Raja bilal (CNI)

Srinagar, CNI:- The Jammu & Kashmir Civil Society Forum (JKCSF) has come out strongly against the education-based eligibility criteria in the Marriage Assistance Scheme, calling the 8th-pass requirement an “unfair and unjust” restriction that marginalizes thousands of deserving girls from economically weaker sections.
In a statement issued to the press, JKCSF Chairman Abdul Qayoom Wani criticized the policy, saying, “Imposing an educational barrier on a welfare scheme meant for the poorest is unjust. In many rural and struggling families, daughters sacrifice education to support household needs—denying them assistance on this basis is deeply insensitive.”
JKCSF has called for immediate reforms to make the scheme more inclusive and aligned with ground realities. The key demands include:
• Complete removal of the 8th-pass eligibility condition
• Priority inclusion of girls from Below Poverty Line (BPL) families
• Extension of the scheme to families of non-pensionable employees and retired government servants who face financial hardships
The forum stressed that the goal of the scheme should be to provide genuine assistance to underprivileged families, not to impose exclusions based on educational attainment that may be out of reach due to poverty.
The call for reform has found strong backing from the Jammu & Kashmir Pensioners United Front (JKPUF), which echoed concerns about exclusions and urged the government to adopt a more compassionate and people-centric approach.
Both JKCSF and JKPUF urged the authorities to revisit the policy framework and ensure that the scheme serves its intended purpose of supporting the most vulnerable without unnecessary conditions.(CNI)