Women have more say with Rs 1,000/month grant, finds SPC
Planning Commission reports indicate that Magalir Urimai Thittam and Naan Mudhalvan schemes give more agency to women and students. Importantly, through this scheme, the SPC has also found that women beneficiaries report significant say in household financial decisions, ultimately fostering a sense of security and agency within their families
CM MK Stalin with a KMUT beneficiary during the launch (File photo)
CHENNAI: The State Planning Commission that had assessed the impacts of Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam (KMUT), a rights grant, had found the initiative to be successful on multiple fronts.
As the KMUT scheme largely covers women in vulnerable and marginalised sections, the beneficiaries have prioritised food security, from purchasing and consuming nutritious food, thus improving their health.
The grant was launched in September 2023 by the DMK government to strengthen women's economic independence and provide them with a monthly assistance of Rs 1,000.
The assessment found that a substantial portion of the rights grant has been directed towards vital health expenditures, particularly medicines and children's education.
Importantly, through this scheme, the SPC has also found that women beneficiaries report significant say in household financial decisions, ultimately fostering a sense of security and agency within their families.
The SPC study was done in 20 locations, comprising ten village panchayats and ten wards from urban areas- spread across the most backward parts of TN, accounting for a total of 10,311 households.
Out of 5,180 households surveyed in rural areas, as many as 3,323 households are covered by the KMUT, indicating a reach of 64 per cent in urban TN. And, out of 5,131 households surveyed, 2,840 households are covered under KMUT, indicating a coverage of 55 per cent. In TN as a whole, out of 10,311 households surveyed, 6,163, that is, 60 per cent of households, are covered by the KMUT.
Importantly, 46 per cent of the KMUT beneficiaries in rural TN and 16 per cent in urban TN belong to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST), 15 per cent are senior citizens, 17 per cent are single women, and 7 per cent are single-member households.
The assessment has also found that a high number of beneficiaries, who are women, have deposited the 'rights grant' into bank/ post-office accounts as savings.
Additionally, another key finding of the assessment revealed that the KMUT grant is also widely used to pay back loans taken from Self-Help Groups/banks/money lenders, among others. And, 14 per cent of KMUT beneficiaries in rural TN and 7 per cent in urban TN report utilising the 'rights grant' towards payment for loans taken from SHGs.
POINTS
60% of TN households come under Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam
32% of beneficiaries come from SC/ST
7% of beneficiaries are single women
Most beneficiaries use the grant towards buying quality groceries and children's education
14% rural claimants and 7% in urban region use the fund towards repayment of SHG and other loans
