Srinagar: Shakeel Ahmad Bhat (name changed) has been saving for the last eight years for the marriage of his lone. The daily wager by profession, the amount he collected, falls too less to manage expenses for a simple marriage.Much to his delight, Bhat learnt from his relative that the Social Welfare Department was financially assisting the economically poor women under the Marriage Assistance Scheme (MAS).“The scheme has helped me a lot. With the financial assistance from the government, I purchased a few items for my daughter. This scheme brings a lot of relief for underprivileged families,” he said.Kashmir’s Marriage Assistance Scheme has emerged as a significant support system for underprivileged families, offering much-needed financial aid for the marriages of poor girls in the region.Since its inception in the 2015-16 fiscal year, the scheme has provided substantial relief to families, with a total of Rs 394 crore allocated to support 1,04,326 girls up to the 2023-24 period.MAS is a Social Assistance Scheme implemented by the Social Welfare Department to financially assist un-married identified women in Jammu and Kashmir who belong to the below poverty line category.The Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Council headed by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha earlier in 2022 restructured the State Marriage Assistance Scheme to provide benefits to all AAY and PHH families.As per the restructured scheme, any girl of legally marriageable age belonging to the families of Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY), or Priority Household (PHH) ration card holders, will be eligible for one-time financial assistance of Rs 50,000.An official from the Social Welfare Department said the number of beneficiaries are increasing as the department raises mass awareness regarding the scheme.“The department is always at the forefront to help the underprivileged section of the society through various schemes. As far as the Marriage Assistance Scheme is concerned, people belonging to the AAY are coming and getting benefitted under the scheme,” he said.The official said the awareness is being constantly raised by the department through mass media to educate people about the scheme—(KNO)
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