Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday said his government raised the health budget to Rs 11,988 crore, a massive increase over the outlay during the Congress rule.
He was speaking at a function to lay the foundation stones of 621 health institutions worth Rs 1,942 crore including critical care blocks and integrated health units in 35 districts, block public health units at 161 health institutions and 306 health institutions.
Accusing Congress governments of neglecting health facilities, the chief minister said, “Whatever had not been done in the last 50 years, our government has done in the last three years. “The health budget during the Congress regime was Rs 578 crore, which we have raised to Rs 11,988 crore, a record in itself,” Chouhan said.
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The Ladli Behna scheme was formulated to ensure that girls are not treated as a burden on a family, he said, adding that this scheme as well as the earlier Ladli Laxmi Yojna and Mukhyamantri Kanya Vivah/Nikah Yojna were aimed at changing the lives of women.
The state government has also provided 50 per cent reservation to women in panchayat and urban local bodies, 30 per cent reservation in police recruitment and 50 per cent quota in teachers' posts, the chief minister added.
The stamp duty for property registration for men is three per cent while for women it is just one per cent, he said.
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Under the Ladli Behna scheme, eligible women will get Rs 1,000 per month, Chouhan said.
The Chief Minister directed district collectors to ensure that no one charges money for the identification of eligible women under the Ladli Behna scheme through e-KYC.
Anyone indulging in wrongdoing while implementing the scheme should be "handcuffed", he added.
Forms for the Ladli Behna scheme can be submitted till April 30. They will be scrutinized in May and the process of transfer of money will begin from June 10, Chouhan said.
Women between the age group of 23-60 years with monthly income of not more than Rs 20,000, not having any four-wheeler in the house and not owning more than five acres of agriculture land are eligible for the scheme.
The benefits of the scheme will also be extended to Asha, Usha and Anganwadi workers, he added.
Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar, who represents Morena Lok Sabha seat, said at the same function that CM Chouhan has devised schemes for women "from birth to marriage."
The new Ladli Behna scheme is another marvel from his government that will provide financial support to women, Tomar said.
He also praised Chouhan for providing Rs 4,000 annually to farmers over and above the Rs 6,000 given by the Union government under the Pradhanmantri Kisan Samman Yaojna.
The state's health and family welfare minister Dr Prabhuram Choudhary also addressed the function.
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-With PTI Input
