NCP promises to raise Ladki Bahin scheme payout to ₹2,100 | Mumbai news
MUMBAI: The Ajit Pawar-led NCP on Wednesday announced a slew of populist measures in its manifesto for the forthcoming assembly elections. The party has declared that it will increase the direct cash amount in the Ladki Bahin Yojana to ₹2,100 from the existing ₹1,500 per month. The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena too has said it will increase the cash handout by ₹500. The scheme has received a tremendous response, and the party is looking to take advantage of this in the assembly polls.
₹2,100″ title=”NCP promises to raise Ladki Bahin scheme payout to ₹2,100″ />The NCP’s election manifesto primarily focuses on 11 new schemes followed by several other existing schemes started by the Mahayuti government post the Lok Sabha election results. Many of these are related to the farming community, which appeared to be upset with the Mahayuti government in the Lok Sabha polls. The party has promised a loan waiver for farmers though the amount to be waived has not been specified in the manifesto.
The party has also promised to raise the direct cash amount in another scheme, this one being run for farmers. “The NCP will increase the cash amount under the ‘Namo Shetkari Mahasanman Nidhi Yojana’ to ₹15,000 from ₹12,000 per year by combining support from both the central and state governments,” announced Sunil Tatkare, Maharashtra NCP president. Under the scheme, the state government is currently doling out ₹6,000 per year to beneficiaries.
The NCP has further assured 20% additional subsidies for all crops sold under MSP (minimum support price). The only new promise made by the party is a bonus of ₹25,000 per hectare to paddy farmers.
In fact, the party’s focus was to prepare manifestos for each and every assembly constituency it is contesting in the polls. On Wednesday, manifestos for 50 assembly constituencies were announced by senior NCP leaders in different parts of the state at the same time.
NCP national president Ajit Pawar announced a manifesto for Baramati in Baramati while state president Sunil Tatkare announced a statewide manifesto in Mumbai. Similarly, senior leader Chhagan Bhujbal in Nashik, Praful Patel in Gondia and other leaders declared poll manifestos in their respective areas. “The Mahayuti will release its manifesto but we have decided to release the NCP manifesto, which comprises constituency-based promises,” said Ajit while releasing his party’s poll manifesto in Baramati.
The deputy chief minister is facing a challenge in the family bastion, where his uncle and NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar has fielded Yugendra Pawar, who is Ajit’s nephew and son of his younger brother Shrinivas. This has led Ajit to announce a number of promises for the Baramati assembly constituency. Among them are a night-landing facility at Baramati Airport, converting the town into the first solar city of Maharashtra, setting up a logistics park and constructing a stadium.
