Another Underage Girl Married Under Kalyana Lakshmi

Hyderabad: Officials in Medak district found another case of a minor girl being married off under the state government’s Kalyana Lakshmi Scheme, as per an internal report. The report alleged that revenue officials in Chegunta mandal, responsible for collecting Kalyana Lakshmi applications, handed over ₹1-lakh cheques to minors while falsely presenting them as adults on paper.

In 2018, a daughter of M. Yellam was married in Pedda Shivnoor village, Chegunta mandal, under the scheme. However, it was later discovered that the girl was a minor at the time. Interestingly, the beneficiary happened to be a relative of one of the local revenue officers.

District collector Rajarshi Shah has instructed Chegunta mandal revenue officials to investigate these irregularities related to the welfare scheme. Chegunta mandal tahsildar Swarna mentioned that a joint committee was formed with representatives from revenue, panchayat, and the public to conduct the inquiry. It was revealed that the village revenue assistant (VRA) was involved in these irregularities. The VRA has admitted to the offence, and the beneficiaries were questioned as part of the investigation. "During the inquiry, several cases came to light, and a comprehensive report was submitted to the district collector for further action.

Following these incidents, revenue officials were instructed to be vigilant during applicant verification to prevent such violations under the scheme," said the Chegunta tahsildar. The incident came to light after family members of revenue officials lodged complaints and demanded action. Despite a previous government probe in October last year to address the issue, irregularities under the Kalyana Lakshmi scheme continue to emerge. Under the scheme, each beneficiary is entitled to receive financial assistance of ₹1,00,116.