Thiruvananthapuram | Keralam women who have married men from other states are also eligible for financial assistance under the state government's National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS), state Civil Supplies Minister Anoop Jacob has said.
An announcement regarding the eligibility will be displayed on the notice boards of ration shops and other public distribution centres to ensure that the information reaches the public, according to a statement issued by the minister's office on Thursday.
The minister said a person named Chandran Chami had submitted a letter seeking steps to display the information prominently on the notice boards of ration shops.
The NFBS rules have been amended to extend the benefit to such women who return and settle permanently in Keralam after the death of their husbands, Jacob said.
Under the amended provisions, women who have settled in Keralam following the death of their husbands will be eligible for financial assistance if they produce certificates from the district authorities concerned in the respective states confirming that they had not received assistance under the NFBS earlier, he said.
"All persons, who have been continuously residing in Keralam for a period of not less than three years immediately preceding the date of submission of the application for financial assistance, shall be considered Keralites for the scheme," the minister added.
Under the NFBS scheme, financial aid is provided to the bereaved households in case of the death of the primary breadwinner irrespective of the cause of death.
