Naysa Shrivastava, Pune
The Assembly elections are near and the Maharashtra government has introduced an internship program for the unemployed youth on Wednesday. ‘Ladla bhai yojana’ is for the youth who have completed the 12th standard. The government will spend Rs 5,500 crores for the scheme, Mukhyamantri Yuva Karya Prashikshan Yojana. The scheme was called ‘Ladka Bhau’ by CM Eknath Shinde during his speech in Pandharpur on the event of Ashadhi Ekadashi. The graduates will receive the amount of 10,000 monthly, Diploma holders will get 8,000, and 12th passers will receive 6,000 every month. This will help in resolving the unemployment issues in the state.
Eknath told News18,” Some people said that ‘Ladki Behen Yojana’ has been launched, what about ‘Ladka Bhau’? We are now announcing a scheme for Ladka Bhau. The state government will pay the stipend for apprenticeships in the industry”. They will receive this stipend from the government during their on-job training in the industry.” He also emphasized that this is for the first time the government is releasing this kind of scheme. Under this scheme, young people will get apprenticeships in factories and stipends from the government. The amount of stipend can vary according to the qualification. Shinde is planning to create a skilled workforce. He also made it clear that it’s not specifically for boys like the ‘Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana’ is meant only for women. The scheme is not at all gender biassed and provides training. However, the timing of the launch has become a topic of discussion, critics suggest that Shinde is very strategic in his approach to win the elections and gain more supporters.
Aditya Thackrey, Shiv Sena UTB’s leader Aditya Thackeray reacted to the announcement and told the Times of India, “ The government should provide the entire amount for the year in one go. This is ‘jumla’, the stipend is for skilled development students.
The Finance Minister of the state, Ajit Pawar introduced the ‘Majhi Ladki Behen Yojana’ the previous month, it was for women who come under 21-60 years of age group. Under the scheme, the eligible women will get an allowance of Rs.1500 per month. The scheme was introduced for women’s empowerment.