Jammu and Kashmir’s Marriage Assistance Scheme, aiding over 1.5 lakh poor women since 2015 with around Rs 500 crore, continues expanding after the government dropped its contentious education eligibility rule, Maleeha Sofi reports
In the ten years since it was introduced in 2015, Jammu and Kashmir’s State Marriage Assistance Scheme (SMAS) has quietly become one of the region’s most far-reaching welfare interventions. Designed to support poor women at the time of their marriage, the scheme has now crossed an impressive milestone of over 1.50 lakh beneficiaries.
Launched during the BJPDP rule in 2015-16, the scheme was conceived as a social protection measure for the most vulnerable households. Each beneficiary initially received Rs 25,000 in cash and five grams of gold, routed through the Social Welfare Department. The amount was later enhanced to Rs 50,000 for women from Priority Household (PHH) families and Rs 75,000 for those belonging to Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households, reflecting the rising costs of marriage and inflation.
Since its inception in the 2015–16 fiscal year, the scheme has provided substantial relief to poor families, with a total of Rs 394 crore allocated to support 1,04,326 girls up to the 2023-24 period, according to government data. The overall outgo on the scheme is now estimated to have touched Rs 500 crore as of now. It includes Rs 74.82 crore that was booked under this scheme in 2024-25, ending March 2025, when 14,965 brides were supported in their marriage.
Steady Uptake
According to official data compiled till October 31, 2025, the scheme’s coverage has expanded dramatically in recent years. From 16,000 beneficiaries in 2022-23, the figure rose to 26,000 in 2023-24 and remained steady at 26,000 in 2024-25, before registering a significant rise to 37,957 beneficiaries in 2025-26 (so far). The cumulative total since inception, however, stands at 1,52,283 brides.
District-wise data (2022-23 to 2025-26) reveals strong uptake in both rural and urban areas. Anantnag, with 9,176 beneficiaries, leads the list, followed closely by Budgam (8,732) and Baramulla (9,977). Kupwara (7,147) and Kulgam (5,882) have also shown steady growth. Even relatively smaller districts such as Ganderbal (3,367) and Shopian (2,958) recorded notable participation given their population base.
In the Jammu division, uptake has been slower but still significant. Doda (5,167), Rajouri (5,147), and Kathua (5,695) stand out as districts with consistent implementation, whereas Samba (1,929) and Reasi (2,412) remain on the lower side. Srinagar, despite being the capital city, reported 5,156 beneficiaries, indicating that rural and semi-rural areas continue to drive the scheme’s success.
In the 2024-25 fiscal year alone, the government sanctioned 14,965 cases in the Kashmir division, transferring approximately Rs 74.82 crore directly to beneficiaries’ bank accounts through the Direct Benefit Transfer system, according to informed sources.
A Changing Rulebook
However, the upward curve in coverage recently encountered a major policy hurdle. In 2022, the Lt Governor Manoj Sinha’s administration introduced Government Order No: 49-JK(SWD) of 2022, which added a controversial condition: from April 2025, only those women who had passed Class 8 would be eligible for assistance.
Officials described this as an attempt to link welfare benefits with education, but critics argued that the clause effectively excluded those the scheme was meant to help. “More than half of the potential beneficiaries, particularly from remote or conflict-affected districts, have dropped out before Class 8 because of poverty or family responsibilities,” said an official from the Social Welfare Department.
The impact was immediate. By October 29, 2025, at least 113 applicants were denied financial aid under the Marriage Assistance Scheme between April and October 2025 due to the qualification bar. In a written response, the Minister in charge of the Social Welfare Department confirmed to the assembly that these applicants were deemed ineligible as they did not meet the prescribed educational qualification.
On October 27, 2025, the government has since moved to relax the qualification criteria. The minimum qualification of Class 8 pass has been waived until March 31, 2028, making more applicants eligible for the scheme. The change will apply retrospectively from April 1, 2025, effectively restoring the original inclusiveness of the policy.
Legal and Political Pushback
The education clause had sparked a wave of legal and political reactions earlier in the year. In July 2025, the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh directed the government to reconsider the Class 8 qualification rule, following a Public Interest Litigation filed by Abdul Hamid Rather. The petitioner argued that the condition was “arbitrary and exclusionary,” and violated constitutional guarantees of equality and dignity, since the scheme’s purpose was poverty alleviation, not educational assessment.
The court reminded the administration that the SMAS had originated from judicial directions in the Mohammad Amin Beigh case, which had recognised the vulnerability of poor working women in Kashmir and sought to create a welfare mechanism for them.
Significantly, Education Minister Sakina Itoo had also criticised the clause in June 2025, calling it “an unnecessary hurdle for underprivileged girls.” Civil society groups similarly warned that such restrictions risked undoing the social safety net built over a decade.
Evolving Social Impact
Despite policy swings, SMAS remains one of Jammu and Kashmir’s most transparent and effectively implemented welfare programmes. Each eligible girl, aged 18 or above, belonging to AAY or PHH households, receives Rs 50,000 to Rs 75,000 directly in her bank account before marriage.
Officials say the assistance has helped reduce informal borrowing for weddings among low-income families, particularly in underprivileged societies where marriage expenses often push households into debt. “The transfer might seem modest, but for a poor family, Rs 50,000 or Rs 75,000 at the right time can prevent long-term distress,” said a senior officer in the Social Welfare Department.
Social workers note that the scheme has also encouraged delayed marriages by formalising age verification and documentation, bringing accountability to an area once governed by informal community norms. In Kashmir, almost 50,000 females have crossed the marriageable age, according to an informal survey carried out by an NGO in 2021. Kashmir’s weddings have grown so fat, ostentatious and expensive that, for certain sections of the society, it is getting unaffordable. The lack of jobs is another contributing factor. This has led various NGOs to get into mass marriage events in the last five years, a tradition that never existed in Kashmir. Delayed marriages are leading to an infertility crisis and divorces.
Trends and Takeaways
A closer look at the 2022–2025 trendline shows that SMAS has evolved from a modest pilot into a large-scale social safety net. The average annual beneficiary count tripled between 2018 and 2025, aided by online applications and district-level monitoring.
The highest per capita beneficiary ratios were recorded in Ramban (158 per 10,000 population), Bandipora (140), and Kulgam (139), districts that also rank high on poverty indices. This pattern suggests that the scheme has largely reached its intended demographic, despite administrative and policy hurdles.
Analysts warn, however, that frequent changes in eligibility criteria risk undermining stability and trust. “Linking social assistance to education or arbitrary conditions can weaken the scheme’s poverty-alleviation purpose,” said a scholar at Kashmir University’s Department of Social Work. “The recent rollback was a much-needed correction.”
Looking Ahead
With Rs 500 crore disbursed so far and more than 1.5 lakh women supported, the Marriage Assistance Scheme stands as a landmark in Jammu and Kashmir’s social welfare framework, one that combines dignity, direct cash transfer, and accountability.
As eligibility is restored and outreach continues, officials expect the scheme to add thousands more beneficiaries in the coming years. Yet, for women like Meenu Jan, whose story mirrors many others, the lesson remains poignant. “It was meant to help us start a new life,” she said. “Now, thankfully, it feels like it can again.”
