Chennai: Women beneficiaries in Chennai district received Rs 5,000 directly into their bank accounts on Saturday under the Tamil Nadu government’s 'Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai' Scheme.

The amount includes Rs 3,000 deposited in advance for February, March and April, along with a Rs 2,000 “summer special package”, taking the total disbursement to Rs 5,000 for this month.

Expressing her happiness, beneficiary Saritha said the financial assistance would be useful for her family. Another recipient, Renuka, thanked Chief Minister M K Stalin, saying the increase from the earlier Rs 1,000 monthly assistance to Rs 5,000 this month brought significant relief.

A third beneficiary, Amirtham, described the Chief Minister as a father figure and said she hoped he would continue efforts for women’s welfare.

On Friday, Stalin announced that the enhanced amount would benefit 1.31 crore women across Tamil Nadu. He said the government acted in advance to ensure uninterrupted implementation of the scheme amid concerns that it could face hurdles ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.

The Chief Minister also said that under a proposed “Dravidian Model 2.0”, the Rs 1,000 monthly assistance under the Magalir Urimai Thogai scheme would be doubled to Rs 2,000 if his party is re-elected.

However, the timing of the announcement has drawn criticism from Opposition parties, which questioned the move ahead of the Assembly polls.

The 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly is scheduled to go to elections in the first half of 2026. In the 2021 polls, the DMK won 133 seats, leading the Secular Progressive Alliance to power, while the AIADMK secured 66 seats.

ANI