Years after the introduction of the Moovalur Ramamirutham Ammaiyar marriage assistance scheme in 1989, former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi was discussing the possibility of expanding it further with his cabinet colleagues. The scheme, which initially provided financial assistance of Rs 5000 to women who had completed their 8th standard, was under review. While some cabinet colleagues suggested maintaining the existing eligibility criterion, Karunanidhi contemplated extending it to the tenth standard. His rationale was clear: “It will incentivize families to educate their girl children up to the tenth standard.”