President Kicks off Kanya Vivah Yojana
Patna: February 16, 2008
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President Kicks off Kanya Vivah Yojna
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Photo by Shashi Uttam |
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President Pratibha Patil on Saturday at S. K. Memorial Hall in Patna, inaugurated the Chief Minister's ambitious 'Kanya Vivah Yojana', a scheme introduced by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to help poor families meet wedding expenses for their daughters, amidst the presence of several unmarried girls and newly-married couples.
At the function, Mrs. Patil handed out checks of Rs. 5,000 to five newly-wed couples with the first check going to Sarita Kumari and Pramod Chowdhary of Digha.
The scheme, a brainchild of Kumar, is designed to help families with an annual income of Rs. 60,000 or less. The minimum age must be 18 for girls and 21 for boys and the family of the recipient of this financial assistance must sign an affidavit not to participate in any dowry-related activities.
Lauding the scheme as a major leap in the empowerment of women in Bihar, the President said the state was way ahead in providing the rightful status of women by introducing schemes including Kanya Vivah Yojana, reservation for women in Panchayat elections, and money for school dresses, books and bikes for young girls that are now being emulated by other states in the nation.
"The scheme has the potential to end the the practice of child marriage, decline in abortion and domestic violence, and herald a new era towards the end of the dowry system," Patil said.
Bihar Governor R. S. Gavai, his wife Kamala Tai, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, President Patil's husband Dr. Devi Singh Shekhawat, Welfare Minister Rameshwar Paswan, Art and Culture Minister Janardan Singh Sigriwal, and Chief Secretary R. J. M. Pillai were also present on the occasion.
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