Maharashtra govt won’t scrap Ladki Bahin scheme, says Devendra Fadnavis

The Maharashtra government wont stop the popular Ladki Bahin programme and instead is committed to creating one crore Lakhpati Didis who will earn Rs 1 lakh every year Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Wednesday reported news agency PTIThe government will also provide employment opportunities to women by setting up womenled credit societies in villages he said after launching the statewide Mukhyamantri Samruddha Panchayat Raj Abhiyan at Kingaon in Phulambri taluka in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar reported PTIThe campaign aims to ensure that every village receives the benefits of the central and state schemesMaharashtra will not prosper unless villages in the state register progress he said It is not possible until the poor labourers and villages prosper he saidThe CM asserted that the Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana under which eligible women beneficiaries receive monthly assistance of Rs 1500 wont be discontinuedSome people claimed that the Ladki Bahin scheme will be scrapped Our sisters should not believe them We wont just stop at providing Rs 1500 We are starting womenled credit societies in villages which will provide employment opportunities to women he said reported PTIThe government aims to create one crore Lakhpati Didis women who will earn Rs 1 lakh or more in a year he said adding that women are being provided with an interestfree loan of Rs 1 lakh reported PTIOur sisters wont subsist on only Rs 1500 but will be selfemployed and give jobs to others The schemes for Dalit and Adivasis will also be implemented under this campaign The government will give away awards of Rs 250 crore to wellperforming villages through this abhiyan Fadnavis said reported PTIThe chief minister said the government had earlier created many model villages through the Gram Samruddhi Abhiyan The government now plans to make 28000 gram panchayats and 40000 villages as model villages he saidThis abhiyan aims to make villages financially capable through public participation government and CSR corporate social responsibility funds This campaign will also help create clean and green villages through plantations Clean water will also be made available with the help of governmentinitiated schemes and peoples participation he said reported PTIEmployment will be generated in villages by bringing the MGNREGA Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and other government schemes together he saidVillagelevel works such as constructing Anganwadis roads water tanks and deepening drains will be undertaken through the MNREGA and government schemes Fadnavis saidThis campaign will also strengthen groups in villages A scheme to boost villagelevel societies is also being launched These societies will be able to carry out 17 types of businesses he saidMaharashtra minister Sanjay Shirsat who hails from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar urged the government to fulfil pending projects for the Marathwada region which usually doesnt receive sufficient rains The region comprises eight districts Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar Jalna Beed Parbhani Latur Nanded Osmanabad and Hingoli reported PTIPeople call our region backward Our journey towards progress has started and we will have one of the fastestgrowing cities The state should announce a package for the welfare of people in Marathwada he saidResponding to Shirsat the CM said Making the Marathwada region droughtfree is our aimWith inputs from PTI