New Delhi, Feb. 15 -- Congress leaders and Sivaganga MP Karti Chidambaram on Sunday defended Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin's Rs 5,000 cash transfer to 1.31 crore women under the Kalaignar Women's Rights Scheme.

Speaking with ANI, he dismissed the "freebie" label often attached to cash transfers by critics. Instead, he framed it as a strategic tool to "seed" the rural economy.

Karti Chidambaram praised Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) as a form of "universal basic income" that boosts rural economies. He highlighted that funds are deposited directly into women's bank accounts, stimulating local economies, reducing administrative hurdles, and allowing recipients to choose how to spend, with contributions to the exchequer through GST.

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