Shiv Sena (UBT) slams Maharashtra govt over rise in missing girls cases

The Shiv Sena UBT on Monday accused the BJPled Mahayuti government in Maharashtra of being engrossed in selfcelebration and political selfinterest even as the state grapples with an alarming rise in cases of missing girls reported news agency IANSIn a scathing editorial in the party mouthpiece Saamana the Thackeray camp alleged that the government machinery is being diverted to protect ldquotraitorsrdquo and serve a handful of cronies while public safety particularly that of women and girls has been pushed to the marginsTerming the Chief Minister Fadnavisrsquo recent announcement on the establishment of a grand Global Capability Centre in Powai Mumbai a ldquocelebratory moverdquo Thackeray camp claimed it stands in stark contrast to a deeply alarming crisis gripping the state the rising number of missing girls especially from the very city where the new centre is planned The issue has prompted concerns about the governments priorities and the effectiveness of welfare schemes like the Ladki Bahin Yojana reported IANSThe Thackeray camp alleged that the government is not at all serious about the safety of mothers sisters daughters and daughtersinlaw ldquoYou get Rs 1500 per month under the Ladki Bahin Yojana take that and keep quiet Dont utter a word about kidnapping atrocities or security The government is engrossed in its own revelry but if the public also sits silent and apathetic the destruction of Maharashtra will not take long in fact the destruction has already begunrdquo it warned reported IANSAccording to the editorial the Ladki Bahin Yojana was rolled out ahead of the state Assembly elections to garner votes The editorial also referred to cash transfers announced before the Bihar elections alleging a pattern of ldquovotebuyingrdquo through financial incentivesIn Maharashtra beneficiaries of the Ladki Bahin scheme receive Rs 1500 per month and the Chief Minister says he will soon increase it to Rs 2100 for political gain However the government that buys the votes of the Beloved Sisters by giving only Rs 1500 has failed to secure their safety in the state the editorial alleged reported IANSldquoExploitation of girls is happening in ashram schools hostels but now the rate of girls disappearing from Mumbai including the rest of Maharashtra has increasedrdquo it remarkedMaharashtra failing to protect girls alleges Shiv Sena UBTThe editorial has highlighted a severe failing in maintaining law and order particularly regarding the safety of women and girlsldquoOnce considered the safest city for women in India life for girls and women in Mumbai has become difficult since the ShindeFadnavis government took power with rising cases of atrocities and abductions Mumbai Police records show 1187 cases of kidnapping of minor girls registered in the last ten months An average of five to six girls are missing from Mumbai every day About 136 cases of girls kidnapping were recorded in just the last 30 days The situation is reportedly no different in Pune and Nashikrdquo said the editorial reported IANSFurther Uddhav Thackerayled Shiv Sena claimed the problem is especially acute in North Maharashtra with Nandurbar district registering the highest rate of missing girls It has cited two main causes including enticement and abduction and economic distress for the girls going missing with many being traced to the neighbouring states like Gujarat and Madhya PradeshGirls are either lured away or directly kidnapped Driven by extreme poverty and hardship girls are leaving the state on their own in search of employment This is a shameful situation for the government it said reported IANSWith inputs from IANS