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Speeding up scheme
Young Bites. Dated: 3/23/2018 12:47:27 PM
Marriage, skill schemes for poor girls in disarray
In J&K, Launched in 2015, the SMAS was aimed at facilitating the poor girls with requisite financial support to enable them to solemnize their marriages, but because of some unknown reasons, the speedy and effective implementation had been continuously hanging in balance which finally has undertaken to revised the timelines at different levels on this account. The Government’s strict directions to all the concerned for ensuring strict adherence to the revised guidelines is appreciated measure which is a desideratum in present scenario for a welfare state. However, official figures reveal that around 6,589 beneficiaries, who were found eligible to receive the assistance as per guidelines of the scheme, have been brought under the ambit of SMAS up to August 31, 2017. It is interesting to know, the Social Welfare Department had also observed that substantial time is being taken for disposing of these cases before referring it to the administrative department for unknown reasons, which is defeating the objective of launching this vital girl specific scheme, where timely assistance has paramount significance Pertinently, A study conducted by the Sociology department at the University of Kashmir in 2009 revealed shocking facts about the fallout of the turmoil. According to the study, an overwhelming majority of 88 percent of respondents opined that conflict situation in Kashmir has contributed to the emergence of the late marriages, a phenomenon unheard of before the onset of militancy in 1990. Complying with the directions of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, the government on Wednesday issued a circular, in a modification to its earlier version, detailing the revised timelines. According to the revised timelines, a period of three working days has been fixed for District Social Welfare Officer, six working days for Sanctioning Authority (Deputy Commissioner) while five working days have been fixed for Director Finance, Social Welfare Department to dispose of the cases under SMAS.