CM Shinde, Shiv Sena leaders to meet 'Ladki Bahin' scheme beneficiaries in a bid to tap women voters

Sanjay Jog

Mumbai, Sep 9 (IANS) In a bid to reach out to the women voters and seek their support in the upcoming Assembly elections, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will launch a statewide initiative from Tuesday to directly meet families benefited by the ambitious Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana.  

The initiative, titled "Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana Kutumbhet", aims to mingle with the eligible women beneficiaries and their families, seeking their views on the Ladki Bahin scheme while urging them to vote for the MahaYuti government.

To start with, the Chief Minister on Tuesday will visit 15 families on Tuesday and interact with them.

Not just the Chief Minister but the Shiv Sena leaders and officer bearers from across the state will meet 15 families every day to take stock of the Ladki Bahin scheme, and also help and guide those families who have not yet received the benefits.

Shinde decided to travel across the state in the run-up to the Assembly elections after a virtual meeting with the party's top leaders and office bearers on Monday.

His initiative comes at a time when the government has provided financial aid to nearly 1.60 crore eligible women beneficiaries, and also extended the enrollment under the Ladki Bahin scheme up to September 30.

"We are starting the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana Kutumbhet scheme from tomorrow. We will personally meet the eligible beneficiaries and check whether they are benefiting from the Ladki Bahin scheme by going door to door. We will also find out how, despite completing the due procedures, the women are not getting the benefits. The government will try to address their problems so that they can also get the benefits. I will personally visit 15 families tomorrow," said Shinde, who has repeatedly declared that the Ladki Bahin scheme will not be discontinued. Instead, the government will increase the present monthly aid of Rs 1,500 to Rs 3,000 after MahaYuti government is voted to power again.

"If a woman beneficiary in a family has not received the benefit of the scheme, we will guide how to get that benefit. Also, we will inquire whether women are getting the benefit of more than 10 schemes of the government. We will provide information about these schemes. Also, the households in which there are educated unemployed people will be guided on how to get the benefits of the Mukhyamantri Karya Prashikshan Yojana," the Maharashtra Chief Minister said.

The CM's initiative comes at a time when the NCP national president and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar is taking out the Jansanman Yatra to promote the Ladki Bahin scheme and several other welfare and development schemes launched by the MahaYuti government.

Meanwhile, the MahaYuti government, after the overwhelming response to the Ladki Bahin scheme, will launch a special scheme for the benefit of youth ahead of the Assembly elections.

The new initiative, titled "Mukhyamantri Yojanadoot", aims to involve the youth as a messenger of the government to inform the common citizens of a number of welfare and development schemes launched by the state government.

The government has invited applications from the candidates who want to participate in this scheme. The Chief Minister has appealed to the youth to register as the Yojanadoots will get monthly Rs 10,000, and they will be engaged for six months.

The Mukhyamantri Yojanadoot scheme will be implemented by the state Directorate General of Information and Public Relations. A total of 50,000 Yojanadoots will be appointed including one for every gram panchayat level and one for a town with 5,000 population in urban areas.

(Sanjay Jog can be contacted at [email protected])

--IANS

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