E.V.R. Maniammaiyar Ninaivu Marriage Assistance Scheme for Daughters of Poor Widows — Scheme II

What is the E.V.R. Maniammaiyar Ninaivu Marriage Assistance Scheme, Scheme II?

E.V.R. Maniammaiyar Ninaivu Marriage Assistance Scheme for Daughters of Poor Widows is one of five marriage assistance schemes run by the Social Welfare and Women Empowerment Department, Government of Tamil Nadu. The scheme is named after E.V.R. Maniammaiyar, and it addresses a very specific hardship: a widowed mother with no earning husband is expected to meet the cost of her daughter's marriage alone.

The scheme runs in two streams. Scheme I gives Rs 25,000 with an 8 gram 22 carat gold coin and asks for no educational qualification. Scheme II, which this guide covers, gives Rs 50,000 with the same 8 gram 22 carat gold coin and is reserved for brides who hold a degree or diploma from a government-approved institution.

The doubling of the cash for a graduate bride is deliberate. The department's stated purpose in running the two streams is to make it worth a poor widow's while to keep her daughter in college rather than marry her off at 18, and the higher award is the incentive that does that work.

What the beneficiary receives

• Rs 50,000 in cash, credited to the bride's own bank account.
• An 8 gram 22 carat gold coin, intended for the thaali.
• The assistance is a grant, not a loan. Nothing is repayable.

Who is eligible for Scheme II?

You can apply if:

• You are the daughter of a widow. The father's death certificate is the basis of the claim.
• You hold a degree or diploma from a government-approved college or institution. This is what places the application in Scheme II rather than Scheme I.
• You have completed 18 years of age, and the bridegroom has completed 21 years.
• Your annual family income does not exceed the notified ceiling. The department's marriage assistance page states Rs 1,20,000; older notifications carried Rs 72,000, so confirm the operative figure with the District Social Welfare Officer before applying.
• You are a resident of Tamil Nadu.
• The application is filed at least 40 days before the marriage.

You cannot apply if:

• Your mother is not a widow — a divorced, separated or deserted mother is not covered by this particular scheme, though other schemes of the same department cover other categories.
• You do not hold a degree or diploma. Apply under Scheme I instead, which gives Rs 25,000 with the gold coin and has no qualification requirement.
• Another daughter of the same widow has already received the assistance. One widow, one daughter is the rule.
• The bride is under 18 or the bridegroom is under 21 on the wedding date.
• Family income is above the notified ceiling.
• The application is filed after the marriage has taken place, which is generally not entertained.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the marriage assistance

1. Obtain an income certificate from the Tahsildar and the father's death certificate, if the family does not already hold copies. These two take the longest, so start with them.
2. Open a savings bank account in the bride's own name and seed it with her Aadhaar number. The cash component is credited to the bride, not to the mother.
3. Collect the marriage assistance application form from the District Social Welfare Officer's office, the Taluk Social Welfare Office, or an e-Sevai centre, depending on the district's practice.
4. Fill the form with the bride's and bridegroom's details, the proposed date of marriage, the family income and the bank account, and attach every document listed above.
5. Submit the application at least 40 days before the date of marriage and take a dated acknowledgement. Late applications are the most common reason assistance is refused outright.
6. Allow the field verification by the Social Welfare officials, who confirm widowhood, income, qualification and the genuineness of the proposed marriage.
7. After the marriage, submit the marriage certificate or the registered marriage proof as directed, and collect the gold coin and the credited cash.

How much is paid and when?

Rs 50,000 and an 8 gram 22 carat gold coin. The cash is credited to the bride's bank account by direct benefit transfer, and the gold coin is handed over through the district office, often at a public function organised for the purpose.

Timing is administrative rather than fixed. The 40-day filing rule exists precisely so that verification can be completed around the wedding date, but families should plan on the money arriving after the marriage is proved rather than before the wedding expenses fall due.

How to check your application status

1. Ask the District Social Welfare Officer's office for the file position, quoting the acknowledgement number and the date of marriage.
2. Where the application was filed through e-Sevai, the centre can retrieve the status against the transaction number.
3. After sanction, check the bride's bank passbook for the credit.
4. For the gold coin, follow up separately with the district office, since the coin and the cash are released through different processes.

Why applications are rejected, and how to avoid it

• Filed less than 40 days before the marriage, or filed after it. Plan the paperwork before the wedding date is fixed.
• Income certificate above the ceiling, or an income certificate too old to be accepted. Obtain a fresh one.
• No degree or diploma certificate, which moves the case to Scheme I at Rs 25,000 rather than rejecting it outright: ask the office to convert it rather than starting again.
• Bride under 18 or bridegroom under 21, which is a statutory bar and cannot be waived.
• Another daughter of the same widow already assisted.
• Bank account in the mother's name rather than the bride's.
• Name mismatches between the degree certificate, Aadhaar and the bank account.

Related marriage assistance schemes in Tamil Nadu

The Social Welfare and Women Empowerment Department runs a family of marriage assistance schemes, and an applicant refused under one is often eligible under another:

• Moovalur Ramamirtham Ammaiyar Ninaivu Marriage Assistance Scheme, for poor girls generally.
• Annai Teresa Ninaivu Marriage Assistance Scheme, for orphan girls.
• Dr Dharmambal Ammaiyar Ninaivu Widow Remarriage Assistance Scheme, for widows remarrying.
• Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy Ninaivu Inter-caste Marriage Assistance Scheme, for inter-caste couples.

Each has its own qualification-based higher stream on the same pattern as Scheme I and Scheme II here.

Help and grievance redressal

• District Social Welfare Officer, the sanctioning office and the first point of contact.
• Taluk Social Welfare Office, for forms and local verification.
• Social Welfare and Women Empowerment Department, Chennai, on 044-24351885.
• tnsocialwelfare.tn.gov.in, which carries the marriage assistance scheme details.

The application is free. No official or intermediary may charge a fee to file it or to release the gold coin.