CM axes Shinde's ₹300-crore populist employment scheme

Govt promised to recruit 50,000 youths for 6 months at a monthly stipend of ₹10,000 through Mukhyamantri Yojana-doot scheme

- Surendra P Gangan

MUMBAI: Yet another populist scheme launched by the previous Mahayuti government led by Eknath Shinde ahead of the Assembly poll has been stalled by the Mahayuti 2.0 government under chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.

The Mukhyamantri Yojana-doot scheme, announced in August 2024, with the provision of ₹300 crore, has been pushed into cold storage by the cash-strapped state government.

The scheme was conceived to generate employment among the youth. It was announced by the state government on August 8, 2024, with a promise to recruit 50,000 youths for six months on a monthly stipend of ₹10,000.

The plan was to appoint one doot (messenger) for each gram panchayat in rural parts and one for each ward in urban areas. The messengers would be tasked with propagating various government schemes intended to benefit individuals.

An official from the skill development department, which envisioned the scheme, said alarm bells about it taking off were sounded when the deadline for applications was extended several times from September 17, 2024, at the insistence of leaders of the three ruling parties.