Chief Minister Arjun Munda is all set to launch the Mukhya Mantri Ladli Yojna,aimed at the well-being of the girl child,on November 15,coinciding with the 11th anniversary of the creation of Jharkhand as a separate state. Under this scheme,a Below Poverty Line (BPL) family with only two children,one of them a girl born after November 15,2010,will have an assured income of Rs 6,000 per year in the girls name. Subsequently,she will get one time payment of Rs 2,500 during Class V-VII,Rs 4,000 during Class VIII-IX,Rs 7,500 when she is in Class X. During Class XI-XII,she will get a scholarship of Rs 200 per month. And once she is 21,she will get a consolidated sum of Rs 1.86 lakh. The beneficiaries will also include orphans and adopted girls of BPL families. Similar schemes are currently in place in Madhya Pradesh and Haryana. The CM has taken keen interest in preparing the draft of the plan, said Mundas Principal Secretary D K Tiwari,The scheme is estimated to cost the state Rs 180 crore per annum. The amount may increase later, said Secretary (Finance) Sukhdedo Singh. The amount will be deposited in the Centres Postal department by the state government. Payments will be made through post offices. The beneficiaries are proposed to be identified and enrolled at the time of their birth by the primary health centres and anganwadi kendras. Nearly 30 per cent of the more than 3.29 crore population of the state lives below the poverty line. According to 2011 Census,the states sex ratio is 947 girls per 1000 boys,against the national average of 940 per 1000.
