BHUBANESWAR: The Opposition uproar over Subhadra Yojana continued in the Assembly on Monday with the BJD and Congress members stalling the House demanding coverage of all women by the scheme.
The House witnessed several adjournments over the issue as the Opposition members occupied the well shouting slogans against the BJP government for failing to fulfil its promise to provide the assistance to all women. Unable to conduct the proceedings, Speaker Surama Padhy finally adjourned the House till 4 pm.
The Opposition members trooped into the well of the House as soon as the condolence motion brought by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on the demise of former MLA Ashwini Guru was over. Though the Speaker requested them to return to their seats as an adjournment motion was taken up for discussion, the MLAs continued to shout slogans forcing her to adjourn the House.
Opposition chief whip Pramila Mallik told mediapersons outside the House that the BJP has gone back on its word to provide every woman cash voucher of Rs 50,000 to be encashed over a period of two years. “How can women benefit from two instalments of Rs 5,000 every year for over five years? It was a false promise made to the women. The BJP cheated them to come to power,” she alleged.
Targeting the government over the issue, Congress MLA Sofia Firdous demanded that the government should do away with the age limit fixed for the scheme. She said women in the age group of 60 to 80 years are more needy as some of them are abandoned by their family. Besides, many women enter business in the later half of their life to earn. The Congress has demanded inclusion of women who are getting `1,500 per month from other government schemes under Subhadra, she said.