In preparation for the upcoming Assembly elections, the Tamil Nadu government plans to assess the impact of its welfare schemes by surveying around 1.91 crore households in the state. The survey, spanning 12 days from the New Year, aims to evaluate the effectiveness and coverage of various government programs.
Over 55,000 members of Self-Help Groups will be deployed to gather household-level data in urban and rural areas. Coordinated by the Department of Public, the survey seeks to offer insights into the implementation of government initiatives and their reach to the intended beneficiaries.
The assessment, as per an official government order, will utilize beneficiary databases maintained by the Tamil Nadu e-Governance Agency (TNeGA) to analyze the delivery and impact of welfare schemes. The collected data will be crucial in refining policy implementation and addressing any service delivery gaps identified.
A monitoring committee comprising senior officials has been established to supervise the survey process. This committee includes key representatives from departments overseeing rural development, revenue, information technology, and women’s development in Tamil Nadu.
With Tamil Nadu having a total of 2.26 crore ration cards, of which a significant portion benefits from welfare schemes, the survey is expected to cover approximately 1.90 crore households. The government has allocated Rs 43.52 crore for this exercise, with each Self-Help Group member assigned 30 households daily and compensated with Rs 6,000 for the 12-day survey period.
Surveyors will be equipped with identity cards and a dedicated mobile application developed by TNeGA to collect data efficiently. The insights gathered are anticipated to assist the government in evaluating the impact of welfare programs, enhancing service delivery, and bolstering social protection measures for future policy decisions.
