1,000 Mohali women awaiting government’s wedding shagun are now nursing babies

Punjab social justice and empowerment director says money will be released by the end of November

Of 1,425 newly married women in Mohali district awaiting the release of ₹21,000 under the government’s Shagun (now called Aashirwad) scheme for more than a year, 1,000 have already been blessed with children.

HT Image

Under the Aashirwad scheme, the state government promises to provide financial assistance for the marriage of a woman belonging to scheduled caste, backward class or economically weaker section of society.

The amount is transferred directly to the bank account of either beneficiary or her family. The state government has not disbursed the amount after April 2019 for the backward class beneficiaries, while those belonging to the scheduled castes haven’t received the money since October last year.

The Congress government had started the scheme in 2005 and in the run up to the 2017 assembly elections, it had promised to increase the amount from ₹15,000 to ₹51,000. In July that year, the state government had announced that it will revise the aid to ₹21,000.

Mohali district welfare officer Ravinder Singh said there were at least 1,425 pending cases. “Out of them, 1,093 women are awaiting the compensation since April last year and 332 cases are from this year. We have sent the entire list of eligible people to the higher authorities, but are still waiting for the funds,” he added.

One such beneficiary from Lalru, who wished not to be named, said, “I got married in October last year. Before my marriage, my father had applied for the grant, but even after one year, we have not got anything and now I am even blessed with a baby boy. My family had been making rounds of the district welfare office in Mohali, but in vain.”

Punjab social justice and empowerment director Malwinder Singh Jaggi said, “I have recently joined the office, but lists of eligible beneficiaries have already been prepared and sent to the treasury. We are hopeful that money will be released by the end of November.”

SR Ladhar, former IAS and in-charge of an NGO, Phule Ambedkari Gauravshali Aur Adarshwadi Muhim ( PAGAAM), said, “It is unfortunate that the government is deliberately discriminating against backward class people. We request the state government to release the grant under the scheme so that the poor might get some financial relief.”