Chennai, Mar 20 (PTI) The monthly cash assistance of Rs 1,000 to women heads of eligible households will greatly revolutionise their lives, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin said on Monday, even as the main opposition AIADMK sought to know the eligibility criteria for deciding the beneficiaries.

Slamming the previous AIADMK regime for leaving the State in financial ruin when it demitted office, the Chief Minister said his DMK government could not implement the poll promise due to the "maladministration and financial crisis" left by a decade of AIADMK rule.

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"We needed time to rectify the administrative and financial mess and succeeded in reducing the annual revenue deficit of about Rs 62,000 crore, inherited when the DMK assumed office, by about Rs 30,000 crore now," Stalin said.

A release quoting the Chief Minister said appropriate measures that were put in place ensured a turnaround with Tamil Nadu attracting new industrial investments worth Rs 2 lakh crore. With the transformation, the State was on a growth trajectory, progressing in all aspects.

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"At this stage, we have announced the most important assurance on providing Rs 1,000 for women heads of households and initially allotted Rs 7,000 crore in the Budget. This is a huge announcement that will bring a great revolution in the life of women in Tamil Nadu," Stalin said on the announcement made during the 2023-24 Budget presentation in the Assembly, earlier in the day.

The cash transfer scheme for women heads of households - Magalir Urimai Thogai scheme - is among the numerous promises which catapulted the Stalin-led DMK to power in 2021.

Speaking to reporters outside the Assembly, Leader of the Opposition K Palaniswami of AIADMK said the criteria for identifying the eligible women heads has not been made clear. "Moreover, this scheme needs huge allocation," he told reporters after staging a walkout from the House.

He took exception to the State government for faulting the previous AIADMK regime on the financial crisis and said his administration had to pool all resources to battle the pandemic.

"Industries, shops and establishments were closed owing to the COVID-imposed lockdown. There was no industrial activity and no revenue for the government while expenses were on the rise to meet medical emergencies in order to protect the people," Palaniswami said.

The present situation was different as industries started functioning again and with the State government enhancing property tax and revising electricity tariff, it would not be difficult to rein in the revenue deficit, Palaniswami said.

BJP State chief K Annamalai urged the government to provide Rs 29,000 to each beneficiary of the cash assistance to women heads of family, when the scheme is launched in September.

Sarcastically remarking that he was happy to note the DMK government has decided to provide the aid to women, 28 months after it came to power, Annamalai said apart from Rs 1,000 that would be given in September, the government should provide the "arrears" of 28 months too.

"I am happy that two years after coming to power the DMK government has remembered its election promise of monthly Rs 1,000 assistance to women. I urge the government to provide the arrears for 28 months along with the first installment, totalling Rs 29,000, in September," Annamalai said in a tweet.

Also, the cash assistance scheme should be implemented for all 2.2 crore family ration cardholders in Tamil Nadu, he further said on his Twitter handle.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)