cent of applications for Thalikku Thangam (Gold for Mangalasutra) scheme were genuine, the government redesigned the scheme as a higher education assurance scheme, clarified Chief Minister MK Stalin and Finance Minister PTR Palanivel Thiaga Rajan in the Assembly on Monday. The Chief Minister also called education a “permanent asset” for women and hailed the new scheme for promoting women empowerment.
During the general debate on the budget, AIADMK members charged that the Thalikku Thangam scheme, which would enable beneficiaries to get Rs 25,000 and Rs 50,000 along with eight grams of gold, was dropped only because it was introduced by former CM J Jayalalithaa.
To counter them, Thiaga Rajan said after scrutinising applications, it was found that only 24.5 per cent of them were genuine and various other shortcomings were also found, including uploading of fake education and income certificates. “Besides, around 3.80 lakh applications are pending under the scheme and clearing all of them would require Rs 3,000 crore. Hence, the scheme is being transformed into a higher education assurance scheme to ensure women empowerment,” he said.
However, continuing their criticism, AIADMK members said in the marriage assistance scheme, the women beneficiaries would get Rs 50,000 as cash benefit while in the new scheme, they would get only Rs 36,000. Intervening, the CM said, “Aside from the lack of genuine applications, the Accountant General also found various other shortcomings in the marriage scheme. A total of 43 cases were registered by vigilance officials over malpractices in disbursing monetary assistance and gold coins to beneficiaries.”
He added gross enrolment ratio of women is just 46 per cent in TN. “Since educational qualification is a permanent asset, Rs 1,000 monthly monetary assistance for higher education is another form of women empowerment. In this scheme, six lakh girl students will be benefitted. The scheme will ensure social justice and transparency, with money getting credited into bank accounts.”