KOLKATA: Marriage of daughters is an auspicious occasion. But in many parts of India, this becomes a burden on the family. Many parents do not have the money to make this event memorable. They are forced to borrow. There come problems of dowry and the occasion to celebrate often turns sour.
Rupashree, a scheme launched by the West Bengal government in 2018, is proving to be a blessing for lakhs of parents from financially stressed families, who find it difficult to get daughters married. This initiative offers a one-time grant of Rs 25,000 to families with an annual earning of under Rs 1.5 lakh.
More than 10 lakh families have benefited from this scheme so far and another 2 lakh are in the pipeline. In the last nine months, nearly 2.5 lakh girls got married with this financial assistance. Their parents did not have to borrow money at high interests, which used to be the case earlier.
“Several schemes launched by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s government have been very beneficial and Rupashree is one of them. Our aim is to take the scheme to every underprivileged family across the state,” said Sashi Panja, West Bengal’s Minister of Women and Child Development and Social Welfare.
According to statistics given by the ministry, 11.71 lakh girls benefited under the Rupashree scheme since the initiative was launched. The state government has spent Rs 2,895 crore for this purpose. “During the lockdown, this scheme turned out to be a messiah for many parents. Lakhs of people lost jobs during the crisis and they had no option left to arrange money for the marriage of their daughters. This financial assistance helped them,” said an official of the ministry.
Jharna Bag, daughter of a rickshaw puller in Sonarpur in South 24 Parganas, tied the knot last year. “Had this scheme not been launched, my father would have no option left other than borrowing money from local lenders at a high interest rate. He could not have repaid the loan. With the financial aid, he made arrangements for my marriage,” she said.
Shibani Malakar’s father Amulya is waiting for this aid from the government. “I used to work as a mason in Bengaluru. But the lockdown forced me to return and I did not get my job back. Over here, I am finding difficult to work in the field of construction. I am working as a porter in a local market. I have no money for the expenses of Shibani’s marriage. I have been told that I would be given money under the Rupashree scheme. It will help me to do my duty as a father of an adult girl,” he said.