CHENNAI: Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has allocated Rs 703.92 crore to provide gold for mangalsutra to 1,47,935 beneficiaries in 2015-2016 and presented gold coins to five couples as a token of launching the scheme this financial year.
An official press release here on Sunday said, the Chief Minister presented the gold coins on November 13 at the Secretariat to couples belonging to Chennai, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts. The Chief Minister greeted the couple and wished them a happy and prosperous married life and the couples thanked the Chief Minister. State Social Welfare Minister B Valarmathi and other officials were present.
The State government is implementing schemes in the name of Moovalur Ramamirtham Ammaiyar, EVR Maniyammaiyar, Mother Teresa, Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy and Dr Dharmambal Ammaiyar to assist the marriages of poor girls, daughters of widows, destitute women and for remarriages and inter-caste marriages, the release said.
The gold for mangalsutra scheme was launched by Jayalalithaa on June 6, 2011 and 5,49,231 girls had benefited under the scheme at a cost of Rs 2,465 crore for the last four years. A total of 2192.92 kg of gold coins had been given to the couples. The State government allocated Rs 703.92 crore on June 2 for the scheme for the year 2015-16.