Govt Circumvents Perceived Plot, Expedites Women’s Aid

Chennai: Circumventing what he called a conspiracy hatched to deny the monthly assistance of Rs 1000 to poor women under the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai scheme in the last three months before the Assembly elections, Chief Minister M K Stalin released Rs 5000 in bulk to each of the beneficiaries – Rs 3000 as assistance for three months and another Rs 2000 as bonus amount for summer.

While the surprise move that saw the amount credited to the accounts of beneficiaries early in the morning of Friday was a delight to the 1,31 crore women, who received the assistance two days before the regular payment date of 15 every month, Stalin made the announcement of increasing the amount to Rs 2000 when the DMK came to power and vowed to never back out of it whatever happened

While the allies of the DMK, including the Congress, welcomed the measure, the Chief Minister urged the women to spend the money judiciously without splurging it. Apart from putting out a message on X, he released a video speech explaining the significance of the scheme and how it would affect the beneficiaries if it was suspended for three month.

Allegedly that was a conspiracy by some forces in New Delhi and their minions in the State to approach the court and also make other efforts to stop the distribution of assistance citing the coming Assembly elections as the reason. Since he managed to get information of such covert moves, he decided to disburse the money in advance, he said

He said that he was aware of the difficulties that the families would face if they were deprived of the assistance for three months and knew how much their children would suffer. So before they could do it, the State government circumvented it by paying the amount in bulk along with the additional summer allowance, he said.

IUML leader Kader Moideen, said it showed the long term vision of the Chief Minister and Selvaperunthagai said that the BJP government made attempts to stop the scheme but that was thwarted by the State government, which ensured that the women remained self-reliant. He greeted Stalin for making it possible and proving that the State government was concerned about the welfare of the people.

Leader of the opposition in the Assembly Edappadi K Palaniswami said it was an election drama enacted by the DMK government and that there was no threat to the scheme. What the Chief Minister said was a lie, he told the media at Ambur in Tirupattur district and added the distribution of assistance was not stopped during the Lok Sabha elections.

PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss said that the fear of losing the coming Assembly elections had gripped the DMK and that explained the Chief Minister's move to pay the assistance amount in bulk. The TVK also said that it was the fear of losing the elections due to the prominence that the party’s symbol ‘whistle’ was gaining that had prompted the DMK to make such a move, the party said.