Deserted women to receive financial aid

Women in Karnataka, who have been deserted by their husbands, will now receive a financial assistance of Rs 400 every month from the State Government.

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy made the statement at a Janata Darshan or a public contact programme in Bangalore after being moved by the plight of women, who had been deserted and abandoned by their husbands.

Speaking to reporters, Kumaraswamy said the assistance would be similiar to pension currently being paid to widows. “Women separated from their husbands will now be entitled to a sum of Rs 400 every month”, he said.

Emphasizing the need for a mechanism to be in place to provide financial aid to separated women, Kumaraswamy hoped the Government assistance of Rs 400 per month will make such women self-reliant and prevent them from going into a depression for want of money.

The new scheme for financial aid to separated women comes in the run-up to the transfer of power from the JD (S) to the BJP. Barely a fortnight ago, the State Government had announced a pension of Rs 400 per month to devadasis, who had crossed the 45 years of age. Devadasi is a religious practice prevalent in several parts of the State in which parents marry a daughter to a deity or a temple.

The payment of monthly pension of Rs 400 to devadasis with retrospective effect from April this year is expected to benefit more than 16,000 devadasis in ten districts of Karnataka.