About 49% of women beneficiaries surveyed used the money from the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai (KMUT) scheme for household goods, according to the report “A Right to Care, A Right to Welfare: A Study of the Kalignar Mahalir Urimai Thittam” released here on Monday.

The report by a team of researchers, who are part of the Laws of Social Reproduction project, Dickson Poon School of Law, King’s College London, showed that while the beneficiaries liked the cash transfers, 56% women beneficiaries preferred paid work. Led by Prabha Kotiswaran, the survey was conducted in six districts, – Virudhunagar, Dharmapuri, Coimbatore, Nagapattinam, Vellore, and Kancheepuram, a year after the rollout of scheme in September 2024. The scheme recognises women for their unpaid domestic labour.

Ms. Kotiswaran said the scheme had led to an increase in spending on medicines but reduced spending on food, household goods and personal needs. The report recommended that the government involve gender experts as stakeholders for regular evaluations of the scheme.