Latest news with #LadkiBahin
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Raut: CM, dy CMs indifferent to people's issues in the state
Nashik: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut criticized chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and deputy chief ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar on Monday, stating they show lack of concern to the public and state matters. During his visit to Nashik on Monday, Raut addressed journalists, highlighting the BJP-led Maharashtra govt's prolonged delay in conducting civic elections, which have been pending for nearly three years. He raised concerns about administrative corruption in civic bodies and noted the deteriorating road conditions in Nashik and other cities awaiting civic polls due to the absence of elected representatives. "Now, civic elections are being held in the state after a Supreme Court directive on holding the polls," said Raut. He noted while CM Fadnavis conducted a Kumbh Mela meeting in Nashik, he failed to assess the city's road conditions, despite adopting the city following the 2017 civic polls. Raut proposed that CM Fadnavis, who began a two-day Nashik visit on Sunday, should inspect the city's roads alongside two former corporators from each political party. This suggestion aimed to provide the chief minister with direct insight into Nashik's urgent infrastructure challenges. Responding to deputy CM Ajit Pawar's statement regarding ineligible Ladki Bahin scheme beneficiaries facing no consequences, Raut alleged that beneficiary verification was deliberately overlooked to secure votes during state assembly elections. He called for deputy CM Ajit Pawar's resignation, citing deliberate inclusion of ineligible beneficiaries in Ladki Bahin scheme to gain electoral advantage in the previous year's state assembly elections.
Time of India
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
‘Made a mistake of giving financial benefit to all women': Ajit Pawar on Ladki Bahin scheme; Uddhav Sena cries voter bribe
NEW DELHI: Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Monday admitted that the state government made a "mistake" in extending financial benefits to all applicants of the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana without sufficient scrutiny, attributing the lapse to time constraints ahead of last year's assembly elections. 'We made a mistake of giving the financial benefit to all women (applicants). We had little time to scrutinise the applications and identify the ineligible ones. At that time, elections were supposed to be announced in two to three months,' news agency PTI reported Pawar as saying. The Ladki Bahin scheme, launched in August 2024, offers Rs 1,500 per month to eligible women aged 21 to 65 years with an annual income below Rs 2.5 lakh. Though it was designed to empower poor women, scrutiny revealed thousands of ineligible recipients, including over 2,200 government employees. Pawar, who also heads the state's finance department, clarified that the aid already deposited will not be withdrawn. 'When the scheme was unveiled, the government had appealed that only eligible women apply but that didn't happen. A scrutiny is being conducted. Only the needy women will get the monthly payout,' he said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Truque caseiro noturno eficaz contra a papada (faça hoje mesmo) Revista & Saúde Saiba Mais Undo His admission drew strong reactions from the opposition. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut demanded Pawar's resignation, accusing him of enabling a misuse of public funds to gain electoral advantage. Raut said the finance department had presided over a 'loot of government money for the sake of votes'. Earlier, Maharashtra minister Aditi Tatkare confirmed the government had disqualified 2,289 ineligible government employees after examining nearly two lakh applications. In a recent post on X, she assured the public that such scrutiny would continue regularly. 'After realising this, such beneficiaries are not being given the benefit of the scheme,' she wrote. The Ladki Bahin scheme was credited with boosting the Mahayuti alliance's performance in the November 2024 assembly elections. However, it has also led to budgetary strain. Social Justice Minister Sanjay Shirsat conceded that the government was under pressure, saying, 'It is a reality that the monthly amount of Rs 1,500 cannot be raised to Rs 2,100.' He added that the scheme would continue even if it required the state to borrow funds. Shirsat also criticised the finance department for diverting funds from his ministry without notice. In March, he alleged that Rs 7,000 crore had been slashed from the Social Justice Department's budget, and on Monday, he called for a law to protect such departments from arbitrary cuts. According to official guidelines, beneficiaries must meet income and residency criteria and provide Aadhaar-linked bank accounts. Newly married women can present a marriage certificate if their name does not appear on a ration card. While the scheme aims to support women's economic independence, the government now faces growing scrutiny over its execution.
