BHOPAL: In the election year, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced the Ladli Bahna Yojana for financially weak women. The scheme for married and unmarried -- not for students as they are already covered by Ladli Laxmi 1 and 2.0 schemes -- will guarantee Rs 1,000 monthly to all such women. “The financially weak women will, however, continue to get benefits of the other schemes too,” the CM announced at the Narmada Jayanti event in Narmadapuram district on Saturday.
The BJP’s longest-serving CM has announced multiple schemes to push back against perceived anti-incumbency rising against his government in the election year. He started off the year by announcing investor-friendly initiatives at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas and the Global Investors Summit.
Then came the party’s time-tested saffron agenda, which was addressed recently by a slew of announcements, including teaching Hindu religious scriptures in government schools and building temple corridors in Hindu pilgrimages, such as at Orchha and Chitrakoot, besides connecting Orchha with Ayodhya on the lines of Ayodhya-Janakpur road link.
Knowing well that women’s power perhaps remains the mainstay of the party in the state, the CM has now played the pro-women card by announcing the Ladli Bahna Yojana. The state government will have to spend Rs 60,000 crore on the scheme over five years. “After my bhanjis (nieces) who have been empowered through the Ladli Laxmi Yojanas, now I’ve to empower my sisters financially. Money will never be any constraint for my nieces, sisters and poorer sections.
This scheme will raise the importance of daughters, mothers, daughters-in-law and mothers-in-law in the family. All farmer families who are already getting Rs 10,000 annually (Rs 6000 under PM Kisan Nidhi and Rs 4000 under CM Kisan Nidhi) will now get another Rs 12,000 annually through each of their women members,” the CM said addressing another event in Anuppur district on Sunday.
Currently, out of around 5.40 crore voters in the state, over 48% or around 2.61 crore are women voters. During the ongoing revision/update of the voter list, 18.82 lakh voters have been added. In 41 out of the 52 districts, the women have outsmarted men in getting their names added to the revised Electors Photo Identification Card (EPIC) list. It has had a cascading effect on gender ratio of state’s voters, which has improved from 926 to 931 women voters per 1,000 men voters.
Advantage women
‘Bulldozer Mama’ again
While addressing an event on sanction letters under CM Jan Sewa Abhiyan in Anuppur district on Sunday, the CM made it clear that those found siphoning food grain and other essentials under the PDS will be jailed and their illegal properties will be bulldozed. Earlier, the CM has allowed bulldozers for places belonging to land sharks
Rs 60,000cr. Needed in the next five years for Ladli Bahna Yojana