Women in other States being promised of monthly assistance akin to Kalaignar Mahalir Urimaithogai scheme: Minister

KMU Scheme: unprecedented mega scheme to benefit 1.06 cr women. Udhayanidhi Stalin distributes debit cards, ₹91.25 cr in welfare schemes. Provision for appeal if application rejected. DMK govts turning Periyar's dream of women rights into reality. Free bus transport, Puthumai Penn Scheme, free breakfast in govt schools to empower women.

Stating that Kalaignar Mahalir Urimaithogai (KMU) Scheme is an unprecedented mega scheme implemented to benefit a whopping 1.06 crore beneficiaries at one go, Minister for Sports Development Udhayanidhi Stalin said that women of several States are being promised of implementation of a similar scheme.

He was here to distribute debit cards to 1,051 beneficiaries of Kalaignar Mahalir Urimaithogai Scheme and assistance under various welfare schemes worth ₹91.25 crore in the presence of Revenue Minister K.K.S.S.R. Ramachandran and Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu.

Mr. Udhayanidhi said that women who were so far known as homemakers could now feel proud of being a beneficiary of the KMU scheme. Unlike other schemes, KMU scheme has given the women applicants, whose applications were rejected, the provision of making appeal seeking reconsideration of their applications. “The scheme is being implemented with the intention that not even a single eligible woman should be rejected,” he said.

Stating that successive Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam governments in the State have been turning the dreams of Periyar on women rights into reality, he said that the development of women was being obstructed by culture, law and economy.

The worst of the slavery was that of man enslaving women. If those obstructions created by law, culture and economy were removed, a situation would be created for women to lead an independent life.

The society had been against women education and their venturing out of their houses. Women in Tamil Nadu got the right to get equal share of family property only during the M. Karunanidhi government. Education was a tool to gain knowledge and resource through which women could become economically independent, the reason why the government was giving importance to women education. College-going students were given ₹1,000 monthly assistance under Puthumai Penn Scheme and all women were given free bus transport to enable them to go to schools, colleges and their workplaces.