CHENNAI: Similar to the practice under the old-age pension scheme, bank accounts and other transactions of Kalaingar Magalir Urimai Thogai (KMUT) beneficiaries too will be monitored digitally from June this year to check whether the beneficiaries continue to meet the eligibility criteria under the scheme.
Around 1.15 crore female heads of eligible families, including those in rehabilitation camps for Sri Lankan Tamils, receive monthly assistance of Rs 1,000 under the scheme. The state government spends over Rs 12,000 crore every year for the scheme. After the planned review, if there is improvement in the living condition of beneficiaries and if they fail to meet the eligibility criteria, they will be replaced with new set of eligible beneficiaries, sources said.
To be eligible for Kalaingar Magalir Urimai Thogai scheme, families’ land holdings should not exceed 5 acres of wetland or 10 acres of dryland and annual income should be less than Rs 2.5 lakh. Other criteria include power use pattern
Land holdings must not exceed 5 acres of wetland
Till now, under the KMUT scheme launched on September 15 last year, only the names of deceased persons are being removed from the beneficiaries’ list before funds are transferred to their bank accounts every month. The digital surveillance system has not covered the recipients so far for other aspects, sources from the social security scheme and special programme implementation departments told TNIE.
Sources said after being enroled under the scheme, some beneficiaries’ family members may have joined government service, purchased cars or other heavy vehicles, or acquired new land, which would render them ineligible.
To be eligible for the scheme, families’ land holdings should not exceed five acres of wetland or 10 acres of dryland and annual income should be less than Rs 2.5 lakh. There are also other criteria including limit on power consumption.
An official pointed out that living standards and financial status of the beneficiary families are dynamic. “Many who got new jobs or earn more may end up paying income tax. If one family member surpasses the annual limit of Rs 2.5 lakh, the beneficiary will become ineligible,” the official said.
Same logic applies to total land holdings too, the officer said. “If a family holding three acres of wetland purchased another 2.5 acres, they will be disqualified.” The accounts and transaction surveillance system to monitor this, linked to Aadhaar and other credentials, is supported by the Tamil Nadu e-governance agency. “Once found ineligible, they will be replaced with new members. The current practice for the old age pension scheme will be extended to the KMUT scheme after receiving government approval,” said another official