Who is eligible for Tamil Nadu govt’s Rs 1,000 monthly allowance for women?

The Tamil Nadu government announced a list of categories of women who will be eligible to receive Rs 1,000 monthly under its ambitious Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam (Kalaignar women’s entitlement scheme).

Women who will be considered eligible for the benefit should have an annual family income of less than Rs 2.5 lakh and own less than five acres of wetland and 10 acres of dry land. The annual domestic power consumption should be less than 3,600 units. Each family can nominate one woman member on the ration card for the benefit. Any woman above 21 years of age is eligible to apply for the scheme. This includes unmarried and widowed women heading families. Also eligible are transgender people, as per an official release. Income tax payees, professional tax payees, employees of state and central governments and public sector undertakings, bank employees, pensioners, elected representatives in local bodies and those who own a four-wheeler are ineligible to apply for the scheme.

Chief Minister M K Stalin, speaking at a review meeting on Friday, said the government had allocated Rs 7,000 for the scheme. He said it would be rolled out on September 15, on the birth anniversary of the state’s first chief minister, C N Annadurai. The government expects to receive 1.5 crore applications under the scheme.

District collectors have been asked to conduct special camps at ration shops to accept applications and to ensure enough security so that there are no large gatherings and untoward incidents.

“The collectors should ensure that poor, downtrodden, tribals, pavement dwellers and sanitary workers are benefited by the scheme. Even if they don’t have the family card, Aadhaar card and other necessary documents, the collectors should ensure that they get the benefit,” Stalin said. A monitoring committee has been formed under the chief secretary to oversee the implementation of the scheme.

Ever since the announcement of the scheme, the Opposition AIADMK and BJP have been criticising the government for not fulfilling the DMK’s poll promise of monthly Rs 1,000 to all homemakers.

Tamil Nadu: O Panneerselvam rules out rapprochement with Edappadi K Palaniswami; says BJP is in touch

Amid continuing legal battles for leadership, former chief minister O Panneerselvam on Saturday ruled out any rapprochement with AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami and his supporters. He said BJP leaders were in touch with him, details of which would be made known at an appropriate time.

After a marathon session with the district secretaries appointed by him, Panneerselvam told reporters he safeguarded the interests of the EPS government but Palaniswami did not reciprocate the gesture. “We patiently waited for four-and-half-a-years. Our political advisor told us not to commit that mistake. That’s the wish of the cadres too. We will act according to their wishes,” the former CM said. Reiterating that the western belt was a strong fortress of the AIADMK and the cadres were rallying behind him, Panneerselvam said poor showing by the AIADMK in the Erode East byelection reflected the lack of support for the EPS group.

OPS’s political advisor and veteran, Panruti S Ramachandran said that a resolution was passed by the cadres at a public rally in Trichy in April, expelling the office bearers of the AIADMK, including Palaniswami, several district secretaries and branch secretaries. “We are not authorised to take them back. The question of merger does not arise.

The EPS supporters can, however, opt for OPS leadership and join us. They are welcome,” he told TOI.

Ramachandran said the question of merging the factions was not in the agenda and the OPS group did not support it. “EPS and his supporters have chosen a wrong path, which is ruinous. We have nothing against them personally but at the same time we cannot welcome them into our fold,” he added. The OPS group is gearing up for a public rally in one of the districts in the western region, the stronghold of EPS and