Makkal Needhi Maiam chief and actor Kamal Haasan unveiled his party’s manifesto here on Friday and promised income for housewives by honing their skills. By initiatives like skill development, women could earn as much as Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 per month and “that is what we call payment to housewives and not doles to them.”

Haasan was the first to promise what he called in December last ‘payment’ to homemakers for their work. The major parties of Tamil Nadu, the ruling AIADMK and main opposition DMK days ago promised Rs 1,500 and Rs 1,000 assistance to women family heads in their manifestos. Outlining his party’s manifesto, Haasan said facilitation is proposed to be made for homemakers to get suitable opportunities to earn and it does not mean doles from the government treasury.

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Through such initiatives, the government would also not be burdened financially and at the same time women could get fair remuneration, commensurate with their skill and work, he said. Government departments like the electricity generation and distribution corporation, state-run transport entities were facing losses, he said, touching on the economy.

By making employees of transport corporations ‘shareholders’ the government-run enterprises could be made profitable, he said. Self-sufficient villages in all the 234 constituencies, support to Micro Small and Medium Enterprises by initiatives like supply of raw materials were among the other features of the manifesto.