Bangla Government has allotted a fund of Rs 1,500 crore for the current financial year, to ensure smooth running of the Rupashree project, a brainchild of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Under the project, girls above the age of 18 can avail a financial benefit of Rs 25,000 during their marriage, provided the family income of the beneficiaries does not exceed Rs 1.5 lakh per year.
Minister of মেয়ে, said in the Assembly on Monday that her department has received nearly 1.3 lakh applications since April this year, out of which around 5,500 applications have been rejected due to some errors in them. She also said that a total amount of around Rs 2,030 crore has already been spent by the government for this purpose.
Beneficiaries above the age of 18 can apply for the amount during their first marriage. The person, to whom a beneficiary gets married, must cross the age of 21. The amount would directly be credited to the bank account of the beneficiary, at least 5 days prior to the day of marriage.
“Beneficiaries do not need to submit any caste certificate or APL and BPL cards to avail the benefits. The process of getting the amount has been simplified. There are designated officers in the districts, sub-divisions or block level, who help the girls fill up the applications. They will carry out necessary enquiry before finally disbursing the amount. In case of urban areas, the municipal commissioners will take care of the technical issues,” the minister said.
She also said: “The beneficiaries or their parents must be permanent residents of the state. Girls currently staying outside the state but having domicile in the state, can also enjoy the facility. Earlier, poor people had to borrow money for marriage from various financial institutions, at high interest rates. The previous government did not initiate any such social scheme for the benefit of people.”
The minister also urged the people to submit the applications 30-60 days ahead of the marriage date, so that the money can be credited to their account on time.
