Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan doled out Rs 250 as an early Rakhi gift for beneficiaries of the Ladli Behna Yojana in Bhopal on August 27. (Image: News18)
Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan clicked away a total of Rs 400 crore as an early Rakshabandhan present for beneficiaries of ‘Ladli Behna Yojana’, while also hiking the payout under the scheme to Rs 1,250 per month from October
The rakhi surprise does not end here. While beneficiaries will receive the regular payout of Rs 1,000 on the 10th of next month, this amount will be increased to Rs 1,250 from October as was first reported by News18.
Addressing a large gathering of women in Bhopal’s Jamburi Maidan on Sunday, Chouhan said, “Aaj, abhi, isi kshan, single click se, tumhare khate mein, mai rakhi ke liye dhaiso rupaye dalne ka kaam kar raha hun (Right this moment, in a single click I’ll be sending you Rs 250 for rakhi).”
Holding a small button, the chief minister walked among the women as he clicked Rs 400 crore away. “I promised you that I am arranging money and, as and when it happens, I will increase this monthly amount. Did I or did I not say that? Now listen my sisters, I promised you that I will first increase it to Rs 1,250. When I deposit Rs 1,000, it costs Rs 15,000 crore. Each month, I need to deposit Rs 1,200 crore. If I increase it to Rs 1,250 then I will have to deposit an additional Rs 400 crore every month. I have arranged the money. This month, you are getting that amount taking this (rakhi gift) into consideration. But from October, bank accounts of my sisters will get credited with Rs 1,250 every month,” he said.
If that was not all, he did not shy away from announcing that the state government will reserve 35 percent of its posts for women. Amid rising inflation, another concern for women who essentially run households has been electricity costs.
For this, Chouhan announced that the electricity department will not force them to pay up. He also promised that he is working to ensure that the power bills of “poor sisters” is only Rs 100. But, he did not make it clear if it will come with riders. What he did make clear is that he wants women – his target group – to appreciate the massive fiscal balancing he has had to do to get them these “freebies”.
The CM’s announcement of LPG cylinder at Rs 450 in the ongoing Sawan month will definitely work as a balm for women from economically weaker sections, or so the BJP expects. However, he has not clarified if the subsidy will be available even after this month or not.
Earlier, MP BJP media cell head Lokendra Parashar told News18, “The target for the monthly amount of Ladli Behna Yojana is to reach Rs 3,000 per month for 1.25 crore women. The Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led government will reach that mark before November.”
The assembly election is expected to be held in November. The urge to fast-track efforts to make the BJP’s ‘freebies’ look more attractive seems to be guided by tall claims made by Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi at a rally in Madhya Pradesh in June. She had reminded the people how the Congress government had kept its “promise to the people of Karnataka”, where it swept to power replacing the BJP.
“Every month, women will be given Rs 1,500. Gas cylinders will be available for Rs 500 and 100 units of electricity will be free. The cost of 200 units will be halved. The old pension scheme will be implemented in Madhya Pradesh and poor farmers in heavy debt will get a complete loan waiver,” she had said during the rally.
It is widely perceived that a weakening Congress managed to win two states – first Karnataka and then Himachal Pradesh – riding on its ‘freebie’ promise that the BJP claims to have shunned so far. The saffron camp is unlikely to further take that risk with the 2024 Lok Sabha elections less than a year away and all state elections having a direct bearing on it.