

CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin will be inaugurating the camp for enrolling beneficiaries for the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai Thittam (scheme to provide a monthly honorarium of `1,000 to eligible women heads of families) in Dharmapuri on July 24.
Announcing this on Saturday, the chief minister said, “I am happy that the preliminary works for this mega scheme begins from Dharmapuri where former chief minister M Karunanidhi launched the women’s self-help group scheme way back in 1989.”
During a cabinet meeting held on the day, the chief minister advised his colleagues to inspect the special camps for enrolling beneficiaries across the state. Stalin said this scheme, being implemented during the centenary celebrations of Karunanidhi, would benefit women even after many generations.
Meanwhile, addressing a press conference at the secretariat, Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu gave the details about the progress made in the urimai thogai scheme. “The camps will be held in three phases. In phase 1, as many as 21,031 camps will be held at fair-price shops. In phase 2, a total of 14,894 camps will be held. In all, a total of 35,925 camps will be held across the state. So far, tokens for receiving applications have been distributed to around 50 lakh women,” Thennarasu said.
On whether there was any chance of relaxing the conditions for women’s honorarium scheme since many feel that too many conditions have been fixed for the scheme, the minister said, “The chief minister has given a clear-cut instruction that not a single eligible person should be left out for this scheme.”