State PCS - Uttar Pradesh (UP PCS)

• 23 May 2025

Shaadi Anudan Yojana

Why in News? 

The Uttar Pradesh government, under the Shaadi Anudan Yojana, provided marriage grants to 1 lakh Other Backward Classes (OBCs) families in the financial year 2024–25 — twice the number of beneficiaries recorded in 2024. 

• Despite the achievement, social audit findings and field reports suggest that while access has improved, systemic inefficiencies persist. 

Key Points 

Shaadi Anudan Yojana (Marriage Grant Scheme) 

• About & Objective:  
  • It provides financial assistance for the marriage of daughters from poor, helpless, and Below Poverty Line (BPL) families belonging to the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. 
• Eligibility Criteria: 
  • The applicants must be from the OBCs as recognized by the state government. 
    • However, individuals from minority communities who also fall under the OBC category are not eligible under this scheme. 
  • The age of the girl and boy must be 18 years and 21 years or more respectively. 
  • Top priority is given in granting subsidies for the marriage of destitute widows, disabled, landless and suffered by natural disaster. 
• Grant Amount: ₹20,000 per marriage. 
  • Grants will be allowed up to a maximum of 2 daughters from a family. 
• Reason for the Increase in the Number of Beneficiaries: The significant increase is primarily due to the revision of the income eligibility criteria. Previously restricted to urban and rural families BPL, the income limit has now been raised to Rs 1 lakh, enabling more families to avail of the scheme.  
  • Furthermore, income eligibility has been standardised for both urban and rural beneficiaries. 

Challenges Related to the Scheme  

• Delay in Disbursement: Beneficiaries in rural districts face a 4–6 month wait for disbursement, forcing many families to borrow money to cover wedding expenses. 
• Last-Mile Delivery Gaps: According to a 2024 social audit, only 68% of recipients received their funds before the wedding, affecting the timeliness of financial support. 
• High Application Rejection Rate: Around 23% of applications were rejected due to issues with documentation, causing further delays and complications. 
• Verification Bottlenecks: Manual processes and bureaucratic delays in verification hinder the timely delivery of support to beneficiaries. 

Measures that Can be Taken 

• The department plans awareness campaigns to improve last-mile delivery, acknowledging the need for streamlined processes to achieve its inclusive development goals. 
• Regularly collect beneficiary feedback to identify needs and challenges, using insights to improve and tailor the program for greater impact. 
• Establish regular monitoring and evaluation to assess effectiveness and areas for improvement. 

Schemes Related to the Empowerment of OBCs 

• SHREYAS (Scholarships for Higher Education for Young Achievers) Scheme: The SHREYAS scheme is an umbrella program consisting of four sub-schemes aimed at providing educational opportunities and financial support to economically disadvantaged Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) students. 
• PM-YASASVI (PM Young Achievers Scholarship Award Scheme for Vibrant India for OBCs and Others): The PM-YASASVI scheme provides full financial support to students from OBC, EBC, and Denotified, Nomadic Tribes (DNTs) categories for higher education beyond Class XII.  
  • Funded 100% by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, it covers students in institutions notified by the Ministry starting from the 2021-22 financial year.  
• OBC Pre Matric Scholarship- Uttar Pradesh: The OBC Pre Matric Scholarship is designed to support students who are financially disadvantaged and pursuing secondary education in Class 9 or 10 .