Shaadi Mubarak, Kalyana Lakshmi Reduced Child Marriages: Minister

Telangana Civil Supplies & BC Welfare Minister Gangula Kamalakar today claimed that the state government had succeeded in reducing child marriages through Kalyana Lakshmi and Shaadi Mubarak.

He said that this was confirmed by the National Family Health Survey.

The minister made the remarks while replying to questions raised by different MLAs during Question Hour in the Assembly.

Kamalakar said that a total of 10,26,396 people had benefited from the Shadi Mubarak and Kalyana Lakshmi schemes. 4,87,346 of them got the benefit from the BC welfare department, 1,21,639 got the benefit from the ST welfare department, and 2,06,735 people received the benefit from the SC welfare department, he said. And 2,10,639 people got the benefit of the Shaadi Mubarak scheme from the minority welfare department, he said.

Kamalakar said that the state government had spent Rs. 8,673.67 crore so far on the two schemes, with the BC welfare department spending Rs. 4,355 crore, the SC welfare department spending Rs. 1,660 crore, the ST welfare department spending Rs. 975 crore and the minority welfare department spending Rs. 1,682 crore.

He said that the schemes were applicable to all those who underwent inter-caste and love marriages too, and that the monetary benefit under the scheme would also be given to the mother of any girl who left the house after a love marriage.

He pointed out that the state government hadn't stopped the implementation of the scheme even after the coronavirus outbreak.