ULHASNAGAR: The Shiv Sena on Monday launched the ‘Jyoti Kalani Ladki Vidyarthini Yojana’ through the Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation (UMC), on the lines of the Maharashtra government’s Ladki Bahin Yojana, to financially empower around 19,000 girl students studying in Classes VII to XII. Under the scheme, each beneficiary will receive Rs 500 per month, amounting to Rs 6,000 annually.The scheme had earlier been approved at a UMC general body meeting by Shiv Sena mayor Ashwini Kamlesh Nikam, despite opposition from its ruling ally, the BJP. The BJP had demanded that the name of former MLA Jyoti Kalani be dropped from the scheme.Mayor Ashwini Kamlesh Nikam announced the scheme at a press conference held at the office of Kalyan Lok Sabha MP Dr Shrikant Shinde. The civic body has started distributing application forms for the scheme, which students need to fill in with their bank details.Nikam said the scheme would cover girl students studying in municipal and private schools within Ulhasnagar, as well as girls residing in the city who attend schools or colleges outside the municipal limits, provided they are studying in Classes VII to XII.She said the initiative was inspired by MP Dr Shrikant Shinde and aimed to promote girls’ education and financial empowerment by providing direct monetary assistance to students and their families.Former deputy mayor Pancham Kalani, who was present at the press conference, expressed happiness over the scheme being named after his mother-in-law, Jyoti Kalani, the city’s first woman MLA. He thanked the municipal corporation and MP Shrikant Shinde for introducing the scheme for the welfare of girl students.Responding to questions about the financial implications of the scheme amid the civic body’s challenging financial position, Shiv Sena leader Rajendra Chaudhary said a special provision had been made in the municipal budget to ensure its smooth implementation.With around 19,000 students expected to benefit, the scheme is estimated to cost the civic body approximately Rs 75 lakh per month, or nearly Rs 10 crore annually, Chaudhary said.Nikam described the initiative as a first-of-its-kind project aimed at empowering school-going girls through direct financial assistance. She expressed hope that other municipal corporations in Maharashtra and across the country would introduce similar initiatives to support girls’ education and financial independence.
