In a populist announcement that is being looked upon as an election year sop, BJP government in Madhya Pradesh has decided to provide Rs 1,000 per month cash assistance to economically backward and middle income group women of all sections.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced ‘Laadli Behna’ (beloved sister) scheme on occasion of Narmada Jayanti and gave details at two separate programmes held in Narmadapuram and Budhni of Sehore district held on Saturday late evening.
Narmada Jayanti is celebrated to honour the birth of River Narmada that flows across the state and is considered its lifeline.
Chouhan said that the women will get the monthly cash assistance over and above the benefits of other government schemes that they are already receiving. The assistance will be provided irrespective of the caste, creed and religion of the women of poor and middle-class families. He said that about Rs 60,000 will be spent on the scheme in five years and each woman will get Rs 12,000 per year.
Other details on eligibility and implementation of the scheme are yet to be made public.
“The Laadli Behna scheme will further improve the lives of sisters in the state. I want to economically empower my sisters. When sisters are empowered entire families will be empowered and they would create an empowered society and further an empowered state,” the CM said at the Narmada Jayanti and Narmadapuram Gaurav Diwas (Honour Day) programme at the Narmadapuram town.
He also made a similar announcement at the Narmada Jayanti programme at Budhni of Sehore district, adding that he was the son of Mother Narmada and the women of Madhya Pradesh were daughters of the same mother and therefore he had a relation of brother and sisters with the women of state.
The newly announced scheme – with a name similar to the most popular ‘Laadli Laxmi’ scheme of the state meant for girl children – is aimed towards a significant chunk of the over 2.60 crores female voters in Madhya Pradesh who make for over 48 per cent of the total voters in the state.
Several new voters in the state are already beneficiaries of the Laadli Laxmi scheme launched in 2007 by the Chouhan government. This scheme economically supports girls throughout their academic career and provides for a lump sum payment of Rs 1 lakh at the age of 21 years, if they remain unmarried by that age. In May, 2021, the government expanded the scheme as ‘Laadli Laxmi 2.0’ providing for an assistance of Rs 25,000 for the beneficiaries who want to pursue higher education and payment of entire fees for those taking admissions to professional courses like medicine, engineering (in IITs) and management (in IIMs).
The 15-year-old scheme helped Chouhan gain a popular image of ‘mama’ (maternal uncle) in the state and got him huge support from women voters in the state, one of the major factors that helped BJP beat anti-incumbency in the state for two times and miss the boat only by a whisker in 2018 despite anti-incumbency of three terms, political watchers have felt. The newly launched scheme directly targeting women is likely to add on to this popularity.
Narmada Corridor and Narmadapuram Lok
Chouhan also announced at the Narmadapuram programme that Narmada Corridor and Narmadapuram Lok will be constructed on the lines of Mahakal Lok in Ujjain. He said that a modernized bus stand will be constructed in the town. The CM virtually inaugurated and laid foundation stones of various developmental works in the town.
In Budhni, the CM offered prayers to River Narmada along with wife Sadhna Singh. Here he announced the setting up of an Rs 400 crore worth modernized and well-equipped medical college. He also reiterated his call for all citizens to take up tree plantation drive and plant a tree without fail on occasion of one’s birthday.
