The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Crucial short-term benefits go as ‘Bhagyalakshmi’ gets bigger

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Friday, Dec 19, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Crucial short-term benefits go as ‘Bhagyalakshmi’ gets bigger

Bageshree S.

Scholarship and medical reimbursement scrapped under the revised scheme

— File photo

Interaction: Anganwadi women (right) with Bhagyalakshmi scheme beneficiaries at Hinniganda village in Nandagudi hobli, near Hoskote in Bangalore Rural district.

Bangalore: The much-publicised enhancement to Rs. 1 lakh in the maturity amount of the Bhagyalakshmi scheme for the girl child appears to take away with the left hand what the right hand had given.

The modified version has scrapped some inbuilt incentives of the earlier scheme that were designed to sustain beneficiary motivation and meet the scheme’s mandate of “all-round development of the girl child”.

While assuring a bigger sum of money to the beneficiary at the end of 18 years when the insurance bond matures, the yearly health insurance and educational scholarships embedded in the earlier scheme are no longer there.

As per the government notification of October 17, 2006, the identified girl child was to get a scholarship at the end of each year, starting with Rs. 300 a year from Standard I to III.

With an enhancement in the sum each year, she would get a scholarship of Rs. 1,000 when she passes Standard 10. These were tangible yearly incentives (in addition to the maturity amount she would get on turning 18) to ensure the girl stayed in school.

Loan option

The notification on the revised scheme of August 18, 2008, drops Sub-Section 9 of Sections II that gave the chart of periodic educational scholarships to be given to the child in school at the end of each academic year (subject to her passing the exam).A new clause gives the beneficiary the option of raising a loan in case she wishes to take up higher education.

It says that “in case the beneficiary after she completes 15 years of age passes SSLC and wishes to continue education,” the Bhagyalakshmi bond can be pledged in any “recognised bank” for a maximum loan of Rs. 50,000. This is the only intermediary benefit promised in the course of the 18-year wait, if indeed a loan rather than a scholarship can be called a benefit.

The previous scheme entitled the girl to health insurance for a maximum reimbursement of Rs. 25,000 for treating serious ailments each year.

Instead, the revised scheme embeds within it the Aam Aadmi (Janasri) Bima Yojana, a pre-existing Central Government health insurance scheme specially targeted at the rural landless poor. This restricts the health insurance coverage to the rural poor and excludes the urban beneficiary.

Defended

However, Minister for Women and Child Welfare P.M. Narendraswamy defended the changes saying that scholarship facility was withdrawn to “avoid duplication” because the Government was already extending benefits to children from BPL families.

Extending double benefit would cost heavily on the State exchequer, he said.

Of course, the new method of identifying BPL families through income certificates rather than BPL green cards might increase the reach of the scheme given the disarray in green card allocations and the complaints that a large section of the poor had been left out in the identification process.

(To be concluded)

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