Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister (CM) Ajit Pawar on Monday said that the state government has decided to retain `Shivbhojan Thali` and `Anandacha Sidha`.
In a written reply, Ajit Pawar has informed the Maharashtra Assembly that the state government has decided to not discontinue `Shivbhojan Thali` and `Anandacha Sidha`, news agency ANI reported.
Later, while speaking on the floor of the House, the Finance Minister said, “The media also highlighted the discontinuation of some schemes in this budget. Some respected members in this house have also mentioned this. All schemes are periodically reviewed, and those that become outdated are discontinued.”
He added that payments of some of the vendors of these schemes are pending, so initiatives are being taken to clear their dues at the earliest.
Anandacha Sidha scheme was first introduced in 2022 during Diwali, providing four food items at a concessional rate of Rs 100 to families with saffron ration cards, ANI reported.
This is in addition to the regular distribution of foodgrains. The beneficiaries of the kit include Antyodaya Anna Yojana and Priority households as defined in the National Food Security Act, 2013.
According to ANI, the kit would also be distributed to the APL farmer (saffron) cardholders of fourteen districts that were identified as suicide prone districts (these include districts of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Amravati division and Wardha district from Nagpur Division).
Notably, to provide food at discounted rates to the poor and needy people of the state, the Maharashtra Government started Shiv Bhojan Yojana in 2020.
The Shiv Bhojan Thali includes two chapatis, one bowl each of cooked vegetables, dal and rice. The `Shiv Bhojan Application` has been developed to implement the Shiv Bhojan Scheme.
At present, the Shiv Bhojan scheme has a target of 2 lakhs thalis per day and 1,904 Shiv Bhojan centres are functioning in the state.
According to the government, to maintain effective control over Shiv Bhojan centers, CCTV cameras are being installed and the geo-fencing facility has started in a 100-metre radius.
A total of 18,83,96,254 Shiv Bhojan Thalis have been made available to the beneficiaries since the inception of the scheme till March 27, 2024, the Maharashtra Government stated.
While responding to a debate in the Legislative Assembly on Monday, Pawar said that the core essence of the state budget is `Developed India, Developed Maharashtra`. He also appealed to the opposition and said, “You can criticise the budget, you may criticise me, but when speaking in the heat of the moment, please avoid making statements that will hurt others as that will cause injustice and be ungrateful to those who have contributed to the development of the country.”
(ANI)
