In an effort to handle queries about the Tamil Nadu government’s Tamil Pudhalvan scheme, the State has directed the school education helpline 14417 to extend its services. The helpline has now begun running 24x7 to address the increasing number of calls about the scheme, which offers ₹1,000 every month to college-going boys.
According to an official from the School Education Department, 14417 was converted to a 24X7 helpline from 5 August, 2024.
Tamil Pudhalvan was launched on August 9. Along the lines of Pudhumai Penn, this scheme aims to help boys who studied in government and government-aided schools from Classes 6 to 12 to pursue higher education.
“Currently, the application portal is open full-time and there have been many calls with queries regarding the scheme, ranging from the inability to generate University Management Information System number to changing banking or Aadhaar details,” the official said.
“Previously, we worked from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. We have assigned five people to the night shift to answer queries. We only guide the candidates in getting the help required. The conversion and correction of the details, if unable to be carried out by the candidate, would be taken care of by Tamil Nadu E-Governance Agency (TNeGA). We follow up with the candidates to make sure that their issue is resolved,” the official added.
The officials handling the helpline have also been calling up government school students to ensure they are pursuing higher studies. “We have about 90,000 students to call, and we have called 20,000 of them. So far, 900 students have not pursued higher education as some of them had lost both their parents. Some others have either taken up work or are disinterested in studies,” the official said.
