DMK promises Rs 1,000 cash aid for women family heads in Tamil Nadu if voted to power

Chennai, Mar 07: The DMK on Sunday assured it would provide financial assistance of Rs 1,000 per month to all women family heads in Tamil Nadu if the party was voted to power in the April 6 assembly elections.

This would benefit all families that get essential commodities from the Public Distribution Outlets, Stalin told a grand election rally here, releasing a 10-year vision document for the development of the state where the DMK is eyeing to storm back to power after being in opposition for ten years.

''For all the women family heads in Tamil Nadu, we are going to provide every month Rs 1,000 'rights' assistance. As a result, all the families that get food (essential) commodities from Public Distribution Outlets would be benefited for sure,'' he said amid rounds of applause.

The announcement came nearly three months after Makkal Needhi Maiam chief and actor Kamal Haasan, had promised 'payment' to women for their work at home as part of his party's economic agenda.

Stalin promised that the educational scholarship for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Communities would be doubled. Machinery and technology would completely replace manual scavenging.

Unveiling the vision document, he identified economy, agriculture, water management, education plus health and sanitation, urban development, rural infrastructure and social justice as the seven fields that were key to ensuring Tamil Nadu's growth.

Promising development in all these spheres, he christened his assurances as ''Stalin's seven promises'' and asked party cadres to take these to every household before the elections.

He assured creation of 10 lakh new job opportunities every year.

Invoking the vision of leaders including 'Periyar' E V Ramasamy, DMK founder C N Annadurai, late party patriarch M Karunanidhi and Communist icon Jeeva, he said within the next ten years, attaining two digit economic growth was the first goal of the party if it was voted to power.

If achieved, the state economy would expand in excess of Rs 35 lakh crore and as a result, the per capita income would increase over Rs four lakh per year and it is possible to achieve it, he said.

One crore people would be lifted out of poverty in the next 10 years, he said.

Focusing on the farm sector, he said: ''In Tamil Nadu, as of now there are 10 lakh hectares that produce two-crops.

In the next 10 years, it would be increased two fold to 20 lakh hectares.''