WITH ASSEMBLY elections a little more than a year to go, the Samajwadi Party government is likely to revive its scheme of providing financial assistance to people belonging to the poor backward caste for the marriage of their daughters and treatment of family members. With the launch of Samajwadi Pension Scheme, Shadi Bimari Anudan Yojana was postponed in 2014-2015. No budgetary allocation was made for the same. Opposition parties had cornered the SP government in the Vidhan Sabha for not continuing a scheme that was meant for the welfare of poor backward people. While the scheme was announced by SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav during his previous stint as the chief minister, the budgetary allocation for the same was made for the first time in 2007-08. Under the scheme, the government gives financial assistance of Rs 10,000 for marriage of girls and an assistance of Rs 5,000 for treatment. Now, the state government plans to double the amount of financial assistance, making it Rs 20,000 for marriage and Rs 10,000 for illness. “I had spoken to Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav regarding revival of the scheme. He has agreed to it and we are sending the proposal for budgetary allocation. we will get it hopefully,” said Minister for Backward Class Welfare Sahib Singh Saini. “I have also demanded that the amount of assistance be doubled to Rs 20,000. If not, at least it will be Rs 15,000 from this year,” he added. After its launch, Rs 20 crore was allocated for the scheme and it was successful at the district level. Hundreds applied for financial assistance. At the district level, a committee headed by the district magistrate considered the applications and sanctioned the amount. For one to be eligible for the scheme, the beneficiary should be in the BPL category with preference to widows, disabled, landless and victims of natural calamity. A wedding invitation card and an undertaking that no dowry was exchanged during marriage was also required. For medical treatment, funds were provided after a certificate from local government hospital was produced.
