The Maharashtra state cabinet has given a nod to the "Lek Ladki" (Beloved Girl) scheme on Tuesday, October 10. This scheme is designed to support families with an annual income of up to one lakh rupees.
The programme offers financial assistance of INR 1.01 lakh rupees. The aid will be disbursed in stages until the girl reaches 18 years of age. The aim is to improve the girl-childbirth ratio and ensure the education of girls.
Only girls from families with orange and yellow ration cards will receive financial support. They will receive INR 5,000 at birth, INR 6,000 upon enrollment in Class I, INR 7,000 in Class VII, INR 8,000 in Class XII, and INR 75,000 when they turn 18.
The announcement was made by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde after a state cabinet meeting. The programme was first announced on March 9 as part of the budget for 2023–24 by Devendra Fadnavis, the deputy chief minister and finance minister. It was one of the many schemes aimed at benefiting women, girls, and their families.
Previously, under the "Majhi Kanya Bhagyashri" programme, the government kept a fixed deposit of INR 25,000 for each girl child. The maturity amount was given to the girl when she turned 18.
Under the new programme, financial aid will be provided to up to two girls per family. Only those fenale babies who are born after April 1, 2023, will be eligible for this aid. In the case of twin girls or a boy and a girl born after this date, both girls or the single girl child will receive financial assistance.
In a media interview, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde stated that this programme will help in the education of girls. He added that the government is committed to women's empowerment and that the 'Lek Ladki' scheme will make girls from low-income groups 'Lakhpati'.
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