Similarly, in another scheme launched in December, 1997, called Happy Married Life, which provides financial aid to the physically challenged young men and women for beginning their married life, provisions of the Act were violated. Under the scheme, financial aid of Rs.20,000 -- enhanced to Rs.25,000 from February 2009 -- per couple was payable.  As per the notification issued, applications along with necessary information and documents were to be submitted by the applicants to the concerned district officers one month before or after the marriage. This was revised to fifteen days before and six months after the marriage in October 2007.
At the time of marriage, the minimum age of boy and the girl should be 21 years and 18 years, respectively. However, the audit scrutiny revealed that the district officers of nine test areas released financial aid despite the fact that the age of groom and bride was below 21 and 18 years in 10 cases. The state government stated in November 2011, the report pointed out, that the financial assistance was given without obtaining age certificates on humanitarian grounds and directions for obtaining the certificate were being issued to all the district officers.
The state government further contested that in four cases in Banswara district the age of boy and girl was above 21 and 18 years, while in two cases in Jaisalmer, the age of boys and girls was 25 and 18 as per ration card and affidavit, respectively. Rejecting the government's reply, the report asserted that in the age proof - birth certificates or school certificates - enclosed with the application forms, the age of applicants was shown below 21 and 18 years.
Further, the state government didn't enclose the copies of affidavits, in the absence of which genuineness of the claims could not be verified in the audit. No reply was given in respect of remaining four cases, the report pointed out. This comes as a rude shock to the Rajasthan state government, which has asked the district authorities to be vigilant against child marriages in view of ensuing festival of Akha Teej, or Akshaya tritiya, when a large number of such marriages are performed.
The state government has declared 10 districts sensitive with regard to child marriages in view of the ensuing festival, which falls of April 24 this year. These districts are Udaipur, Alwar, Barmer, Pali, Bundi, Jodhpur, Jaipur, Bikaner, Tonk and Bhilwara. Bundi tops the list in child marriages, according to a survey of the Women and Child department.
The district's collector Arti Dogra said complaint boxes would be kept at aanganwadi centres, schools and panchayat offices for any information about such marriages this year. A round-the-clock control room too would be set up at the collectorate, sub-divisional and tehsil level offices.