Introducing the seven main objectives of budget, the minister said, "Equality focused on the welfare of women" is one of the seven pillars.
Published Feb 19, 2024 | 2:50 PM ⚊ Updated Feb 19, 2024 | 2:50 PM
Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu presenting the budget. (Supplied)
Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu presented the state budget for the year 2024-25, on Monday, 19 February, speaking about the welfare measures taken up by the state towards the upliftment of women.
Introducing the seven main objectives of the budget, the minister said, “Equality focused on the welfare of women” is one of the seven pillars the budget was prepared.
Quoting Dr BR Ambedkar, the minister said: “I measure the progress of a community with the degree of progress women have achieved”, Minister Thennarasu asserted that the Tamil Nadu government is dedicated to fostering an egalitarian society where gender inequality is
eliminated.
The minister then went on to highlight the impact of the women-centric initiatives of the Tamil Nadu government.
The state government introduced a scheme to incentivise women’s employment.
The scheme would be implemented to subsidise 10 percent of the salary of women, differently abled and transgender employees for two years in all new industrial units providing direct employment to over 500 such individuals from Tamil Nadu.
In addition, creches for infant children will be established in all major SIPCOT industrial estates under public-private partnership to support working women.
A new tailor-made skill training programme will also be introduced to facilitate women who are willing to re-enter the job market after taking a sabbatical for reasons such as marriage and pregnancy.
The Tamil Nadu government has allocated ₹13,720 crore under the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam scheme — a monthly assistance scheme for women. Under this scheme, 1.15 crore women heads of households will be provided with ₹1,000 monthly.
Speaking about the scheme, the minister said, “The objective of this scheme, its data-driven selection process, use of technology in implementation and transparency have received widespread acclaim.”
He further added, “We hope that this pathbreaking scheme will be replicated in various states across the country in future, thus benefiting women nationwide.”
Similarly, under the Moovalur Ramamirtham Ammaiyar Puthumai Penn Thittam scheme, girl students from economically disadvantaged communities are provided with monthly assistance of ₹1,000. This scheme aims to promote higher education among girls.
Speaking of the impact of the scheme, the minister said, “The enrollment of girls in higher education has increased by 34 percent this year with 34,460 girl students enrolling since the implementation of the scheme.”
Extending the scheme to female students studying in Tamil medium government-aided schools, the government allocated ₹370 crore for it.
The finance minister spoke about the scheme Vidiyal Payana Thittam providing free bus travel for women. He said that the scheme led to the socio-economic upliftment of women.
Listing out the statistics of the scheme, the minister said, “The ridership of women has gone up from 40 percent to 65 percent. Overall, 55 lakh women are travelling in the state-run buses.”
The minister further promised that, for the benefit of women living in hilly areas, this scheme would be further extended to hilly areas of Nilgiris, Kodaikanal and Valparai in the coming year.
The 2024-2025 budget has set aside an amount of ₹3,050 for the subsidy of the scheme.
Tamil Nadu was the first South Indian state to introduce free bus rides for women, which was then followed by Karnataka and Telangana.
The Tamil Nadu government also announced the formation of 10,000 new women Self Help Groups (SHGs), which would include women from marginalised communities, who have not been part of the SHGs so far.
The credit disbursement target of the initiative has been fixed at ₹35,000 crore for the year 2024-25.
Thozhi, the government hostel for working women, is set to see an expansion into other major cities such as Madurai, Coimbatore and Chennai at a cost of ₹26 crore.
The Tamil Nadu government has also announced that the government would cover all educational expenses including tuition and hostel fees for transgender individuals who want to pursue higher education.
Noting that excelling in higher education is important for improving the socio-economic status and success of the individual, the government has also allocated ₹2 crore for the transgender welfare board.
The budget also noted that, based on recommendations from a committee led by former Justice K Chandru, the government plans to make changes in the operation of government observation homes, special homes, and places of safety.
The current “Directorate of Social Defence” will be renamed to the “Department of Children Welfare and Special Services”.
Additional roles, including the Chief Protection Officer, will be introduced, and efforts will be made to enhance the department’s staff, said the minister.
In the initial phase, a model home named “Poonjolai” will be established in Coimbatore, offering amenities like a skill training centre, counselling rooms, library, family visiting area, medical examination room, park, and playground for children.
The Social Welfare and Women Empowerment Department has been allocated ₹7,830 crore.
