Chennai, Jan 23 (IANS): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin will soon release a state policy for women after it got Cabinet nod.

A meeting of the Cabinet on Tuesday approved the state‘s new policy for women. It may be noted that the state government had approved a draft of the policy in December 2021.

A state-level committee headed by the Chief Secretary and comprising district-level committees headed by district collectors will monitor the implementation of the New State Policy for Women.

State Minister for Social Welfare and Women Empowerment, P. Geetha Jeevan, said the new policy is aimed at holistic development of women by empowering them through education, economic independence and sharing of power.

The minister said the Social Welfare and Women Empowerment department will also monitor the implementation of the policy.

Geetha Jeevan said that changes were incorporated into the draft policy based on feedback from the civil society.

The minister said that the state has formulated the new policy 23 years after the national-level policy was released in 2001.

She said that Tamil Nadu had conceived and implemented many women empowerment schemes like the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam scheme under which an estimated 1.06 crore women recognised as the heads of families will be provided a monthly grant of Rs 1,000.

The minister also said that the state government is providing free bus travel for women under the Vidiyal Payana Thittam scheme, adding that the state government is in the process of constructing working women‘s hostels in many districts.

She also said that her ministry is collecting information on the number of women beneficiaries in the various schemes implemented by the state government.