Time of India
a day ago
- Lifestyle
- Time of India
No legal action against ineligible Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin scheme beneficiaries, says Ajit Pawar
Pune: Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar made it clear on Sunday that the govt would not pursue legal action against Ladki Bahin beneficiaries found ineligible. Pawar was responding to questions in Pune about 2,200 ineligible govt employees who have received benefits under the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, which was announced just ahead of the Nov 2024 assembly elections. "When the scheme was launched, there wasn't enough time for a detailed verification process due to the upcoming elections. We appealed to people not to apply if they didn't meet the eligibility criteria, but some still went ahead and availed themselves of the benefits. We are not going to recover the money from them, but their names are now being removed from the list during the ongoing scrutiny," Pawar said. He confirmed that some govt employees were among the ineligible recipients. "There will be no legal action against them," he added. Under the scheme, eligible women in the age group of 21-65 are entitled to a monthly aid of Rs 1,500. The govt had made it clear that only those with an annual income of Rs 2.5 lakh or less could apply for the benefits, and govt employees would not be eligible. The total misuse of govt funds is estimated at around Rs 3.5 crore. The deputy CM was in Pune to attend the International Agriculture Hackathon at the Agriculture College in Shivajinagar. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Roar into Style! Leopard Print Slim Fitting Dress! Undo Unleash Your Wild Side: Leopard Print Slim Dress! Undo Level Up Your Look: Men Tracksuit with Hoodie! Undo Get the Look: Rhinestone Juicy Sweatsuit - Shop Modefash! Undo Complete Your Look: Women's 3-Piece Sweatsuit - Undo Chic Comfort! Women's 3-Piece Sweatsuit. Undo Shop Exclusive Deals & Save Big! Undo Modefash: Ultimate Comfort - Men's Tracksuit with Hoodie! Undo Sparkle & Shine: Trending Rhinestone Juicy Sweatsuit! Undo Don't Miss Out! Exclusive Deals at Undo Responding to questions on heavy rainfall in parts of the state, Pawar said govt has instructed local administrations to conduct panchnamas to assess crop damage. He said govt has already arranged funds, and once the damage reports are submitted, appropriate steps would be taken. On reports about increased firearm licences issued by Pune Police between 2021 and 2023, he said that all the applications would be reviewed. "The police will be asked to verify the background of all individuals granted licences during this period. If no valid need is found, their licences will be revoked," he said. The deputy CM added that he had received similar complaints from Beed earlier. At that time, the SP had reviewed all the licences, and cancelled some, he said, and added that the same thing can be done in Pune as well. Unrest among Nagaland NCP MLAs Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar said on Sunday that a merger of all seven NCP MLAs in Nagaland with the governing Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) was triggered by growing unrest among them due to development projects in their constituencies getting stalled. Pawar said the MLAs had met him in Mumbai two to three months ago to express their concerns. "I told them we could speak to Nagaland CM [Neiphiu Rio] and request him to ensure their issues are resolved, especially since NCP was supporting the ruling [NDPP-BJP] govt in the state. I also discussed the matter with Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who assured me that he would speak to the Nagaland CM," Pawar said. He clarified that there was no violation of anti-defection law since all seven MLAs switched sides together. "I was unwell for the last two days, so I have not received detailed updates. But I will speak with the party's state president in Nagaland to review the situation," Pawar added. After the 2023 Nagaland elections, NCP had emerged as the third-largest party with seven MLAs. NCP then backed the governing NDPP-BJP alliance, contributing to an opposition-less assembly.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Mahayuti reverses pre-election hike in crop loss compensation to farmers
