Ladki Bahin’ scheme wows House of Lords
Mumbai: Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s ‘Ladki Bahin’ scheme – launched when he was the CM, reached the world stage, bagging him the coveted ‘Commonwealth Public Leadership Recognition’ award at a glittering function in the House of Lords, London.
Presented at a joint event of the UK-Asian Business Council and Canvas for Care Creative Art Campus, it specifically lauded Shinde’s women and citizen focused governance initiatives - ‘Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana’ (2024) and ‘Shasan Aplya Dari’ (2023) - unveiled when he helmed the state.
Several bigwigs, including former Northern Ireland First Minister, Baroness Arlene Foster, UK Asian Business Council Chairman Andrew Grocock and vice-chairman Sudeep Sakale were among those present, as a smiling Shinde accepted the honour with gratitude and dedicated it to the people of Maharashtra.
In his address starting in Marathi, “Namaskar, Jai Maharashtra”, Shinde switched to English to discuss the two schemes and weaved them into the larger aspect of women empowerment and public welfare with long-term implications as the state races to become a USD One Trillion economy and the country races to catch the deadline of 2047 to earn the ‘developed nation’ tag.
Clad in semi-formals, he recalled his own humble beginnings, the travails of his mother and wife growing up in a humble farmer family that shaped his approach to the peoples’ problems and attempting to resolve them.
“I have only sister, but thanks to the ‘Ladki Bahin Scheme’, I have gained millions of sisters,” said Shinde, of what became the defining and trend-setting model replicated by several states in the country, besides the decision to include the mother’s name in the official identity for all people, which he said may be a global first.
The Deputy CM also dwelt on other important welfare schemes, including financial and other assistance for girls pursuing higher education, a department dedicated for persons with disabilities, the state’s policy on Transgenders, monetary support to thousands through the Chief Minister’s Medical Assistance Cell, plus more.
Shinde grabbed the rare opportunity to showcase Maharashtra as both, an economic powerhouse of India and a committed social welfare state, with major infrastructure projects operational like the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, Mumbai Coastal Road, Samruddhi Expressway and the upcoming Vadhavan Port, besides other mega-showpieces.
Presenting the state’s importance vis-à-vis the country, he said Maharashtra contributes nearly 14 pc of India’s GDP and attracts over 30 pc of all the FDI flowing into the country.
He invited British businesses to invest in Maharashtra in sectors like fintech, green energy, deep-tech, education, skill development and green hydrogen, particularly since both Mumbai and London are international financial centres with ample scope for collaboration to help the state achieve its USD One Trillion economy target in the next four years.
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