News Tamil Nadu

Magalir Urimaithogai Thittam: Those With Fridge & 42″ TV Get ₹1000 Even Before Launch While Poor Women Claim To Be Left In Lurch

September 15, 2023
The Commune

The Tamil Nadu State government, led by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), made a poll promise to provide a monthly dole of ₹1000 to each woman in the state. However, despite these grand assurances, the implementation of this scheme did not occur immediately upon their assumption of power. It was only during this year’s budget, the then Finance Minister PTR Palanivel Thiagarajan announced that ₹7000 crores had been set aside for this scheme (the Kalaignar Magalir Urimaithogai Thittam) and announced a specific date for the rollout – September 15, 2023.

As the promised date approached, news channels were abuzz promoting the scheme and reported that on 14 September 2023, some women across the state received SMS notifications informing them of the deposit of ₹1000 into their accounts. The government proudly proclaimed that over 1.06 crore women heads of families, were eligible for this scheme. However, it came to be known that not all applications were entertained nor did all the women who applied and were eligible receive the dole amount as the others. 

In a report by News Tamizh 24×7, women from localities like Vannarapettai in Trichy, near the Government Hospital, revealed that among the more than 200 families residing there, only 5 families had received the promised dole.

The rest were left bewildered, wondering whether their applications had been summarily rejected. Frustration led to protests as these women, most of them daily wage labourers and domestic workers, gathered to demand answers and request reconsideration of their applications.

Chief Minister MK Stalin acknowledged that approximately 1.63 crore applications had been received for the honorarium, but only 1,06,50,000 were deemed eligible after scrutiny. He asserted that rejected applicants could seek explanations from officials and should receive an SMS regarding the rejection. Additionally, those who did not receive the honorarium were encouraged to reapply.

Yet, several videos emerged that raised suspicions rather than instilling confidence. In one video from Theni, a beneficiary was seen in a relatively well-off household, complete with a 42″ LED TV and a modern refrigerator. She displayed her GSM phone, revealing the SMS notification to the news channel, causing many to question whether the eligibility criteria had been relaxed for individuals owning such amenities.

It is imperative to note that the application form requires information about electricity bills, as the criteria for this dole are households with up to 3600 units of annual consumption, roughly 300 units per month. 

In another video from Erode, a visibly delighted woman proudly displays her smartphone and exclaims, “I’m excited! They had told us we’d receive it tomorrow, but we actually received it a day earlier. My daughter isn’t well today, and I used this money to take her to the hospital and buy medicines. I’m excited because, in our neighborhood, I’m the first one to receive this financial assistance.”

This development has prompted online users to question whether the eligibility criteria were relaxed for individuals who own refrigerators. The application form explicitly requests information regarding electricity bills, as the criteria for this financial aid stipulate households with an annual consumption of up to 3600 units, approximately 300 units per month.

This has sparked further debate and skepticism among netizens, who wonder whether the aid is truly reaching those in need or if it has been distributed with less discernment than promised.

Several netizens took to sarcasm to post about the scheme on social media platform X.

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