'Puthumai Penn scheme helps 10K girls to continue higher studies'

CHENNAI: Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday said the revolutionary Puthumai Penn Thittam facilitated 10,146 girl students, who were unable to continue their higher studies in the last five years due to financial constraints, to continue their studies. It is the proof for the success of this project.

Under this scheme, 1.56 lakh girl students, including 44,880 students from SC communities and 1,900 from Scheduled Tribes, benefited till now.

This project has been designed to bring back girl students, who were unable to continue their higher studies, and prevent dropouts among them.

It aimed to financially support the students from financial backward sections. The students would be paid Rs 1,000 monthly till they complete their graduation or diploma courses, said the CM after launching the second phase of the project at Dharmamurthi Rao Bahadur Calavala Cunnan Chetty Hindu College at Pattabiram.

He was happy to hear from the Higher Education Minister K Ponmudi that the project has enhanced the enrollment of girl students in higher studies by 27% when compared to the correspondence year, " Stalin said and noted that the first phase of the project was launched in September last year.

The government had allocated Rs 69.44 crore for the project. "This project will help to increase the literacy rate of the state and improve the talent pool to create a gender neutral society, besides bringing down child marriages. This will also aid the women to empower economically, " he said and continued it would have a chain of effects on the society.

"I am confident that you (students) will come to know this is what the Dravidian Model government is all about, " Stalin said while addressing the students and appealed to them to concentrate on their growth and excel in various fields for the betterment of the society.

Talking about the DMK's poll promises, he said, "We have implemented more than 85% of the poll promises. And I am not denying that we are yet to materalise 10% to 15% of the poll promises. We will definitely implement them in the coming days, " he said. He continued that they have also implemented several projects like the Puthumai Penn scheme, which was not there in the poll manifesto, during this period.Higher Education Minister K Ponmudy and Social Welfare Minister P Geetha Jeevan were also present on the occasion.