Chennai, Aug 13 (IANS): The Tamil Nadu government is consulting experts to formulate guidelines for implementing the assurance of monthly financial assistance of Rs 1,000 to women heads of households, Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan said on Friday.

The monthly payment was one of the major poll promises of the now ruling DMK in the April Assembly polls.

Presenting the budget for 2021-22 Rajan said: "To ensure that the payment of basic entitlement income is targeted to the genuinely poor, the government, in consultation with experts, is formulating guidelines on the objective criteria by which the eligible households will be identified for this scheme."

The guidelines will be widely published, he said, adding that as soon as the eligible households are identified, the government will ensure that this scheme is effectively implemented.

Rajan also said it is wrong to think that the financial assistance would be provided only to female-headed households and changes in the ration cards to family heads showing women as the family head will be made.

"Let me assure all of you that the intention of the Government is to provide this assistance to 'home makers'. Therefore there is no need to change the name of the head of the household in ration cards on this account," he said.