Targeting Maha Vikas Aaghadi (MVA) for its opposition to continuance of ‘Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana’, all Mahayuti leaders vowed to continue the scheme to benefit eligible women in the State. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar promised all the women that they would act as their brothers and keep depositing Rs 1,500 in their accounts every month. All these leaders assured the women audience during the launch of the much-talked about Phase-2 of the scheme at Reshimbag ground on Saturday. Responding to the call of Mahayuti, around 70,000 women gathered at the venue since 12 noon. These women stayed there till the end of the programme. Despite scorching heat, there was enthusiasm among women. Women gave a rousing welcome to Shinde, Fadnavis, Gadkari, Tatkare, Pawar and other leaders. They all raised slogans for the Government. The leaders walked the ramp and showered petals on women, shook hands, let women tie rakhis on their hands and take selfies.

 

 

The benefit of the Phase-2 of the yojana was distributed in a representative manner. The programme was attended by Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, Deputy Chief Minister and Guardian Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Rural Development and Tourism Minister Girish Mahajan, Food and Drug Administration Minister Dharmaraobaba Atram, Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare, Madhya Pradesh MP Maya Narolia, MLC Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Praveen Datke, Krupal Tumane, MLAs Tekchand Savarkar, Krishna Khopde, Mohan Mate, Vikas Kumbhare, Adv. Ashish Jaiswal, Sameer Meghe, former Minister Adv. Sulekha Kumbhare, Secretary of Women and Child Development Department Anup Kumar Yadav, Divisional Commissioner Vijayalakshmi Bidri, Women and Child Development Commissioner Dr Prashant Naranvare, Commissioner of Police Dr Ravindra Singal, Municipal Commissioner Dr Abhijeet Chaudhari, Collector Dr Vipin Itankar, Smart City CEO Saumya Sharma. Chief Minister said, “In the first phase of this scheme, an amount of Rs 3,225 crores has been deposited in the accounts of 1.7 crore sisters.

 

In the second phase, R 1,562 crore have been deposited in the accounts of 52 lakh sisters. In this way, 1.6 crore women have directly benefited from this scheme. The common people must get the benefits of the state treasury.” He said the ambit of the Majhi Ladki Bahin Scheme will be expanded to cover 2.5 crore women even as the state government has transferred money into the bank accounts of 1.7 crore beneficiaries so far. “We were not born with a golden spoon. We belong to the family of farmers. Having experienced poverty, we understood why a scheme like this was necessary. We know the value of Rs 1,500,” Shinde pointed out. The Ladki Bahin Scheme provides monthly assistance of Rs 1,500 to married, divorced, and destitute women in the 21-60 age group with a Rs 2.5 lakh annual family income ceiling. The Chief Minister said the state government deposited money in the bank accounts of 1.7 crore women in the first phase of the scheme. Gadkari praised that Maharashtra has done the most good work through women’s self-help groups. He publicly appreciated the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the Deputy Chief Ministers for initiating a major effort for women empowerment in Maharashtra through the Chief Minister-Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana.

 

“The effective implementation of Chief Minister-Majhi Ladki Bahin scheme has given new assurance and confidence to the sisters of the state. Keeping in mind the unprecedented response given by women in the state to this scheme, the government is trying to find out what else can be added to this scheme,” stated Fadnavis. Fadnavis asked audience whether they want such schemes or not and women enthusiastically responded saying yes. Pawar took a dig at the opposition for making fun of the Ladki Bahin scheme and raising doubts over its sustainability. “When the opponents were in power for so many years, why didn’t they think of helping women? Some of them who were born with a golden spoon in their mouth are criticising us,” Pawar said while appealing to the women to support the MahaYuti again for its victory in the upcoming Assembly election, reiterating that no one will be able to stop the Ladki Bahin scheme. “We will not let this scheme discontinue. We will hire a prominent lawyer to plead the government’s case in the court,” Pawar declared. Aditi Tatkare gave introductory speech. Dr Jyoti Waghmare conducted proceedings of initial programme. The presence of singer Vaishali Samant, ‘Maharashtrachi Hasya Jatra’ fame Prasad Khandekar and Namrata Sambherao made the atmosphere cheerful.

 

 

Congress MLC Abhijeet Wanjari expressed his displeasure over not being invited for the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana’s Phase-2 launch on Saturday. In a letter sent to Divisional Commissioner Vijayalaxmi Bidari, the MLC pointed out, “The leaders of opposition including myself, ex-minister and North Nagpur MLA Dr Nitin Raut, West Nagpur MLA Vikas Thakre, MP of Ramtek Shyamkumar Barve, MLC Sudhakar Adbale were not invited for the programme. This is against the protocol as the programme was of the Government. Government is never considered of any party. You should take serious cognisance of the issue. I am writing this letter to you so that in future such mistake should not take place.”