To enjoy additional benefits
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July 09, 2023 12:45 am | Updated 06:49 pm IST – CHENNAI
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The State government seems to have gone the extra mile in accommodating prospective beneficiaries of the ‘Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai’, a basic income scheme for women, and coming up with a fresh landholding size.
Normally, farmers with landholding up to 2.5 acres of wetland or up to 5 acres of dry land are considered small and marginal farmers. In many schemes, both in the past and the present, they get more support than others. But, this time, for the purpose of the Magalir Urimai Thogai scheme, a senior official explains that they have taken a liberal view by doubling the size of landholding. The ceiling on landholding has been fixed as 5 acres of wetland and 10 acres of dry land, according to the rules framed for the scheme. Another official clarifies that the new yardstick is specific to this scheme alone.
Another important feature of the scheme is that ration cards constitute the major criteria for determination of the beneficiaries. Approximately, there are 2.2 crore rice-drawing cards in the State, of which 30% are expected to be left out of the proposed scheme. Perhaps, this was why Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, in his speech at a meeting of senior officials and District Collectors on Friday, mentioned that about 1.5 crore applications were expected.
Apart from the landholding size, annual income limit and electricity consumption are some of the key stipulations of the scheme. As for electricity consumption, the reference point is annual and not monthly or even bimonthly for the present billing cycle. By keeping the annual consumption as the reference point, the authorities hope that the vagaries of consumption in one or two billing cycles will get eliminated over the year and every eligible person will be brought under the fold of the scheme. Even if one is to go by the bimonthly billing cycle, only 10% of the ration cardholders – around 22 lakh – consume more than 600 units bimonthly, according to a study.
The inclusion of village panchayat ward members in the ambit of the scheme has been allowed, considering the economic status of many ward members. There are close to 99,500 ward members in the State. On families that are receiving aid from social security programmes, such as old-age and widow pension, the government has excluded them as it is contemplating increasing the present quantum of financial assistance.
Besides, a general norm that is being followed is that no family should get a second benefit.
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