UP chief minister Mayawati, on Monday, launched the Mukhya Mantri Mahamaya Garib Arthik Madad Yojana under which families that do not have a BPL card will be entitled to `300 per month.
Ms Mayawati had announced this scheme on her 53rd birthday on January 15 this year and it took nine and a half months for the scheme to get started.
Talking to reporters on the occasion, the chief minister said that nearly 31 lakh families will benefit under this scheme. “Families that are covered under any other government scheme will not be entitled to benefits under this scheme,” she said.
The chief minister said that the amount of `300 will be deposited every six months in the account of the eldest female member of the family.
Lashing out against the centre, Ms Mayawati said that since the centre had not responded to her requests, the state government had decided to curtail its expenditures to launch this scheme. She disclosed that the beneficiaries under this scheme had been selected in open meetings held at the Gram Sabha level and 50 per cent of the beneficiaries will be those belonging to SC/ST categories.
The chief minister later presented cheques to ten female beneficiaries to kick start the scheme.