Shagun Scheme: Objectives, Features & Application Process

Marriage involves a substantial financial investment, making it challenging for society's economically weaker sections to afford it. The Shagun scheme is an initiative by the Punjab Government to extend financial support for a daughter's marriage who belongs to a family earning a lower income. This blog will guide you through vital aspects of this scheme, so continue reading to know more!

The primary objective of this Shagun scheme is to provide monetary assistance to eligible beneficiaries for their daughter's marriage. This scheme also aims to reduce the proportion of child marriage in Punjab.

Shagun scheme features essential aspects, which are mentioned below:

• Besides offering financial assistance to economically weaker sections of a society, this scheme envisages improving the birth ratio of female children in Punjab.
• It creates awareness among a society to cease child marriage immediately and promotes the marriage of a daughter once she meets the prescribed age limit set by the Indian Government.
• This scheme emphasises the nutritional health of a girl child of the state.
• It promotes the idea of family planning among the state's residents to create a gender balance.
• State extends financial assistance through a direct credit system. This implies that eligible beneficiaries will receive 100% financial support and be credited to their bank accounts.

Follow the simple steps mentioned under each procedure:

Step 1: Visit the Punjab Seva Portal and log in with the email and password.

Step 2: Select "Queue Token" available under the operation tab. Fill in the token entry form and select "Process Token" to proceed.

Step 3: Now, select the link "Search Profile". Enter the registration number or applicant's name to search for the profile.

Step 4: Applicants will be redirected to a service application form page. Fill in the required information such as beneficiary's name, gender etc.

Step 5: Select the "Service" menu available on this page, upload a photo, enter service details, and click "Submit". Upload soft copies of relevant documents such as Aadhhar card, birth certificate etc. and submit.

After completing this application process, individuals will receive a reference number. This serves as an acknowledgement which they can use to check application status.

Step 1: Log in to the official portal and select the Ashirwad scheme under "Online Services".

Step 2: Download the appropriate form and fill in the form offline. Upload this duly filled form to this portal. Applicants will get a reference number after applying for this scheme.

Keep the following documents ready when applying for this Shagun scheme:

• Aadhaar card
• Residential proof such as Voter ID cards, utility bills etc.
• Birth certificate
• Caste and income certificates
• BPL or Below Poverty Line card
• Details of bank account

Applicants need to meet the following eligibility parameters to qualify for this scheme:

• Individuals should be Punjab's permanent residents.
• An applicant's family must belong to Below Poverty Line, OBCs, Scheduled Castes, and other economically weaker sections.
• If an applicant belongs to a family of minority caste and lives in a rural area, then a family income should not exceed ₹ 20,000. The family income of applicants living in urban areas must be within ₹ 27,000.

Take a look at the eligibility criteria that construction workers need to fulfil to qualify for this scheme:

• This scheme is valid once for the marriage of two daughters and is not applicable for their second marriage.
• If a daughter is registered with the Board as a beneficiary, she also becomes eligible to receive the Shagun amount during her marriage.
• Construction workers can submit applications within three months after fixing the daughter's marriage date. Attach the marriage certificate collected from the Marriage Registering Authority with an application form.
• If an applicant has availed of these benefits previously from other Punjab departments, he or she can also qualify for this scheme.

As stated earlier, the most notable benefit of this Shagun scheme is it provides monetary assistance of ₹ 15,000 to ₹ 21,000 for a daughter's marriage who belongs to a BPL or minority caste's family in Punjab. In 2021, Punjab Government increased this fund for construction workers from ₹ 31,000 to ₹ 51,000.

Thus, apply for the Shagun scheme to avail financial assistance for the daughter's marriage. Keep the documents ready to avoid inconvenience during the application process.