Congress govt has started welfare schemes for women: Dhani Ram Shandil

Shimla, April 21

Health Minister Dhani Ram Shandil yesterday said that the state government had started many schemes to empower women. “The government has started the Indira Gandhi Pyari Behna Sukh Samman Nidhi Yojana for women aged above 18 years. Under the scheme, each eligible woman is being provided Rs 1,500 per month assistance,” he added.

Social security pension raised

As many as 2.42 lakh women in the state were getting the monthly social security pension of Rs 1,000 or Rs 1,150 and the state government had increased it to Rs 1,500. Dhani Ram Shandil, Health Minister

He said, “The work to fill forms under the Indira Gandhi Pyari Behna Sukh Samman Nidhi Yojana has been started and women are already getting Rs 1,500 per month. The BJP has gone to the Election Commission of India to deprive women of the benefit under the scheme.”

Shandil said that 2.42 lakh women in the state were getting the monthly social security pension of Rs 1,000 or Rs 1,150 and the state government had increased it to Rs 1,500. He added that the government had increased the assistance amount given under the Widow Remarriage Scheme from Rs 65,000 to Rs 2 lakh.

The minister said reservation for girls in police recruitment had been increased from 25 per cent to 30 per cent. He added that in the Himachal Pradesh Ceiling Land Holding Act, 1972, the son was considered a separate unit in the family but girls weren’t. “The Congress government amended the Act and also made daughters a separate entity and ended discrimination against them,” he claimed.

Shandil said that under the Indira Gandhi Girl Child Protection Scheme, the government had increased the incentive amount of Rs 35,000 to a family adopting family planning after one daughter to Rs 2 lakh and to Rs 25,000 for family planning after two daughters.

Shandil said that the Mukhyamantri Sukh-Shiksha Yojana was being launched in the state, under which the state government would bear the expenses on the education of children of widows up to 27 years of age.

He added that under the Chief Minister Widow and Single Women Housing Scheme, the assistance amount for house construction had been increased from Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 3 lakh. “The present government has also increased the honorarium of anganwari and mini-anganwari workers, anganwari helpers, Asha workers, mid-day meal workers and sewing teachers,” Shandil said.