CHENNAI: The Social Welfare Department has floated tenders for supplying 5,640 eight-gram, 22-carat gold coins worth around Rs 45 crore to the government for being given to beneficiaries under four marriage assistance schemes.
Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy Intercaste Marriage Assistance Scheme, Dr Dharmambal Ammaiyar Widow Remarriage Assistance Scheme, EVR Maniammaiyar Poor Widow’s Daughter Marriage Assistance Scheme, and Annai Theresa Orphan Girls Marriage Assistance Scheme are the four schemes under which free gold is given to women.
In 2024-25, a total of 7,633 beneficiaries received support worth Rs 98.16 crore through these schemes. While three of the schemes do not have an income ceiling, annual income of beneficiaries under EVR Maniammaiyar scheme must be below Rs 1.2 lakh.
Widows receiving social security pensions will also be excluded from the scheme. For 2025-26, the department had allocated Rs 68.52 crore for implementing the four schemes.
It may be recalled that the DMK government scrapped the Moovalur Ramamirtham Ammaiyar Marriage Assistance Scheme, which provided cash assistance and a gold coin to women from poor economic backgrounds with certain minimum educational qualifications, and introduced the Pudhumai Penn Scheme, under which Rs 1,000 per month is given to girls from government and government-aided (Tamil-medium) schools pursuing higher education.
7,633 beneficiaries received support worth Rs 98.16 crore through these schemes In 2024-25. For 2025-26, the department had allocated Rs 68.52 crore for the schemes