AP CM Jagan releases Rs 81 crore for YSR Kalyanamasthu, Shadi Tohfa

Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh) [India], November 23 : Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday released Rs 81.64 crore towards the fourth tranche of YSR Kalyanamasthu and YSR Shaadi Tohfa benefiting girls married during the quarter of July-September 2023.
Releasing the amount virtually from the Camp Office here on Thursday, the Chief Minister said that the scheme aims at helping girls from poor SC, ST, BC, minority communities, construction worker families and the disabled to pursue their education.
The amount, benefiting 10,511 couples, would be directly credited into the bank accounts of their mothers. So far, a total of Rs 348.84 crore has been disbursed to 46,062 beneficiaries under the scheme.
The government has made Class X mandatory for girls and their grooms to become eligible for the scheme and also fixed the marriage age limit for girls and boys at 18 and 21, respectively.
These conditions, coupled with other welfare schemes like Vidya Deevena, Vasathi Deevena and Amma Vodi, help the girls continue their education at the college level, besides avoiding child marriages, reducing the dropout rate and increasing the GRE (Gross Enrolment Ratio) in schools and colleges.
The Chief Minister said it is a matter of happiness that 8,042 girls out of 10, 511 beneficiaries have also received the benefits of Amma Vodi, Vasathi Deevena and Vidya Deevena indicating that the majority of them are pursuing college education.
Reasserting that education is the only weapon that eliminates social ills like poverty and transforms society into a dynamic one, the Chief Minister said that the Kalyanamasthu scheme also works as an additional factor towards this transformation.
While the TDP government implemented the scheme for name sake and ditched 17,709 girls, the present government introduced it with good intention and has been implementing it with commitment, he added.
He stated that while SC, ST, BC, and minority beneficiaries got Rs 40,000, Rs 50,000, Rs 35,000, and Rs 50,000 each during TDP rule, the present government has increased it to Rs 1,00,000, Rs 1,00,000, Rs 50,000 and Rs 1,00,000, respectively.
While the differently-abled people and construction workers were promised Rs 1,00,000 and Rs 20,000 each in the TDP rule, they have been getting the enhanced benefits of Rs 1,50,000 and Rs 40,000, respectively, now.
Similarly, the incentives for SC, ST, and BC beneficiaries who opted for inter-caste marriage went up to Rs 1,20,000 from Rs 75,000 each, to Rs 1, 20,000 from Rs 75,000 each, and to Rs 75,000 from Rs 50,000 each, respectively.
Some of the beneficiaries from different districts also spoke virtually and thanked the Chief Minister for implementing the scheme.