Rupashree sees stellar success across state
Kolkata: The Mamata Banerjee government is seeing a huge response to its Rupashree project that was rolled out across the state from April 1 this year. Since its inception, the state government has received nearly 70,000 applications and disbursed more than 47,233 applications under the scheme and the total amount sanctioned has been more than Rs 118 crore.
The scheme, a brainchild of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, provides a one-time financial assistance of Rs 25,000 to the family of a girl at the time of her marriage, if her family income is less than Rs 1,50,000 per year.
As per figures available with the state Women and Child Development & Social Welfare department which is implementing the project, Murshidabad tops the number of applications, disbursements and the amount sanctioned.
The figures till July 9 reveal that Murshidabad has received 9,237 applications, disbursed 5,288 and has allocated an amount to the tune of Rs 13.2 crore. 326 applications have been rejected.
The second in the list is Purulia that has received 5,870 applications and disbursed 5,183 applications against an amount to the tune of Rs 12.95 crore. However, the number of rejections is very low and stands at only 36.
South 24-Parganas district appears third in the list having received 5,460 applications. The number of disbursements is 4,640, with an amount to the tune of Rs 11.6 crore.
The number of applications in some districts of North Bengal has been found to be relatively low. Kalimpong has had the lowest number of applications of only 100 and 87 of these have already been disbursed. North Dinajpur has received 316 applications and 166 of these have already been cleared.
Jhargram has had a lower number of sanctions. The number of applications that have been received are 1,039, with the disbursement of 223 against an amount of Rs 5.5 lakh.
Jhargram has been carved out as a separate district from West Midnapore on April 4, 2017. West Midnapore has received 5,274 applications and has sanctioned an amount of more than Rs 1 crore against disbursement of 4,026 applications.
"Districts like Kalimpong and Jhargram have a reasonably lesser area in comparison to most of the districts. So, applications have been less. It is nothing unusual," a senior official of the department pointed out.
It may be mentioned that the state government has allotted Rs 1,500 crore for the project and around 6 lakh families will be getting the benefits of the scheme. More than 2,000 applications on an average are being received everyday.
