Class X Mandatory for Girls, Husbands Help Them Continue Good Education: CM Jagan
VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has released Rs 81.64 crore towards the fourth tranche of YSR Kalyanamasthu and YSR Shaadi Tohfa benefiting girls married during the quarter of July-September 2023.
Releasing the amount from his camp office here on Thursday, the Chief Minister said the scheme aimed at helping girls from the poor SC, ST, BC and minority communities, construction worker families and the disabled, to pursue their education.
The CM said that the amount, benefiting 10,511 couples, has been directly credited into the bank accounts of their mothers. So far, a total of Rs 348.84 crore was disbursed to 46,062 beneficiaries under the scheme.
“The state government has made Class X mandatory for the girls and their grooms to become eligible for the scheme. We also fixed the marriage age limit for girls and boys as 18 and 21 respectively. These conditions, coupled with other welfare schemes like Vidya Deevena, Vasathi Deevena and Amma Vodi, help the girls continue their education at the college level.”
“Besides avoiding child marriages, this scheme is helping reduce drop-out rate and increase the gross enrolment ratio (GRE) in schools and colleges,” he added.
The Chief Minister said he was happy to note that 8,042 girls out of 10,511 beneficiaries have also received the benefits of Amma Vodi, Vasathi Deevena and Vidya Deevena. This also meant a majority of them are pursuing college education, he said.
Reasserting that education is the only weapon that eliminates social ills like poverty and transforms society into a dynamic one, the Chief Minister said the Kalyanamasthu scheme also works as an additional factor for this transformation.
Jagan Mohan Reddy said, “While the Telugu Desam government implemented the scheme for namesake and ditched 17,709 girls, the YSRC government introduced it with a good intention and has been implementing it with supreme commitment.”
While SC, ST, BC, and Minority beneficiaries got Rs 40,000, Rs 50,000, Rs 35,000, and Rs 50,000 each during TD rule, the YSRC government has increased it to Rs 1,00,000, Rs 1,00,000, Rs 50,000 and Rs 1,00,000 respectively.
The differently-abled people and construction workers have been promised Rs 1,00,000 and Rs 20,000 each during the Telugu Desam rule, but they have been getting the enhanced benefits of Rs 1,50,000 and '40,000 respectively now.
Similarly, the incentives for 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.
Beneficiaries from different districts spoke in virtual mode and thanked the Chief Minister for implementing the scheme.
Social welfare minister M. Nagarjuna, women and child welfare minister Ushasri Charan, BC welfare minister Venugopala Krishna, labour minister G. Jayaram, special chief secretaries Ananta Ramu (BC welfare) and Ajay Jain (village and ward secretariats), minority welfare secretary Md. Imtiaz, village and ward secretariats director Lakshmi Shah and senior officials were present.
Several district collectors participated in the programme in virtual mode.
