Maharashtra govt to probe alleged misuse of funds during BJP's regime for women empowerment scheme

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The Maharashtra government will set up a committee to probe the alleged misuse of state funds in the implementation of the "Prajwala" scheme launched by the erstwhile BJP-led government, Women and Child Development Minister Yashomati Thakur told the Legislative Council on Monday.

The Prajwala scheme was launched in 2019 by the then government aiming at creating awareness about legal matters, social and financial knowledge among members of women Self Help Groups (SHGs). The scheme was implemented by the Maharashtra Women Commission.

Responding to calling attention raised by Shiv Sena legislator Manisha Kayande, Thakur said, "The Maharashtra government will set up an inquiry committee which will probe the alleged misuse and wrongful usage of state funds under Prajwala scheme. The then chairperson of the state women's commission will be also asked to depose before the inquiry commission."

BJP leader Vijaya Rahatkar was the chairperson of the state women's commission during 2014-19. Kayande told the Council that the bills submitted by officials of the state women commission were hand-written and not final.

"The submitted bills were not in the proper format which is required as per the guidelines. The scheme was supposed to be implemented in all the 288 assembly segments but it was implemented in select 98 assembly constituencies," she said.

Kayande said that the assembly segments were selected in such a way that the scheme would benefit only BJP. "This is completely unethical. There are some earlier CAG reports as well which had passed some strictures on the implementation of this scheme," she said.

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