CHENNAI: Launching his government’s flagship scheme to provide `1,000 per month as honorarium to women heads of 1.06 crore families in the state, Chief Minister MK Stalin on Friday said the money is not an assistance but the right of women who work unremittingly for their families.
Rolling out the first-of-its-kind scheme in the country planned with a yearly allocation of `12,000 crore at a function held in Kancheepuram, the CM said household work done by women has not been given its due recognition. Stalin gave away debit cards to 13 beneficiaries at the event.
“The scheme has two purposes — to recognise the untiring work of women and to help them live with self-respect. What lies behind the ability of a man to earn money is the hard work of his mother, sister, and wife. Some would just call them housewives. But if one would calculate the hours of work done by these women at home, the payment for such work would be huge. This scheme is devised to recognise that work,” Stalin said.
The CM also recalled how his mother Dayalu Ammal, wife Durga Stalin, and daughter Senthamarai have been the catalyst for his political growth. “I count myself blessed,” Stalin said.“The monthly pension (under various schemes) has been hiked for 39.14 lakh beneficiaries and `940 crore has been allocated for the purpose. With 1.06 crore women getting the honorarium, monthly pension schemes in Tamil Nadu now reach more than 1.45 crore families,” the chief minister said. Stalin also said other states have been taking note of the schemes being implemented by the Tamil Nadu government.
‘CMs of other states keen on emulating TN schemes’
“When I visit other states for INDIA alliance meetings, the CMs of other states inquire about TN schemes as they intend to implement them in their states. When I took part in the G20 summit, even some union ministers enquired about our schemes,” he said.
Stalin said the DMK government was not able to implement the scheme after coming to power due to the poor financial condition of the state. “Now, we are rolling out the scheme after setting right the economy to a certain extent,” he added.
Stalin recalled that after renaming the state as Tamil Nadu, former CM Anna had said that as long as the name of the state remains Tamil Nadu it would mean that Annadurai was ruling the state. “Similarly, launching this women’s honorarium scheme, I say that until women continue to receive this honorarium, it would mean that Stalin is ruling the state,” the CM said.
The CM also referred to a host of schemes for girl children and youth, including free bus rides for women, Pudhumai Penn scheme for girls to pursue higher studies, and Naan Mudhalvan scheme for providing employment opportunities for youth. Stalin garlanded the statue of Annadurai on his 115th birth anniversary before launching the scheme on Friday.