ABSTRACT:
Rural women constitute a significant demographic in India’s agrarian landscape. Despite their critical role in agriculture, family welfare, and local economies, they face entrenched socio-economic disadvantages—low literacy, limited access to resources, gender discrimination, and restricted agency. To address these structural inequalities, the government of Tamil Nadu introduced the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam (KMUT), a targeted policy intervention aimed at empowering rural women at the grassroots level through financial inclusion, skill development, self-help group (SHG) promotion, and socio-economic entitlements. This paper examines the conceptual foundations of rural women’s empowerment, critically analyses the design and implementation of KMUT, and evaluates its impacts and challenges based on available evidence. The study further suggests pathways to strengthen the efficacy and sustainability of such gender-responsive policies.
Cite this article:
Indira Priyadharshini. Rural Women and Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam: A Study of Grassroots Empowerment. Research Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences. 2026;17(2):119-1. doi: 10.52711/2321-5828.2026.00023
Cite(Electronic):
Indira Priyadharshini. Rural Women and Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam: A Study of Grassroots Empowerment. Research Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences. 2026;17(2):119-1. doi: 10.52711/2321-5828.2026.00023 Available on: https://rjhssonline.com/AbstractView.aspx?PID=2026-17-2-6
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