- MK Stalin launched the second phase of the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam scheme
- The scheme provides Rs 1,000 monthly to women heads of families in Tamil Nadu
- Phase two adds 17 lakh women, increasing total beneficiaries to over 1.3 crore
With assembly elections due in five months, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin launched the second phase of the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam (KMUT), expanding the flagship women's rights 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 in Chennai, which was organised as a large-scale, scripted and televised programme highlighting the impact of women-centric welfare initiatives and showcasing the lived experiences of beneficiaries whose lives, the government says, have been transformed by the scheme.
Under the KMUT, Rs 1,000 is transferred directly every month to women heads of families. The scheme was formally launched on September 15, 2023 and the amount is credited on the 15th of every month. In its first phase, over 1.14 crore women were found eligible and benefited from the assistance. With the rollout of the second phase, 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, which he described as deeply inspiring.
"I am filled with gratitude and a renewed determination to continue working for your empowerment," he said.
Emphasising the ideological basis of the scheme, he added that the government's vision was to build a society free from discrimination based on caste, religion, race or status, and that the real success of any welfare programme 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 taking government services directly to households and ensuring last-mile delivery.
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 election. After coming to power, the DMK government operationalised the proposal, with similar models later being replicated by a few other states.
While the AIADMK leader and former chief minister J Jayalalithaa commanded significant support among women voters, the DMK, after returning to power following a decade-long AIADMK rule, strategically rolled out a series of programmes aimed at consolidating women's support.
These included free bus travel for women in state-run transport services, a measure that particularly resonated with women from economically weaker sections by enhancing their mobility and access to work and education.
Although the monthly assistance was projected as a universal promise before the polls, the government later introduced eligibility conditions, resulting in just over a crore women qualifying in the first phase. The expansion announced now signals the DMK's intent to further widen the scheme's reach in the run-up to the elections.
