Maharashtra plans separate scheme for single women after Ladki Bahin; data being collected from schools

The state government is preparing to bring in a separate scheme for single women. The Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana had proved popular in the state. However, after the e-KYC process, lakhs of women were dropped from the scheme, and the Opposition made strong allegations against the government over it. Against this backdrop, the government has begun preparing another major scheme for women, and is taking a big step for single women in the state.

The scheme will benefit women who have lost their husbands, are divorced or have been deserted. These women are running their households alone with fortitude. The government's thinking is that there should be a separate scheme for such women.

Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil gave preliminary details of the scheme at an event. He said the state government would soon bring in a new scheme for single women, along the lines of the popular Ladki Bahin scheme. Its main aim would be to give financial and social stability to women who carry the responsibility of the family alone and bear the burden of the entire household, he said.

The government is currently collecting figures on how many single women there are in the state. According to one estimate, there are more than 12 lakh single women in the state. The scheme will cover widowed, divorced and deserted women as well as women who have remained unmarried all their lives. These women are the mainstay of their children's education and the family's livelihood, and they work tirelessly to keep the household going. This is why preparations are under way for a separate single women's scheme after the Ladki Bahin scheme.

The full details of the scheme have not yet emerged, but it is to be announced soon. Its conditions, terms and rules will be announced officially.

For the new scheme, the education department is collecting preliminary information. Details are being gathered of students who do not have a father. This information is being taken from schools and colleges. According to preliminary data, official records of more than 3 lakh single women in the state have come to light.

In the next phase, information will be collected at the tehsil and village level. Only then will official data on the total number of single women in the state become available.