DMK justifies changing marriage assistance scheme to higher education

There were various practical difficulties in implementing the original scheme, says Minister

The DMK government on Monday justified the transformation of the Moovalur Ramamirtham Ammaiyar Memorial Marriage Assistance Scheme into the Moovalur Ramamirtham Ammaiyar Higher Education Assurance Scheme, listing out various practical difficulties in the implementation of the earlier scheme.

Responding to concerns raised by AIADMK MLA K.A. Pandian (Chidambaram) in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan said only 24.5% of those who applied under the Moovalur Ramamirtham Ammaiyar Memorial Marriage Assistance Scheme were actually found eligible to benefit from it when verified with the Tamil Nadu Integrated Poverty Portal Service (TIPPS).

If all the applications received under the scheme were to be accepted and assistance provided, the State exchequer would need a sum of over ₹3,000 crore, he said. Also, many of the applications have been pending for over four years, and the primary objective of extending assistance for weddings would not be achieved if they were extended now.

Various irregularities were pointed out by many audit reports in the implementation of the earlier scheme, Mr. Rajan pointed out, and further contended that the new scheme to provide assistance for a girls’ higher education would boost the Gross Enrolment Ratio.

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin intervened to say that the DMK government was aiming to ensure the empowerment of women by way of encouraging higher education among them. He added that this new scheme was another form of the DMK’s policy to ensure women’s rights and called upon everyone to support the new scheme.

AIADMK whip S.P. Velumani joined the debate to say that over 3 lakh applications were pending in the earlier scheme. “They would be hoping to benefit from the earlier scheme,” he said, and added that at least those that were found eligible be extended the benefits. Mr. Rajan said the State government would think over it.