In a clear-cut signal that the Congress is striking out on its own in the coming elections to local bodies in Maharashtra, the party on Sunday announced a slew of measures for the weaker sections, including a three per cent reservation for the physically- challenged in the cooperative sector, and several rehabilitation measures for devdasis and domestic workers.
At a public rally on the same grounds that its ally, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), had announced plans for backward sections a few months ago, the Congress listed out 105 measures to improve the lot of every imaginable weaker community in the State. The NCP last week said that it would like to contest the local bodies' polls on its own steam except in places where it feels the need to tie up with the Congress to defeat the right-wing alliance.
Even as the State Cabinet last week helped itself to a hike of up to Rs. 15 lakh per head to buy cars for Ministers and announced bailouts for sugar factories controlled by the ruling politicians, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan reiterated that Maharashtra was the first State to have a special provision for the Scheduled Castes and Tribes in its budget and this would be utilised to the fullest extent.
State Cooperatives Minister Harshavardhan Patil announced a three per cent reservation in jobs in the cooperative sector for the handicapped.
A special training programme for about 2,000 women in engaged in prostitution was also announced apart from welfare schemes for domestic workers.
The State government will pay special attention to implementing existing schemes for Muslims and other minorities, prepare a policy for the Scheduled Tribes, give weaker sections posts in State corporations, prepare a special development plan for nomadic and denotified tribes apart from providing Rs. 2,000 a month for Devdasis, and housing, and education for their children.
