Women Self-Help Groups to send one crore rakhis to CM Shinde

Mumbai, Aug 17 (PTI) Women Self-Help Groups (SHGs) will send one crore rakhis to Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to "express gratitude" for implementing various welfare schemes, a statement from Shinde's office said on Saturday.

The rakhis will be delivered to the chief minister on August 19, the day of Raksha Bandhan festival, it said.

The Shinde-led government announced the `Majhi Ladki Bahin' scheme in this year's budget, ahead of assembly elections, and money under the scheme was recently deposited in the bank accounts of lakhs of women.

More than 2.5 crore women in the state would be getting Rs 1,500 every month in their bank accounts under the scheme, the CMO statement informed.

Besides, three gas cylinders are provided to women free of cost under the Mukhyamantri Annapurna Yojana, it said, listing other schemes for women.

The government has initiated various welfare schemes for women to bring them in the mainstream of development, and hence members of Self-Help Groups under the UMED Abhiyan will be sending one crore rakhis from some 40,000 villages to the chief minister "for expressing their gratitude," the CMO release said. PTI MR KRK