BJP raises Hazaribag violence case in House

The Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) raised the issue of violence in Hazaribag's Ichak on Maha Shivaratri during the ongoing budget session in the Jharkhand assembly on Thursday, demanding "a fair and thorough probe into the clashes".

- Vishal Kant

RANCHI: The dues under the Mukhyamantri Maiyan Samman Yojna (MMSY) for January and February would be cleared before Holi, state social welfare minister Chamra Linda said in the Jharkhand assembly on Thursday.

Linda was responding to the demand of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator CP Singh during a question-hour discussion. Singh questioned the delay in the transfer of benefits under MMSY and asked whether "they would be paid by Eid".

Replying to this, minister Chamra Linda said, "There is no dearth of funds. Funds for even March have been transferred. The delay is due to some technical reasons. The money for two months—January and February—will be paid to the beneficiaries of the scheme by March 15, possibly before Holi."

The Jharkhand government provides ₹2,500 per month to over 5.6 million women beneficiaries under the Maiyan Samman Yojana. However, the beneficiaries have not yet received the amounts for January and February.

Earlier, the House witnessed a heated discussion over Singh's question on whether widows and physically challenged women, who receive a pension of ₹1,000 per month, would also be provided the Maiyan Samman Yojana benefit.

"The women aged between 18 and 50 years receive the benefit of the Maiyan Samman Yojana in the state. But widows and physically challenged women get ₹1,000. I would like to know the reason for this disparity from the government," the BJP MLA said.

Linda responded that the Hemant Soren government had introduced a bigger scheme for widows—the Vidhwa Punarvivah Protsahan Yojana (widow remarriage incentive scheme)—under which a one-time incentive of ₹2 lakh is provided by the government.