The Maharashtra government sanctioned the disbursement of Rs 1,720 crore to farmers on Tuesday as the first tranche of funds under the Namo Shetkari Mahasanman Nidhi Yojana, according to media reports.
A Government Resolution (GR) to this effect was issued by the state Agriculture Department, stating that the amount will be deposited in the bank accounts of cultivators. This new financial scheme, under which more than 1 crore farmers in the state will receive Rs 6,000 annually, was approved at a Cabinet meeting in May. The scheme was announced in the 2023-24 budget by Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who was holding the finance portfolio at that time.
CM Eknath Shinde emphasized that the annual payment of Rs 6,000 to farmers by the state is supplementary to the Rs 6,000 provided in installments per year by the Centre under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana.
Though the Namo Shetkari Mahasanman Nidhi Yojana was announced in the 2023-24 budget, the funds were not disbursed.
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government will launch a year-long women’s empowerment campaign aimed at providing training for those wishing to expand their businesses and offering related linkages.
The ‘Mukhymantri Mahila Sashaktikaran Abhiyan’ (Chief Minister Women Empowerment Campaign) will be implemented from October 2, 2023, to October 1, 2024, said a government resolution (GR) issued on Friday (October 6).
The state government had on September 20 announced the implementation of the initiative but put it on hold within 24 hours. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had talked about the initiative after the Rajya Sabha last month passed the women’s reservation bill to reserve one-third of seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women, reported PTI.
Under this campaign, professional training will be imparted to women and help them facilitate raw materials and markets, as per the GR.
The campaign envisages training women who wish to expand their businesses, providing linkages related to their businesses and imparting training on ways to access global markets. It also aims to coordinate efforts to provide raw materials and markets for finished goods.
The campaign aims to benefit at least 1 lakh women in each district and train at least 10 lakh women through government departments, NGOs and training institutes.
A panel will be formed under the chairmanship of the chief minister, said the GR. It will also have training institutes, the secretary of the Industries Department, bank officials, representatives of self-help groups, experts and representatives of online bazaars and chamber of commerce as members.
Women self-help groups will be given information about government programmes and check their eligibility for different schemes, said the GR.
The coordination will be done by the ‘Chief Minister Jankalyan Cell’, said the GR. The panel will meet on the first Monday of every month.
A monthly review of the initiative will be done by the minister for women and child development and a report will be submitted to the CM and deputy CM, as per the GR.
An IAS officer from the chief minister’s office will serve as the nodal officer, while the district collector will be the campaign chief at the district level, as stated in the GR.
