Women empowerment, child wellbeing close to my heart, says TN CM

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin said the women’s monthly entitlement scheme and the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme are close to his heart. He highlighted their impact on empowerment and child wellbeing under the Dravidian model governance

Chennai: The women’s monthly entitlement scheme and the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme, among the numerous welfare initiatives launched by his government, are close to his heart, DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin has said.

The women empowerment scheme, which is being replicated in other states in the country, will go down in history as a very important programme, while the breakfast scheme, aimed at improving children’s health, has immeasurable benefits, the Chief Minister told PTI in an interview.

---

“All the schemes that we have implemented in the Dravidian model regime are very important initiatives. However, I would like to say that though we have implemented various schemes, two schemes are close to my heart. They are the women’s monthly entitlement scheme and the CM’s Breakfast Scheme,” he said when asked if he could name schemes, among the slew of welfare programmes being implemented by his government, that gave him immense satisfaction.

“The women’s entitlement scheme provides Rs 1,000 per month to the heads of families. When we first announced this scheme as a promise (in 2021 polls), the opposition parties criticised it, saying that it could not be implemented at all and that it was announced for elections. But today, the women’s rights scheme is the best implemented scheme in India,” he said.

Those who criticised it then are the ones who are implementing this scheme today in the states ruled by their parties. “In our next regime, we are going to increase this amount to Rs 2,000. This scheme will go down in history as a very important scheme,” he added.

“Similarly, another programme close to my heart is the breakfast programme for school children. The cost of this programme is less than the others, but its benefits are immeasurable.”

He further said, “We immediately introduced the breakfast programme in schools so that not a single child should go to school hungry. Later, we expanded it to government-aided schools. Now, in our next government, we are going to expand it up to Class 8.”

“Now, we have created a situation where not a single child comes to school hungry. The children’s stomachs are full and they are studying well. I am truly satisfied with the implementation of this programme,” he said.