Daijiworld Media Network - Chennai
Chennai, Dec 14: With the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections barely five months away, Chief Minister MK Stalin on Saturday launched the second phase of the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam (KMUT), extending the flagship women’s entitlement scheme to benefit an additional 17 lakh women across the state.
The announcement was made at the ‘Vellum Tamil Pengal’ (Women of Tamil Nadu Continue to Win) event held at Nehru Stadium here. The large-scale, scripted and televised programme highlighted women-centric welfare initiatives and featured beneficiaries who shared how the scheme has transformed their lives.
Under KMUT, Rs 1,000 is transferred every month directly to women heads of families. The scheme was formally launched on September 15, 2023, with the amount credited on the 15th of every month. In the first phase, over 1.14 crore women were found eligible and received the assistance. With the second phase rollout, the total number of beneficiaries is expected to cross 1.3 crore.
Addressing the gathering, Stalin said he had spent several hours listening to the stories of women beneficiaries, describing them as deeply inspiring. “I am filled with gratitude and a renewed determination to continue working for your empowerment,” he said.
Emphasising the ideological foundation of the scheme, the chief minister said the government’s vision was to create a society free from discrimination based on caste, religion, race or status. He added that the real success of welfare programmes lay in tangible improvements in people’s lives.
The state government said applications for the expanded coverage were largely received through the ‘Ungaludan Stalin’ camps, an outreach initiative aimed at delivering government services directly to households and ensuring last-mile access.
The women’s entitlement scheme traces its origins to an idea first articulated by Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan ahead of the 2021 Assembly elections. After assuming office, the DMK government operationalised the proposal, with similar models later adopted by a few other states.
While former chief minister J Jayalalithaa had enjoyed strong support among women voters during the AIADMK regime, the DMK, after returning to power following a decade-long AIADMK rule, rolled out several initiatives to consolidate women’s support. These included free bus travel for women in state-run transport services, a move that significantly improved mobility and access to work and education for women from economically weaker sections.
Though the monthly assistance was initially projected as a universal poll promise, eligibility conditions were later introduced, limiting the first phase to just over a crore beneficiaries. The latest expansion signals the DMK’s intent to widen the scheme’s reach further as elections draw closer.