Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections: Ahead of the assembly elections, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday said that the reservation for women in government jobs has been raised to 35 per cent from the current 30 per cent. He participated in the Ladli Behan Sammelan today, during which he made several significant announcements.
"Till now the recruitment of daughters in the police was only 30 per cent, now I am increasing it to 35 per cent. For all the remaining jobs, 35 per cent of the recruitment will be reserved for women. While it will be 50 per cent in teachers' recruitment. Even for the higher positions in government roles, 35 per cent of the appointments will be for women. We will work towards giving representation to our sisters," the Chief Minister said.
Gas cylinders for Rs 450
He also raised the financial aid given to women in the Ladli Behna scheme from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,250 per month and said that gas cylinders would be given for Rs 450 in the month of 'Sawan'. "Women will get cooking gas at Rs 450 in the holy month of Sawan. Later, a permanent system will be evolved in this regard. I have also transferred Rs 250 into the accounts of 1.25 crore women so that they can celebrate Rakhi. The rest of the Rs 1,000 (under Ladli Behna Yojana) will be credited in September," he said.
"Today, I am also making this announcement that I will educate the daughters. I will pay their fees so that the daughters can receive proper education. All the sisters, no matter how many there are, will come under the Livelihood Mission. They will also receive loans, so they can start their own work. The interest on this loan will be covered by the Shivraj government of Madhya Pradesh," he said.
Starting from October, 1.25 crore women will receive Rs 1,250 each (as part of the Ladli Behna Yojana), and this amount will progressively increase to Rs 3,000 per month. The Chief Minister stated this during an event related to the scheme, with the goal of improving the economic and social status of women.
According to data from the state government, a total of Rs 3,628.85 crore has been disbursed as financial assistance to eligible women through the Ladli Behna Yojana, which commenced on June 10 of the current year.
Electricity bills of poor women will come to Rs 100 every month
The Chief Minister said that the increased electricity bills will become zero in September and after that, arrangements will be made to ensure that the bill of poor women will come to Rs 100 every month. He further said that plots in industrial estates will be prioritized for women entrepreneurs. "In villages, land will be allocated for sisters to reside. Plots will be provided for sisters on land reclaimed from the clutches of the mafia in cities. The collection of inflated electricity bills will not burden sisters; they will be liberated from high electricity bills. Wherever there are a colony of 20 houses, electricity will be made available. For this, provisions of 900 crore rupees have been made," he said.
He also promised that if more than half of the sisters in an area wish, then the liquor shop in the area will be shut down and this will also be included in the state's liquor policy.
Women voters surpass male voters
The assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh are likely to be held at the end of the year. In this state, out of the 13.39 lakh newly registered voters, around 7.07 lakh are women. The growth in the number of women on the electoral list is 2.79 per cent, while it is 2.30 per cent for men. In at least 18 out of the 230 Assembly constituencies in Madhya Pradesh, women voters surpass their male counterparts. This trend is especially notable in tribal-dominated regions such as Balaghat, Mandla, Dindori, Alirajpur, and Jhabua.
The number of new women voters in MP (since 2018) has gone up by 2.79 per cent, while it is 2.30 per cent for male voters, officials said. Of the 13.39 lakh new voters, 7.07 lakh are women.
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