Mayawati launches welfare scheme for the poor

A dog is not considered a good dog because he is a good barker. A man is not considered a good man because he is a good talker.
Buddha 

NEW INITIATIVE: Chief Minister Mayawati distributing bank passbook at the inaugural function of "Mahamaya Garib Arthik Madad Yojana" in Lucknow on Monday.

 

 

To empower the poorest of the poor, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Monday launched a new welfare scheme whose basic objective is to enable the beneficiaries to meet their daily needs. Named “Uttar Pradesh Mukhya Mantri Mahamaya Garib Arthik Madad Yojana”, the scheme was launched by Ms. Mayawati at her 5 Kalidas Marg official residence. The scheme was announced by the Chief Minister on her 54th birthday on January 15.
About 31 lakh people belonging to Below Poverty Line families stood to benefit from the measure. Around 50 per cent of the beneficiaries will belong to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
Under the scheme, the beneficiaries are entitled to a monthly financial assistance of Rs.300.
The money would be deposited in two half-yearly instalments in the bank account of the beneficiaries. To mark the launch of the measure, the Chief Minister handed over acceptance certificates and bank passbooks with the first six-monthly instalment of Rs.1,800 to ten women beneficiaries from Lucknow district.
They are Ram Kali, Asha Devi, Rani Devi, Sumirta, Rameshwari, Zahirun Nisa, Phoolmati, Kanti, Jagrani and Shashi. In the current financial year one six-monthly instalment of Rs.1,800 from October 2010 to March 2011 has been given to the beneficiaries. Two half-yearly instalments would be given from the 2011-12 financial year. Addressing the function, Ms. Mayawati said the welfare scheme has been launched simultaneously in all 72 districts of the State. She said the programme would benefit those people living below the poverty line who were not getting the benefits of the Central Government's scheme of cheap foodgrains for BPL card holders, old age pension and widow pension. The Central Government, she said, had identified 1.7 crore BPL families in Uttar Pradesh but as a matter of fact the number of BPL families in the State exceeded that number.
Ms. Mayawati said that according to a survey conducted by the State Government in 2007-08, lakhs of poor had not been included in the BPL list. The Chief Minister regretted that her pleas to the Centre for extending the benefits to more BPL families fell on deaf ears. The “Mahamaya Gharib Arthik Madad Yojana” was launched notwithstanding the limited financial resources available with the State. About Rs.535 crore would be spent on the implementation of the scheme in the first phase.
The Chief Minister emphasised that bank accounts have been opened in the name of the woman head of each BPL family to deter the possibility of the money being squandered by the male members.
Source: The Hindu dt 02.11.2010