NEW DELHI: A Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader on Wednesday said the state’s newly introduced women welfare scheme ‘Ladki Bahin’ should not be given to communities with two wives, “especially people from the Muslim community“.
Speaking about the scheme on a Marathi news channel, MNS leader Prakash Mahajan criticised the new initiative and sought clarification from the government on some aspects of it.
“A community where people have two wives, two or more children, especially people from the Muslim community, should not be given benefit of this scheme,” Prakash Mahajan was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
The MNS leader also criticised the government’s decision to relax conditions for the grant of domicile certificates.
“Lakhs of Bangladeshi people are staying in Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan, and they have ration cards, voter ID cards….is the government going to give benefits to the people who are not of this country?” he asked.
What is the ‘Ladki Bahin’ Scheme
The Mukhya Mantri Mazhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, patterned on the Madhya Pradesh government‘s scheme, will provide a subsidy of Rs 1,500 to eligible women between the ages of 21 and 60.
The application process began on July 1 and was to end on July 15 before the state government extended the deadline to August 31st. The scheme will cost the state Rs 46,000 crore per year.
The scheme is the biggest announcement in the state budget, with an allocation higher than any other new scheme.
Who can apply?
Only women who are married, divorced, widowed and destitute can apply for the scheme.
It is open to those whose family income is below Rs 2.5 lakh per year. If a family member pays income tax, they are not eligible for the scheme. Those with family member as a government employee or has over five acres of land are also not eligible.
Also, if the applicant has received over Rs 1,500 from another government scheme, she is also not eligible for the scheme. However, if the benefit is less than Rs 1,500 per month, then the difference in amount will be credited to the woman’s bank account via the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme.
Speaking about the scheme on a Marathi news channel, MNS leader Prakash Mahajan criticised the new initiative and sought clarification from the government on some aspects of it.
“A community where people have two wives, two or more children, especially people from the Muslim community, should not be given benefit of this scheme,” Prakash Mahajan was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
The MNS leader also criticised the government’s decision to relax conditions for the grant of domicile certificates.
“Lakhs of Bangladeshi people are staying in Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan, and they have ration cards, voter ID cards….is the government going to give benefits to the people who are not of this country?” he asked.
What is the ‘Ladki Bahin’ Scheme
The Mukhya Mantri Mazhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, patterned on the Madhya Pradesh government‘s scheme, will provide a subsidy of Rs 1,500 to eligible women between the ages of 21 and 60.
The application process began on July 1 and was to end on July 15 before the state government extended the deadline to August 31st. The scheme will cost the state Rs 46,000 crore per year.
The scheme is the biggest announcement in the state budget, with an allocation higher than any other new scheme.
Who can apply?
Only women who are married, divorced, widowed and destitute can apply for the scheme.
It is open to those whose family income is below Rs 2.5 lakh per year. If a family member pays income tax, they are not eligible for the scheme. Those with family member as a government employee or has over five acres of land are also not eligible.
Also, if the applicant has received over Rs 1,500 from another government scheme, she is also not eligible for the scheme. However, if the benefit is less than Rs 1,500 per month, then the difference in amount will be credited to the woman’s bank account via the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme.