Jammu, May 28 (IANS): A total of 29 girls from poor families in the hilly Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir were Wednesday given financial assistance from local authorities for solemnizing their marriages.
Ramban's District Magistrate M.H. Malik distributed Rs.8.5 lakh among 29 matriculate girls from BPL (below poverty line families) families at a simple function, organized by the state social welfare department, in Ramban.
The district social welfare officer said these unmarried girls had applied under a welfare scheme during March this year for financial assistance.
Each beneficiary was given Rs. 30,000.
Speaking on the occasion, Malik said the government is providing assistance to the needy downtrodden section of the society through various schemes of the social welfare department and appealed to the people to come forward and take benefit of these schemes.
He asked all the officials concerned to arrange awareness programmes regarding these welfare schemes so that more and more people can take benefit of them.