Scheme to aid duped Indian brides

(Wed.28 Feb.2007):- The Indian government has launched a new scheme to help women who are married and then abandoned by men of Indian origin living in the West. The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs says women who are divorced or deserted within two years of marriage will be entitled to legal and financial aid. According to one estimate, up to 20,000 women have been abandoned by their non-resident Indian (NRI) husbands. Mostly, the husbands disappear after pocketing fat dowries paid at weddings. An official in the ministry, SS Rana, told the BBC that women who needed help could approach Indian missions abroad directly or through non-governmental organisation approved by them. "The deserted women will be given financial assistance of $1,000 for seeking legal help and will also be offered counselling," he said. Initially this facility will be given to women who have been married for two years or less. But Mr Rana said: "If we get a large number of such cases where women are abandoned after the two-year deadline, we will review the time limit." Officials say most cases of NRIs duping their Indian brides are reported in the United States, Canada, Britain, Australia and New Zealand - countries with substantial Indian migrant populations. And most of the abandoned women come from the Punjab, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala - states which send out a large number of migrants to the West.