MUMBAI: The Mahayuti government, which had hiked the compensation for crop losses before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, cancelled this on Friday and restored a 2023 order which will leave farmers with reduced compensation. With this, the government will save the money it would have had to shell out to farmers for the damages they suffered on account of heavy rains in the past few days. Following the rains, the administration began a survey of the damage to crops and on Friday, a government resolution (GR) was issued. 'The state cabinet has decided to give compensation to farmers as per the criteria decided by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDRF). So from Kharif 2025, the compensation criteria would be followed as per the order dated March 27, 2023 and the order issued in this regard on January 1, 2024 has been cancelled,' states the GR. Compensation for farmers is calculated on the basis of crop loss. A particular amount is decided for per-hectare loss based on the type of farming, besides which a limit is put on compensation. The limit, which was two hectares or five acres in the March 2023 order, was hiked to three hectares (or 7.5 acres) by the Eknath Shinde-led Mahayuti government in January 2024. Through the GR issued on Friday, the limit was reversed to two hectares. The GR also reduced the compensation on different types of farmland: non-irrigated, irrigated and horticulture. The January 2024 GR had hiked the compensation rate for non-irrigated crops from ₹8,500 per hectare to ₹13,600. For crops on irrigated land, it was increased from ₹17,000 per hectare to ₹27,000. For cash crops and fruits, it was hiked to ₹22,500 to ₹36,000 per hectare. All this stands to be reversed now. The losses to farmers are significant. For example, a farmer owning non-irrigated land would have got up to ₹40,800 in compensation for crop loss on three hectares. Now he will get a maximum of ₹17,000. After the unseasonal rains in 2023, the then Mahayuti government under chief minister Eknath Shinde, with an eye on the forthcoming Lok Sabha and assembly polls that year, had issued the increased compensation order on January 1, 2024. Farmer leader and former MP Raju Shetti said that the Mahayuti government had betrayed farmers by cancelling the additional compensation after winning the elections and getting the farmers' votes. 'The Mahayuti government came to power by offering various sops to different sectors,' he said. 'But after winning the elections, it has betrayed all those who voted for it on the strength of sops like Ladki Bahin. This cancellation of additional aid given to farmers in 2024 is another example. This government is a cheat.' As per the economic survey of Maharashtra, the average agricultural land holding in Maharashtra is 1.34 hectare (3.35 acres) but in areas like Vidarbha (where farmers are already under stress) it is above five acres.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
In Kolhapur, INDIA bloc likely to face local body elections together says Cong MLC Satej Patil
Kolhapur: Congress MLC Satej Patil has confirmed that the INDIA bloc parties will contest the upcoming local body elections in Kolhapur as a unified force. The elections for local bodies in Kolhapur district are slated for Sept-Oct. The alliance partners — comprising Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP) and left parties — have started their preparations at the booth level. Following a preliminary meeting with INDIA representatives in Kolhapur on Friday evening, Satej Patil indicated a 90-95% likelihood of contesting jointly. He noted that Congress state president Harshvardhan Sapkal recently consulted with NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray regarding Congress's stance in the forthcoming local body elections. He observed the state administration has lost its financial direction, and women previously addressed as "ladki" have seen reduced benefits. "The elections for Kolhapur and Ichalkaranji municipal corporations, ZP, and town councils will be held after the rains. This time, the picture will be different from the assembly elections. Ladki Bahin saved Mahayuti from defeat; however, for govt, the sisters are no longer considered 'ladki'. Funds need to be arranged to save the scheme by curtailing funds from other departments. State govt is planning to hand out loans to the Ladki Bahin beneficiaries so that govt can refrain from paying the monthly dole. Instead, the banks will receive the amount once a year," said Patil. The Congress MLC said state govt's total debt burden has reached Rs 9.5 lakh crore, approaching Rs 10 lakh crore. "The three parties in govt have failed to plan the finances of the state. The Mahayuti MLAs are still ignorant of the problems faced by the people. We raised our voice, and only after that did state govt start assessing the damages caused by the recent floods and heavy rain. With all these issues, we are going to face the elections, and we are hopeful of winning in all local bodies," added Patil.
