Shimla:

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu announced a roll-out of Rs. 1,500 per month to all women aged over 18 years under the flagship ‘Indira Gandhi Pyari Behna Sukh-Sammaan Nidhi Yojana’ here today.

CM Sukhu said that with the announcement, the State Government has fulfilled its fifth election guarantee, reflecting the government’s sensitivity towards women.

He was addressing the mediapersons here today and said that the amount would aid in the financial and social upliftment of women. Every family would be benefitted from the scheme.

“The government had already started the first phase of the scheme from February 1 this year as it was providing Rs. 1,500 to all the women of district Lahaul and Spiti and to all women of the state aged above 60 years. Around 5 lakh women were expected to benefit from the scheme and over Rs. 800 crore would be spent annually under the scheme” he remarked.

“Under the ‘Indira Gandhi Pyari Behna Sukh-Sammaan Nidhi Yojana’, the government will soon begin the process of filling the forms of all eligible women so that they could avail the benefits at the earliest” the CM said.

“The government has already fulfilled its guarantees of providing Old Pension Scheme benefitting 1.36 lakh employees, Rs. 680 crore Rajiv Gandhi Start-up Scheme, starting of english medium from first class in all government schools, Minimum Support Price (MSP) for procurement of cow and buffalo milk and promoting natural farming by announcing the MSP for wheat and maize” he asserted.

CM said that despite of multi-faceted economic and disaster made challenges the government has succeeded to stabilize the derailed economic condition of the state.

He said that the Government had taken many important steps to boost the rural economy of the state, besides strengthening the infrastructure in education, health and other essential service sectors.

“State government was making tireless efforts to generate additional economic resources and sources of employment and self-employment for the youth” the CM said.