Around 129 married women, mostly daughters of poor widows in the district, have been waiting for nearly two years, pinning their hopes on Social Welfare Department officials to receive their marriage assistance dole.
These women, some of whom are orphans, applied for the assistance under different marriage assistance schemes after their marriages in May 2011.
They fulfilled the requisite conditions and became eligible for the assistance of Rs.20,000 and Rs.25,000.
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They are yet to receive the money.
After the present government assumed office in May 2011, the scheme was redesigned to provide four grams of gold coins for making the Mangalsutra (thali) and enhanced the financial assistance to Rs.25,000 for those who have passed plus two and Rs.50,000 for graduates.
The 129 women have been making regular visits to the Social welfare department here only to be told repeatedly that the funds are yet to come.
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All the 129 applicants were eligible for assistance, which amounts to a total of Rs.31.90 lakhs under various schemes which were in vogue during the previous DMK regime.
Assistance could not be distributed as the Directorate of Social Welfare Department in Chennai was yet to sanction the fund, despite repeated reminders, the sources claimed.