WILL TRANSFER MONEY TO ALL REGISTERED WOMEN’S BANK ACCOUNTS ON JANUARY 1: CM MANN

Raj Sadosh/Abohar

Women across Punjab witnessed the ‘Toon-Toon’ of financial empowerment as their mobile phones buzzed with SMS alerts confirming the transfer of Rs 1,291 crore in Sanman Rashi directly into the bank accounts of more than 37.43 lakh beneficiaries.

During a function at Abohar, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said the Mukh Mantri Mawan-Dhiyan Satkar Yojna was aimed at bringing one crore women under its ambit, with nearly 80 lakh registrations already completed. The CM announced that all registered beneficiaries would receive their payments together on January 1 as a New Year gift.

Taking a dig at the opposition parties, the Chief Minister said that even women belonging to the families of his political rivals in the Akali Dal (Badal) and Congress are receiving benefits under the scheme, yet their leaders continued to criticise it merely to please their political masters.

He said, “The government had already disbursed Rs 2,643.71 crore to 76.35 lakh women under the scheme. With today’s transfer, the total financial assistance distributed has reached Rs 3,934.80 crore.”

Appreciating the contribution of women engaged in facilitating registrations, the Chief Minister said, “A total of 1,37,723 Satkar Sakhis are engaged in facilitating registrations under the scheme. Incentives amounting to Rs 51.30 crore will be provided to these Satkar Sakhis for their contribution, while Anganwari workers engaged in the registration process will also receive incentives worth Rs 25 crore. The government is ensuring that those working at the grassroots level are duly recognised and rewarded for their efforts.”

Taking a sharp dig at the Shiromani Akali Dal, Congress and BJP, he said, “These parties have nothing constructive to offer to the people of Punjab and are united only by their hunger for political power. The Akali Dal, which failed to answer for the painful incidents of sacrilege, has been reduced to the Badal family and a handful of close associates. The Congress, on the other hand, is a divided house where its own leaders are constantly at loggerheads with one another.”

Taking the Congress party to task, he said, “The Congress party is on its deathbed and will be finished very soon, as it has no vision for the people and the state. Its only aim is to plunder the wealth of Punjab by assuming power, but its dreams will never be fulfilled. Congress leaders are daydreaming about assuming power in the state, but the party is a divided house that will collapse due to its infighting. It is a pity that the top Congress leaders who come to unite these leaders squabbling for power are not even aware of how to pronounce their names.