Lack of awareness defeating spirit of this welfare plan
SAYIMA AHMAD
BARAMULLA, Aug 22: State Marriage Assistance Scheme for poor Girls is a Social Welfare Scheme meant for those girls of Jammu and Kashmir who are living under below poverty line and are not in a position to get married despite having attained the marriageable age under law.
Pertinently, in March this year, the Lt-Governor administration in J&K restructured the marriage assistance scheme to provide Rs 50,000 financial assistance to the girls of poor families for their wedding.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the Administrative Council chaired by L-G Manoj Sinha.
As per the restructured scheme, any girl of legally marriageable age belonging to a family covered under Antyodaya Anna Yojana or having Priority Household ration card, will be eligible for the one-time financial help.
The money will be given before her marriage, for which she will be required to apply at least a month in advance to the District Social Welfare (DSW) officer concerned.
The DSW officer will have to verify the details of the beneficiary regarding marital status, age and if she is availing benefits under other schemes like Ladli Beti. He will also be responsible for ensuring disbursement of the money.
But how has the scheme benefited the people of the valley so far? And how many females are aware about the benefits of this scheme?
While surveying the impact of “marriage assistance scheme” on ground this reporter came across with some girls who hail from different district like Bandipora, Kupwara, Baramulla, Ganderbal, Budgam, Pulwama, Shopian and Anantnag and found that most of the girls are still unaware about the scheme and primarily how to avail its benefits.
Some girls of marriageable age revealed that they are in dire need of some financial assistance but so far nobody from the administration has come to their help.
In Ganderbal, three sisters are getting married next month. Their father, a sumo driver, had poor income and had some medical issues as well.
These girls informed Kashmir Despatch that they earn a meager amount through handicrafts and when asked about the ‘marriage assistance scheme’ they sounded strange saying that they have heard it for the first time. “Nobody has told us about this scheme sofar,” they told Kashmir Despatch.
“Our father has decided our marriage will be held next month because of his health issues and dismal economic conditions,” said the elder one among the three sisters while talking to Kashmir Despatch.
Further she said: “The administration should have organized an awareness campaign in rural areas at least through their Aanganwadi centres. The department of social welfare should take the vulnerability of economically poor girls into consideration.”
She added that the Anaganwadi centres cannot only create awareness about marriage assistance schemes but also about other schemes like scholarships.
In Pattan tehsil of Baramulla district, this reporter talked to various girls of marriageable age and discussed the marriage assistance scheme. “We don’t know anything about this scheme. Once I had heard about this scheme but we don’t know how to avail benefits under this scheme,” said Shabeena, a young girl who is about to tie nuptial knot next month.
Another girl, Shubeena (name changed) from Pulwama is an applicant of ‘marriage assistance scheme’. She told Kashmir Despatch that for the last one and half year she was taking rounds of government offices and was sent from pillar to post but to no avail. “The concerned office would just check my documents and do nothing practical. Meanwhile, I got married and have become ineligible for this so-called marriage assistance.”
Another girl, who wished not to be named, said that this scheme was meant for financially poor girls but it seems it was a hoax announced for political gains. She further said: “Late marriages in Jammu and Kashmir are on rise. It’s main reason is that most of the girls are not in a financial position to make their arrangements especially for jewelry etc,” Ruhella, a young girl in Pattan told Kashmir Despatch.
Another applicant Sofia (name changed) from Bandipora district alleged: “The poor families are being pushed to wall. They are supposed to take rounds of Government offices for the benefits announced by the government. There is nobody to listen to the woes of poor people. They are just made to run from one office to another. What is the purpose of making such claims and issuing large public notices in newspapers of Schemes by the Government when the concerned departments are not in a position to provide these benefits to the neediest! Why is the poor public being befooled,” she asked while talking to Kashmir Despatch.
An officer of the social welfare department, when contacted, told Kashmir Despatch: “It is not our fault. We do not have resources to cater to the needs of all the applicants. Besides there are some technical hiccups that is why some of the applicants have not been benefited under this scheme at the right time.”
Furthermore the social welfare officer said that the field offices are helpless and they cannot dispose of the pending cases of marriage assistance schemes because there is paucity of funds and they cannot do anything on their own.
