'Over one crore women in Maharashtra to benefit from govt's Ladki Bahin scheme'

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said more than one crore eligible women in the state will start getting Rs 1500 financial assistance per month under the governments Ladki Bahin scheme after its launch on August 17 reported news agency PTISpeaking to reporters he said some eligible women already received Rs 3000 as the instalment for two months on Wednesday during the Ladki Bahin schemes trial runThe scheme is set to commence this Saturday The state government expects that more than one crore eligible women will begin receiving Rs 1500 per month he said reported PTIThe state government initially announced the schemes launch on August 17 However it has now been clarified that July will be considered the starting month of the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana Eligible women will receive an initial instalment of Rs 3000 for two months he said reported PTIThe scheme was included in the supplementary budget of the Maharashtra government and is projected to incur an annual cost of Rs 46000 crore to the state exchequerThis is a flagship scheme of the Eknath Shindeled Maharashtra government on the lines of the Ladli Behna Yojana in Madhya Pradesh introduced by the previous Shivraj Singh Chouhanled dispensation reported PTIAssembly elections in Maharashtra are likely to be held in October or NovemberThe government in which Shiv Sena BJP and NCP are sharing power is trying to project the financial assistance being provided under the Ladki Bahin scheme as the Raksha Bandhan gift to womenRaksha Bandhan will be celebrated on MondayMeanwhile with just a few days left for the official launch of the Maharashtra governments new Ladki Bahin scheme the Women and Child Development Department on Wednesday said it has succeeded in transferring Rs 3000 in select bank accounts of beneficiaries on a trial basis covering the first two monthsUnder the Mukhya Mantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana underprivileged women aged 21 to 65 years will get Rs 1500 per month as stipend from the state government The scheme announced in the states Juneend budget will cost Rs 46000 crore per year to the exchequer and is being launched a few months ahead of the assembly polls which are due in OctoberWe have lived up to our words We had promised that we would transfer Rs 3000 two months instalment to women beneficiaries whose bank account details have been scrutinised Chief Minister Eknath Shinde told reporters on WednesdayShinde advised women to be wary of people who are criticising the Ladki Bahin scheme which has been dubbed as a poll gimmick and financially unviable by opposition partiesIt is my appeal to women that they should stay away from such stepbrothers who are critical of this scheme They tried their best to create hurdles in implementation of the scheme Opposition leaders even went to the Bombay High Court against the scheme The HC turned down their demand which was a major setback to our opposition leaders the CM maintainedWith inputs from PTI