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Tamil Nadu Credits Rs 5,000 to 1.31 Crore Women Under Kalaignar Scheme Ahead of Polls

Officials framed it as a pre-emptive transfer to avert a possible freeze linked to election restrictions, with a Supreme Court case on pre-poll freebies pending.

Overview

  • Chief minister M.K. Stalin said the sum was directly deposited via DBT, comprising Rs 3,000 advanced for February–April and a Rs 2,000 one-time summer grant.
  • Stalin pledged to raise the monthly entitlement from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 if the DMK returns to power in the upcoming assembly election.
  • Opposition leaders, including AIADMK’s Edappadi K. Palaniswami, TVK chief Vijay and BJP’s Tamilisai Soundararajan, criticised the timing as election-driven.
  • The Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam, launched in 2023 and expanded in 2025, now covers about 1.31 crore eligible women across Tamil Nadu.
  • The one-time disbursal represents a large fiscal outgo reported at over Rs 6,550 crore, as debate intensifies over costs and the role of pre-poll welfare transfers.