MAHARASHTRA Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has said the financialassistance under the‘Ladki Bahin’ scheme could even be raised to Rs 3,000 if women in the State support his Government. Shinde also wondered why the Opposition was jealousoverhisGovernment’swelfareinitiativesandexudedconfidence that the ruling MahaYuti alliance of the Shiv Sena, BJP and NCP will retain power in the upcoming State elections. Hewas speakingonTuesday atacongregationofseers at the Kanheri Math in Kolhapur on the occasion of the ‘dharma dhwaj’ inauguration. Under theMahaYuti Government’s flagship welfare scheme ‘MukhyamantriMajhi Ladki Bahin Yojana’, introduced ahead of the state polls, married, divorced, and destitute women aged 21-65 are receiving Rs1,500 per month as stipend with the annual family income of beneficiaries capped atRs 2.5lakh.

 

Shinde criticised the Opposition for criticising the Government over the Ladki Bahin scheme and asked why was it getting jealous. “If the dear sisters give strength to the Government, it will even surpass Rs 1,500, it will make it to Rs 2,000 and even take it to Rs 3,000,” he said. Shinde termed the Government’smove to declare desicows“Rajyamata-Gomata” as a historic decision. “Had we not formed Government, which the common man was longing for two years, we would have not strengthened our sisters, we would not have given the ‘Rajyamata’ status to cows, we would not have done the work we could do in these two years,” he said.