JOIN USPrior to TP, ZP poll, a saree spectacle
The gifting exercise by the ruling BJP comes just months before the elections to zilla and taluk panchayats.
Women and Child Development minister C C Patil, on Friday, told presspersons that Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa would tour nine districts in the first phase in October to be present in saree distribution programmes. The district administration would make arrangements for bringing the beneficiaries to the headquarters and offer them lunch.
Bhagyalakshmi scheme offers financial benefits to girl child of BPL families. The girl child is entitled to a grant of Rs one lakh after completing the age of 18 years. The child gets regular scholarship to continue education. Even after attaining age of 18, girl child can obtain loan for higher studies by pledging the deposit bond, issued by the government.
As on August 30, this year, 11,39,000 girls were entitled to the scheme. As many as 10,68,296 mothers would get sarees. (About 70,000 mothers have two daughters, benefited by the scheme). The minister said the sarees would be procured from Surat.
The department was contemplating procurement of sarees from Karnataka Handloom Corporation in the second phase of the programme.
Health card
The first saree distribution programme will be held at Davangere on October 14.
Health check-up
Minister for Women and Child Development C C Patil said a team of doctors would conduct health check-up for girl children.
Every child would get a health card valid till she is 18. Children requiring advanced treatment would be referred to district hospitals.
Asked whether saree distribution by the government was with an intention to woo voters in the coming ZP and TP elections, the minister said, “The party in power launches many programmes for the benefit of poor. The programmes should not be viewed as means to woo voters. If that is the case, no government can launch any scheme at all.”