Tamil Nadu elections: DMK, AIADMK announce cash allowance for hourswives

Schemes to cost over Rs 45,000 crore, where is the money going to come from, ask experts

Ahead of Assembly elections, the two Dravidian parties in Tamil Nadu have announced monthly cash allowance for housewives.

Chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami today promised that if the AIADMK government is voted back to power, then it will give a monthly allowance of Rs 1,500 to all the housewives and six gas cylinders for free annually.

His statement comes a day after DMK chief M K Stalin announced a monthly allowance of Rs 1,000 for housewives if his party was voted to power.

“The DMK might have made their announcement in advance after they got leaks regarding AIADMK’s manifesto. It is natural to have similar ideas,” Palaniswami said.

His government has already announced loan waiver and gold loan waiver.

Following DMK’s announcement on Sunday, Makkal Needhi Maiam leader Kamal Haasan had alleged that DMK was stealing his party’s ideas as it was his party which had first made the promise of a monthly allowance for housewives.

None of the parties have mentioned how they are going to mobilise money for the schemes.

Sumanth Raman, a political analyst said, "DMK promises Rs 1000 then AIADMK promises Rs 1,500 per month for homemakers. And 6 Gas cylinders too. Where is the money for all this? This will cost more than Rs 45,000 crore per year if all the ration card holders are to get the benefit. Competitive populism can ruin the State finances."

The state has 2.6 crore ration card holders.

State's overall debt outstanding as on March 31, 2021 is estimated to be Rs 485,502.54 crore and Rs.5,70,189.29 crore as of March 2022.