Human resources minister M Saravanan said the Cabinet meeting on July 14 had agreed that housewives should also be given social security.

“A total of 150,000 housewives from households below the national poverty line will be covered by the government, while for other housewives, participation is voluntary,” he said in a statement.

He said the scheme would provide protection against domestic incidents such as accidents, illnesses or death and is open to all housewives nationwide.

Saravanan noted that housewives currently did not have access to any social security, although they contributed to the “care economy”.

He added that social security was necessary to safeguard the welfare and well-being of housewives, as they played an important role in the family institution and national development.

“Currently, a draft of the Housewives Social Security Bill is being refined by the human resources ministry and attorney-general’s chambers before the Cabinet’s approval is obtained to table it in Parliament in the near future,” Saravanan said.