Unicef’s accolades for West Bengal’s flagship Kanyashree scheme were reinforced on the eve of Independence day with the removal of a critical clause ~ the family-income ceiling.

The umbrella initiative in societal welfare will now bring within its ambit all girl students in government or government-assisted schools. It is fervently to be hoped that the girl child, allegedly disappearing in certain parts of India and hideously so at the foetal stage, will now have a lot to look forward to in terms of the two primary indices of welfare ~ education and social development.

The removal of the ceiling on family income, which was Rs 120,000 a year, will add another 3 lakh girl students to the Kanyashree category. The number of beneficiaries will accordingly rise to 58 lakh. The expansion doubtless adds a new chapter to women’s education in Bengal.

No less crucially, it ought to lower the dropout rate ~ the bane of primary education. That rate has already declined by 11.5 per cent after the introduction of the Kanyashree scheme.

No less crucially, it has also led to a decline in the number of child marriages, going by the performance review conducted by Unicef’s India representative, Yasmin Ali Haque.

Markedly, she has couched her assessment with the caveat that Unicef will sharpen its focus on Malda, Mushidabad, Purulia, and South 24-Parganas, where the key indicators are said to be less than “favourable”.

The scheme provides an annual scholarship of Rs 1,000 and a one-time grant of Rs 25,000 to girl students once they attain the age of 18.

Unmistakable is Mamata Banerjee’s pronounced emphasis on the potential power of women, arguably to undercut the Bharatiya Janata Party’s use of religion as a campaign plank in an essay towards polarising the electorate.

Of a piece with the redefined initiative is the announcement to establish a Kanyashree University ~ exclusively for girls, an institution that is likely to be conspicuous as uniquely Bengal.

Clearly, the enhanced plan of action has been unveiled approximately six months before the next state budget; the government quite obviously will have to take a call on the fiscal implications, indeed the generation of funds. The scheme has already been extended beyond the school level.

Girls pursuing post-graduate studies will be entitled to an annual scholarship of Rs 2,000 for the humanities stream and Rs 2,500 for the science disciplines.

But as with all welfare intiatives, the effectiveness of the expanded scheme shall hinge on the seriousness of implementation. And that precisely will determine whether the Chief Minister’s ambitious signal of intent will fructify ~ “The government will have to bear a financial burden of Rs 200 crore, but I don’t mind because I believe that Kanyashree girls can fetch Rs 2 lakh crore for the state in future.” Empowerment of women must be the consummation devoutly wished for. More power to Mamata’s elbow.