CHENNAI: The Rs 1,000 cash incentive given to girl students pursuing higher education under the Moovalur Ramamirtham Ammaiyar Higher Education Assurance Scheme will be credited to their bank accounts through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) on seventh of every month and they don’t have to wait till the completion of their undergraduate course to withdraw the fund.
According to a recent G.O. issued by Shambu Kallolikar, Additional Chief Secretary, Social Welfare and Women Empowerment Department, “The higher education department should certify the continuance of education of the students once every six months on June 30 and December 31.” The Director of the Social Welfare Department is the nodal officer for implementing the scheme.
Aiming to promote enrolment of girls in higher education, the State government has converted the marriage assistance scheme named after social activist Moovalur Ramamirtham Ammaiyar into higher education assurance scheme.
Under the revised scheme, girl students who studied from classes 6 to 12 in government schools are eligible for an incentive of `1,000 per month until completion of their undergraduate courses without any break. For 2022-23, `698 crore was allotted for the scheme.
While listing out the modalities, the G.O. said State-level bankers’ committee and lead banks in districts should ensure that students availing of the benefit should be provided with zero balance and zero frills bank accounts. “The students should be provided with debit cards,” the order said.
Kallolikar said the implementation of the scheme from enrolment of students to releasing the cash benefit to them should be carried out online. According to the G.O., girl students pursuing arts and science, professional courses, paramedical, diploma, ITI, and combined post-graduation courses are eligible for the cash incentive.
For those pursuing combined PG courses, the incentive will be provided only for the first three years. Cross-border students and students pursuing UG via distance education are not eligible. Kallolikar said unlike the marriage assistance scheme, there is no cap on number of girl children per family who can get enrolled in the scheme. “Any number of girl children from the same family can avail of the incentive for pursuing higher education,” he said.
Under the Thalikku Thangam scheme, women from poor families were provided eight grams of gold and Rs 50,000 cash for marriage if they had completed a degree/diploma and Rs 25,000 for those who had completed SSLC and Class 12.