Reiterating commitment of his government to creating opportunities for the women of the state, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, “I want to see my sisters smile with self-confidence, not with tears in their eyes.”

Shivraj Singh Chouhan was addressing some women, who had visited him at his official residence to attend a progremme – ‘Ladli Bahen Ke Sang – Navsamvatsar Parv’ – organised to mark Chaitra, Shukla and Pratipada, Gudi Padwa.

Elaborating on the Ladli Lakshmi Yojana, the CM said that the scheme was launched in the state with an aim to change the mindset of the society towards daughters. The scheme, he hoped, will help ensure empowerment, self-confidence, and self-respect among women so that they are not considered a burden, but a boon for her family and society.

E-KYC of the candidates is being done to ensure that the money under the scheme goes directly into the accounts of the beneficiaries of the Ladli Bahna Yojana every month. No certificate, income or domicile, is needed to apply for the scheme. There is no need to pay anyone for e-KYC. The beneficiaries can register their complaints on the CM Helpline 181 in any official asks for money or indulges in misappropriation.

Chouhan informed that from March 25, camps will be organised in every village and ward to fill the applications for the scheme. The amount will be transferred to the candidates’ accounts on June 10.

The chief minister said the scheme is no less than a social revolution.

Conceding that injustice has been done to mothers, sisters, and daughters, the chief minister said through the Mukhya Mantri Kanya Vivah Yojana or Ladli Laxmi Yojana, his government has made an effort to ameliorate their grievances. In this context, he cited 50 per cent reservation given to women in local bodies and panchayats, paving for their political empowerment.

The chief minister informed that steps have been taken by his government to create more employment opportunities for daughters in government service. A decision has been taken to reserve 33 per cent seats for women in police recruitment.

“If I give guns and sticks in the hands of daughters, I believe, they will put the goons in place,” he remarked.

Acknowledging the monetary challenges women face in running families, Chouhan said, “The sisters may not have money to spend on themselves and their children. The desire to be self-reliant among women, especially from poor and lower middle class families, always remained in my mind,” said Chouhan.

Hence, he said economic empowerment is the prerequisite for the self-confidence and self-respect of women.