Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, on Wednesday, launched the state's flagship "Ladli Laxmi 2.0" financial assistance program, which hopes to empower girls by encouraging them to seek higher education.
After taking office as Chief Minister for the first time in 2005, the Chief Minister introduced the "Ladli Laxmi" program in 2007. The program offers financial assistance to qualified girl children to guarantee that they receive a solid education and to change society's perception of the birth of girls.
"There is no future without daughters, I once said during one of my earlier public speeches. An elderly woman then pointed at me and inquired as to my ability to arrange for the marriage of girls. That question bothered me so much that in 1990 when I was elected to the legislature for the first time, I began sponsoring the marriages of my daughters,” Chouhan added at the unveiling of the Ladli Laxmi 2.0 initiative.
In order to help the 1,477 Ladli Laxmi plan beneficiaries further their studies, Chouhan also transferred a total of Rs. 1.85 crores into their bank accounts on this occasion, calling it a "historic" day.
The Chief Minister claimed that after being elected as a Lok Sabha representative from Vidisha in 1991, he began using the money he received as an MP's allowance to pay for girl marriages.
He continued by saying that after taking office as the state's chief minister in 2005, he had instructed the officials to develop a plan to turn a daughter into a "lakhpati" from the day of her birth by making periodic deposits into her name that would total Rs 1.43 lakh when she turned 21 with the condition that her parents not marry her off before she turned 18 years old.
Since the program's 2007 debut, it has gained huge popularity, and the state now has more than 43 lakh Ladli Laxmis, the official added. The government will take care of paying their college fees under the Ladli Laxmi Scheme 2.0, which has been tied to the education of girls and aims to give them financial assistance for pursuing higher education.
Chouhan also mentioned that "Ladli Laxmi Vatika" (gardens) are being constructed in each district of the state at the time, and he and a few of the facility's beneficiaries planted seedlings at one such location in the state capital.
