Amid a barrage of attacks over the Muzaffarpur sex scandal, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has launched an ambitious scheme which promises to provide ₹54,100 from the birth of a girl child till she graduates.
Mr. Kumar launched the ‘Mukhyamantri Kanya Utthan Yojana’ in Patna on August 3 and expressed his government’s resolve for empowerment of women. In his speech, Mr. Kumar talked about his happiness over the start of the scheme, but at the same time said he was “standing here with mixed feelings” over the case of sex abuse at a State-funded girls’ shelter home at Muzaffarpur.
The Chief Minister also made several other announcements like increasing the amount under the ‘Bicycle Yojna’ from ₹2500 to ₹3000.
The scheme, launched by the Nitish Kumar government in 2006, providing bicycles to school going girls, has won laurels. Mr. Kumar also announced doubling of amount for purchase of sanitary napkins to ₹300 from existing ₹150 under the ‘Kishori Swasthya Yojna.’
The ‘Mukhyamantri Kanya Utthan Yojana’ will be run by three departments — education, health and social welfare.
