Periyar Ninaivu Samathuvapuram Scheme 2024 - Equality Village Opened by CM Stalin in Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu government launches Periyar Ninaivu Samathuvapuram Scheme 2024. TN Periyar Memorial Equality Village scheme aims to improve social harmony and reduce caste discrimination. Read this article to know about opening of equality villages having houses for people from all castes across various parts of Tamilnadu state.

TN Periyar Ninaivu Samathuvapuram Scheme 2024

Under Samathuvapuram social equality scheme, villages of 100 houses each are being created to accommodate the various castes, with one community hall and burial ground to be shared by all. The Periyar Ninaivu Samathuvapuram Scheme is named after the social reformer Periyar E. V. Ramasamy.

Houses in Tamil Nadu Samathuvapuram Scheme

The main focus of Samathuvapuram scheme is to integrate Dalits who are segregated by caste system to begin using the wells and temples of dominant communities. Former CM M Karunanidhi introduced housing scheme to create villages of 100 houses each. Each village had the following number of houses for each category:-  

• 40 houses for Dalits, 
• 25 houses for backward caste, 
• 25 houses for most backward caste, and 
• 10 for other communities.

No Caste Discrimination in Samathuvapuram Village

It is imperative to note that Samathuvapuram scheme will ensure that there is no caste discrimination and will promote egalitarian living. Each equality village would have 1 community hall for all communities. Moreover, there would be a common burial ground. 

1st Samathuvapuram Equality Village Inauguration

The first equality village was inaugurated under samathuvapuram scheme by M. Karunanidhi on 17 August 1998 in the Melakottai village near Tirumangalam, Madurai. By 2001, 145 samathuvapurams were opened across Tamil Nadu. After DMK losing elections in the year 2001, Samathuvapuram scheme was abandoned. In 2006, the scheme was revived after M. Karunanidhi came to power. During his tenure, 95 samathuvapurams were opened state-wide.

Tamil Nadu Samathuvapuram Scheme Relaunch by M.K. Stalin

Present CM M.K. Stalin has relaunched Samathuvapuram Scheme on 8th June 2022. This time the prime focus of Periyar Ninaivu Samathuvapuram Scheme is to ensure that people:- 

• from different castes and religions live together, 
• share civic amenities, 
• share services without discrimination and 
• does not have any differential treatment

To mark the official relaunch of Samathuvapuram scheme, CM M.K. Stalin has inaugurated Sivaganga village on 8th June 2022 with an outlay of Rs. 3.5 crore. This is the 235th equality village in the state and ninth in the district. The project was earlier announced in the year 2010-11 but after DMK defeat in 2011 Assembly polls, the AIADMK government did not pursue their rival's signature project.

After coming again to power, DMK led Tamil Nadu govt. inaugurated the village along with a beneficiary family and also unveiled a statue of Periyar. Last April, while inaugurating a similar village in Villupuram, he had said the "entire country should emerge as an equality village".

Need for Samathuvapuram Scheme

The idea of Samathuvapuram Scheme was planned to promote spatial equality, social harmony and social capital of the weakened, marginalised and rural sections. It comes at a time when the residential areas in Tamil Nadu were largely known as Cheries (Dalits), Nagars (caste Hindus) and Agrahaharams (Brahmins). Even the government-sponsored housing schemes had failed to erase segregation except for the fact that Cheries became colonies.

In order to eradicate untouchability and caste discrimination, "Tamil Nadu: Samathuvapuram: Towards Spatial Equality," a 2002 study by K Jothi Sivagnanam and M Sivaraj of the University of Madras says, "it was Periyar himself who introduced the concept of Samathuvapuram during the early 20th century…Samathuvapuram was an idea, along with several other action plans like inter-caste marriages, inter-dining and common dwelling, to fight caste discrimination."

Background of Samathuvapuram Scheme

When Samathuvapuram scheme was introduced in 1997 as an egalitarian community, it had a system in which the District Collector obtained an undertaking from each family that they will not install the statues of religious or community leaders; won't sell or pledge the houses for a period of 15 years; will use a common burial ground, besides other conditions.

The first Samathuvapuram was established at Melakottai near Madurai with 100 houses, built at a cost of Rs. 35,000 each. "The houses were constructed on 5-cent plots with a built-in area of 259 sq ft. The beneficiaries were selected on the basis of income criteria from the eight adjacent villages of Melakottai. Of the 100 beneficiaries, 40 houses were allotted to Adi-Dravidars, 25 to backward classes, 25 to most backward classes and 10 to people of other communities". 

Again, the allotments (including land documents) were done in the name of the female member of the households. A study details other facilities such as town buses from the city with stopover, post office, telephone facility, a dairy farm, milch cows for 30 inhabitants and a self-employment loan scheme for the youth.