Chennai: A plethora of welfare schemes aimed at the protection and development of women, differently abled, transgendered persons and children was a hallmark of the DMK government, led by M K Stalin, which spent Rs 430 crore to provide relief for children who lost their parents and Rs 67 crore to build hostels for working women, among other things.
According to statistics provided by the State social welfare department, Rs 219 crore was spent on girl child protection schemes during the three years of DMK rule when Rs 23.49 crore was allotted for upbringing of children who had lost their parents.
Sources said that various schemes launched by the department had ensured not just women’s progress in the State but also the safety of girls. One such scheme was the Integrated Child development Scheme, in which Rs 18.68 crore was spent on malnourished children aged between six months and six years for providing them RUTF (Ready-to-use therapeutic food) to ensure their nutrition.
Other measures taken for the welfare and development of the children in the child day care centres were to provide electricity connection to 7,757 centres at a cost of Rs 7.76 crore and supply of educational toys at a cost of Rs 53.76 crore, among other things.
Under the Girl Child Protection Scheme, 87,501 children benefitted as the government allotted Rs 218.88 crore for it and the Chief Minister’s dream project, Tamil Nadu Working Women’s Hostel’s Corporation that was launched to construct hostels for the benefit of women taking up employment in places away from their homes, has already started providing a safe home away from home for women in Trichy, Guduvanchery and Tambaram.
While hostels with all facilities have been planned in 19 districts, the already opened three hostels with a capacity to provide accommodation for 688 working women have now benefitted 259 women. In the second phase hostels will come up in Hosur, Tiruvannamalai and St Thomas Mount at a cost of Rs 35.87 crore and it would help 432 beneficiaries.
Also Rs 4.21 crore was spent on renovating hostels in Salem, Thanjavur, Perumbalur, Vellore, Villupuram, Tirunelveli and Adyar in Chennai.
Another statistics said that under the Chief Minister’s Marriage Assistance Scheme, Rs 1047 crore was given as assistance to 1,26,637 women in the last three years and 68,927 of the brides were also given an additional eight gram gold coin, which was seen as a revolutionary project in helping women.
For transgendered persons, the monthly assistance of Rs 1000 for beneficiaries with no one to take care of them was increased to Rs 1500 by the present government that also arranged financial assistance for those wishing to start their own business ventures. Through the allocation of Rs 3 crore for giving subsidies to them, 518 transgendered persons had benefited, the statistics reveal.
