In a major relief for Maharashtra's Eknath Shinde government, the Bombay High Court on Friday refused to stay the 'Ladki Bahin scheme'. The High Court ruled that it could not hear the petition to stay the scheme immediately saying, "Why is there such a hurry to hear the petition?"
The petitioner in his plea had called the scheme a waste of taxpayers' money and asserted that it would increase a huge burden on the state treasury. The petition demanded a stay on the first instalment of 'Ladki Bahin Yojana' from the government treasury which is to be released on August 14.
The Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed by a Chartered Accountant (CA) in Navi Mumbai. The PIL was heard by the court of Chief Justice of the High Court Devendra Kumar Upadhyay. The court has deferred the case for the next hearing on August 6.
Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojna
The scheme was announced on June 28 in the state budget tabled in the assembly by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. According to the scheme, a woman aged between 21-65 with less than Rs 2.5 lakh annual income can avail of the benefits of "Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojna'. Eligible women will be given Rs 1,500 per month as financial aid from the government. Later, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that the first instalment of the scheme would be released before Raksha Bandhan, a festival celebrating the bond between brothers and sisters.
1.8 crore women registered so far
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam on July 30 claimed that more than 1.8 crore women have applied for the scheme till July 29, claiming the scheme to be a game changer. Addressing a conference, Nirupam said the state has set a target of giving the benefit of the scheme to 2.35 crore women in the state. Even if the number of applicants crosses 2.35 crore, they will also be benefited, he said.
"The 'Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana' launched by the Mahayuti government has received an overwhelming response. In just 25 days after registration for the scheme commenced, over 1.8 crore applications have been submitted," Nirupam said. Of the 1.8 crore applications, 1.3 crore forms were submitted online and the rest offline, he said, adding that Pune district has reported the highest number of registrations, with 8.63 lakh women submitting their forms. "The scheme will turn out to be a game changer," Nirupam said.
(With PTI Inputs)
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