Bihar: Unmarried girls who cleared intermediate-exam to get Rs. 10,000
Unmarried girls, who cleared the intermediate examination from Bihar Board, will get Rs. 10,000 soon as a part of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's ambitious scheme 'Mukhyamantri Kanya Utthan Yojana' (MKUY). The one-time monetary award scheme was launched in April this year. Officials have started the process of identifying girl students eligible for the scheme. The amount will be deposited to their bank accounts.
Money will be deposited in accounts in July, official reveals
Principal Secretary, Education, R K Mahajan said districts have been asked to identify the candidates who cleared intermediate exams of the state board, whose results were declared on June 6. They will receive money in July. Further, Mahajan said this scheme aims to promote education and curtail menace of child marriage in Bihar. "That, in turn, would lower fertility rate and control population," he added.
Bihar government earmarked Rs. 1,400 crore for the scheme
Approved by the state cabinet in April, the MKUY scheme offers many incentives to girls from their birth till their graduation. The girls of the state would get a total amount of Rs. 54,100, at different stages of life. The state government set Rs. 1,400 crore for this scheme. If a girl graduates, even if she is married, she will get Rs. 25,000.
Government stressing on female education to reduce fertility rate
At a programme, Nitish Kumar said girls' education will reduce fertility rate in Bihar. As opposed to national average of 2.3, Bihar's fertility rate is over 3. He said plus two schools were opened in every village to equalize fertility rate with national standards, or do even better. Notably, the benefits of this scheme are restricted to only two children per family.
But are government's efforts helping? Nitish Kumar says so
As a part of a programme, girls were given free bicycles, uniforms and school bags. Nitish Kumar said the sustained efforts of the government have increased girls' enrollment in Class 9, making it almost equal to boys. "Earlier the number of girls studying in class 9 was only 1.7 lakh, now it has reached 9 lakh," Nitish Kumar said.
