Andhra CM releases funds for marriage of poor girls

Amaravati: Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday released Rs 38.18 crore towards YSR Kalyanamasthu and YSR Shaadi Tohfa to benefit 4,536 eligible girls who got married during October-December 2022.

The amount would be directly credited into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries belonging to SC, ST, BC, minorities, disabled and construction workers.

Depositing the amount at the click of a button virtually here on Friday, the Chief Minister said that the scheme was launched aiming at encouraging education of children, curbing child marriages and increasing enrolment ratio in schools and decreasing dropout rates.

The government strongly believes that education is the greatest asset that we can give to our children, he reiterated, adding that the eligibility condition that the brides and bridegrooms must have passed Class 10 to benefit from the scheme was imposed to encourage children among the weaker sections to pursue education.

Quoting from the novel ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ authored by Afghan-American novelist Khaled Hosseini, he said marriage can wait but education cannot because a society has no chance of success if its women are uneducated.

From next quarter, the amount would be credited into the bank accounts of the mothers of the eligible girls, he said, observing it would encourage mothers to send their daughters to schools.

He said that while the beneficiaries were left high and dry during the TDP regime which had withdrawn the financial assistance scheme from 2018 after failing to pay Rs 68.68 crore to 17,709 beneficiaries, the YSRCP government is implementing the YSR Kalyanamasthu and YSR Shaadi Tohfa in full transparency with enhanced incentives.

While SC, ST, BC and minority beneficiaries got Rs 40,000, Rs 50,000, Rs 35,000 and Rs 50,000 each during the TDP rule, the YSRCP government hiked it to Rs 1,00,000, Rs 100,000, Rs 50,000 and Rs 1,00,000 respectively. While the differently abled people and construction workers received Rs 1,00,000 and Rs 20,000 each in the TDP rule, they will now get the hiked benefit of Rs 1,50,000 and Rs 40,000 each respectively.

Similarly, the incentives of SC, ST and BC beneficiaries, who opted for inter caste marriage, went up to Rs 1, 20,000 from Rs 75,000 each, to Rs 1, 20,000 from Rs 75,000 each and to Rs 75,000 from Rs 50,000 each respectively.

The Chief Minister, who virtually interacted with some of the beneficiaries, said the YSR Kalyanamasthu and YSR Shaadi Tohfa coupled with Amma Vodi, Nadu-Nedu, Vidya Deevena, Vasathi Deevena, Jagananna Gorumuddha, would usher in a revolution in the education sector in the state drastically reducing the dropout rate in schools and increasing the enrolment.

Social Welfare Minister Merugu Nagarjuna and top officials were also present.