Minister of State for Social welfare, Asiea Naqash today directed the department to conduct fresh survey for State Marriage Assistance Scheme (SMAS) to enable maximum number of poor girls to get financial assistance under the scheme.
The Minister issued the directions while chairing a review meeting convened here to review the implementation of state and centrally sponsored schemes of social welfare department.
The Minister said the fresh survey would help to include more and more poor girls under SMAS. She expressed the hope that the survey would be completed by the end of March.
She said that in last 2 years the government has provided Rs 35.86 crore to 9148 poor unmarried girls under the scheme.
She said under SMAS one-time financial assistance of Rs 25,000 and five-gram gold are given to the girls living below poverty line who may not find themselves in a position to marry due to financial constraints.