Ladki Bahin scheme won’t be scrapped; govt committed to empowering women: Fadnavis

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The Maharashtra government won’t 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.

The government will also provide employment opportunities to women by setting up women-led credit societies in villages, he said after launching the statewide ‘Mukhyamantri Samruddha Panchayat Raj Abhiyan’ at Kingaon in Phulambri taluka in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.

The campaign aims to ensure that every village receives the benefits of the central and state schemes.

Maharashtra will not prosper unless villages in the state register progress, he said. “It is not possible until the poor, labourers, and villages prosper,” he said.

The CM asserted that the ‘Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana’, under which eligible women beneficiaries receive monthly assistance of Rs 1,500, won’t be discontinued.

“Some people claimed that the Ladki Bahin scheme will be scrapped. Our sisters should not believe them. We won’t just stop at providing Rs 1,500. We are starting women-led credit societies in villages, which will provide employment opportunities to women,” he said.

The 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 interest-free loan of Rs 1 lakh.

“Our sisters won’t subsist on only Rs 1,500 but will be self-employed 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 well-performing villages through this abhiyan,” Fadnavis said.

The chief minister said the government had earlier created many model villages through the ‘Gram Samruddhi Abhiyan’. The government now plans to make 28,000 gram panchayats and 40,000 villages as model villages, he said.

“This 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 government-initiated schemes and people’s participation,” he said.

Employment will be generated in villages by bringing the MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) and other government schemes together, he said.

Village-level works such as constructing Anganwadis, roads, water tanks and deepening drains will be undertaken through the MNREGA and government schemes, Fadnavis said.

“This campaign will also strengthen groups in villages. A scheme to boost village-level societies is also being launched. These societies will be able to carry out 17 types of businesses,” he said.

Maharashtra minister Sanjay Shirsat, who hails from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, urged the government to fulfil pending projects for the Marathwada region, which usually doesn’t receive sufficient rains. The region comprises eight districts: Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Jalna, Beed, Parbhani, Latur, Nanded, Osmanabad, and Hingoli.

“People call our region backward. Our journey (towards progress) has started, and we will have one of the fastest-growing cities. The state should announce a package for the welfare of people in Marathwada,” he said.

Responding to Shirsat, the CM said, “Making the Marathwada region drought-free is our aim.”