Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday announced the ‘Lek Ladki’ incentive scheme under which girls from low-income families will receive financial assistance in different stages after their birth.
The scheme will allow the beneficiaries to receive assistance of a total of Rs 1 lakh till the age of 18 years. The decision was announced by Shinde after presiding over a state cabinet meeting.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, Shinde said, “In the cabinet meeting today, it was decided that the state government will give Rs 5,000 after the birth of a female child in a yellow and orange ration card-holding family, Rs 6,000 each when the girl joins first standard in school, Rs 7,000 when the female child is in sixth standard, Rs 8,000 when she is in the 11th standard and Rs 75,000 when the girl turns 18 years old. Together, each female child will get Rs 1 lakh till she turns 18 years.”
In line with the announcement made by Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in his budget for 2023-24 earlier this year, the State Cabinet had decided to implement the ‘Lek Ladki’ incentive scheme with effect from April 1, 2023.
The scheme’s objectives are to increase the ratio of girls, promote their education, and reduce malnourishment and child marriage.
Chief Minister Shinde on Tuesday also announced that his party, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde), will organise the annual Dussehra rally at Cross Maidan instead of Shivaji Park. “This year the rally will take place at Cross Maidan and Azad Maidan since the MMRDA ground at BKC has been given for the bullet train project”, Shinde said while speaking to reporters in Mumbai. Shiv Sena (Shinde group) and Shiv Sena (UBT), last year, locked horns over organising the annual Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park, where the party has been holding the rally since 1966, indicating the significance of this venue for both of them. However, the Bombay High Court had ruled in favour of the Shiv Sena and allowed the Uddhav Thackeray faction to hold the Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park.
This came after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) refused to give permission to the two factions to hold the rally, based on the local police report, which said that the event may cause law and order issues in the area.
