TS to hike marriage sop to `1 lakh

TRS leaders believe increase in sop will help party in 2019 elections ■

The Telangana state government is all set to increase marriage sop to `1 lakh in the election year Budget 2018-19. The scheme to extend financial assistance for marriage of daughters in BPL families from all castes was launched in 2015-16.

Already `1,807 crore has been spent on the scheme in the last three years. Earlier, the financial aid was `51,000 in 2015-16, which was increased to `75,000 in 2017-18 and now proposed to be increased to `1 lakh.

Over 3 lakh marriages have been performed under the scheme so far. For BCs, EBCs, SCs, STs, the financial assistance is being given under “Kalyana Laxmi” scheme and for Muslim minorities under the “Shaadi Mubarak” scheme.

The scheme received huge response with government receiving lakhs of applications every year.

The welfare departments of BCs, EBCs, SCs, STs and minorities have been asked to submit Budget proposals for 2018-19 taking into account the increase in marriage sop to `1 lakh. The respective departments are drafting Budget proposals for 2018-19 seeking increase in funds for marriage sop accordingly.

The reports obtained from districts by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao revealed that the implementation of marriage sop scheme for the past three years helped the TRS government to win the support of BPL families as well as earn itself a good name and public empathy.

This is because the cheques to beneficiaries are being handed over by the ministers, MPs, MLAs, MLCs by conducting distribution programmes in respective constituencies.

The TRS party leadership feels that this helped to derive ‘political mileage’ out of the scheme. TRS leaders believe that the increase in sop to `1 lakh in the crucial election year would be helpful for the party in the 2019 general elections. The importance being given by the TRS government for the marriage sop can be gauged from the fact that it spent `388 crore in the first year of its implementation in 2015-16, increased this to `530 crore in 2016-17.

In the ongoing fiscal 2017-18, already `820 crore has been spent so far. For 2018-19, the TRS government plans to spend nearly `1,200 crore.