Marriages, without a hint of doubt, are a merry affair. A celebration of union, a celebration of love. But this celebration costs a lot of money and often leads to an unpleasant feeling once the bank balance drops below comfortable levels.

Quite often, traditional Indian families despise a girl child for the sole reason – marriage. The fear that having to marry the girl away will cost too much money makes many stoops down to female foeticide.

Taking cognizance on the matter and the deteriorating sex ratio in India, the central government has taken up several initiatives.

One such initiative relates to marrying the girl child – The Shadi Anudan Yojana.

The Need for the Shadi Anudan Yojana

  1. To offer financial assistance to the girl child of poor families
  2. To change the perspective and image around raising a girl child
  3. To give poor families a sense of hope that a girl child isn’t just a source of expenditure.

How to apply for the scheme?

In order to apply for the scheme, the following steps need to be followed.

  1. The first step is to visit the official link of the scheme’s website: http://www.shadianudan.upsdc.gov.in
  2. This page, once loaded, will have the option of registration. Once you click on registration, you will get the option to choose one of the options offered according to your caste, and then you will have to click on it.
  3. After clicking on the option, the application form will open in front of you.
  4. In this application form, you are expected to fill in the details of your family, the applicant’s name, the daughter’s wedding date, etc.
  5. After filling in the information, you will have to click on the submit button, which will send your application to the concerned authorities. After that, as a safekeeping, you are suggested to keep a copy of the form, for future reference.

What documents would you need to apply for the scheme?

  1. Aadhaar Card
  2. Caste certificate
  3. Income certificate
  4. Applicant’s identity card
  5. Bank account
  6. Mobile number
  7. Applicant’s wedding certificate
  8. Passport size photos.

Who can apply for the scheme?

Those falling under the BPL – Below Poverty Line can participate in the marriage grant. Those whose annual income is under Rs.46,080 for rural areas and Rs.56,460 for urban areas are considered to be eligible for the scheme.

If the applicant gets any kind of a pension-like old-age pension, widow pension, the disabled pension will not have to procure any income certificate to validate their financial status, in order to be considered for the scheme.

The marriage scheme grant will be valid for only 2 daughters of the family and the age of the daughter while marrying has to be minimum 18 years and the groom’s age 21 years.

Summing it up

Marriages in India are expensive. With all the flair and fancy that comes with it, it can grow to be a daunting matter for anyone. The government just aims to intervene, through the medium of this scheme, so that the fear that comes with the expense of marrying one’s daughter should not be the reason for parents to not want a girl after all.