International Journal of Social Science Research (IJSSR)

Rupashree Scheme and the Discourse of Women’s Marriage Support in West Bengal: Empowerment or Dependency?

This article gives a nuanced analysis of the Rupashree Scheme initiated by West Bengal government to give a one-time financial grant for the marriage of economically disadvantaged adult girls. The article explores whether the scheme functions as an instrument for women’s true empowerment or operates within a framework that sustains economic dependency with traditional gender norms. The paper outlines specific research objectives and questions by seeing policy documents, official reports, and theoretical discussions on cash transfers, gender, and welfare-state politics, and also applies a qualitative approach, and engages with the broader literature on gendered welfare policies. This article also examines the scheme’s design, process of implementation, and its role within the state’s social welfare agenda. The study provides a detailed understanding of the state-led policy interventions to shape women’s rights, roles and opportunities in contemporary West Bengal by linking Rupashree within the wider discourse on welfare and empowerment of women.