Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj today to take part in "one of its kind program" likely to be attended by two lakh women, according to the government.
This will be the Prime Minister's tenth day in Uttar Pradesh in less than a month, as he leads the BJP's campaign in the politically critical state with elections in less than two months.
In front-page ads across newspapers , the government said the program, pushing 'the vision of the Prime Minister to empower women', will see PM Modi transfer around ₹ 1,000 crore into the bank accounts of Self Help Groups (SHGs), benefiting approximately 16 lakh women members of these groups.
While it is a government event, it is anticipated to follow the pattern of similar shows in Uttar Pradesh over the last month, with the PM using government events to slam the opposition, notably Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav, whom he called a terrorist sympathizer in one event. Yadav has retaliated by challenging the BJP to hold its own rally without relying on government infrastructure.
The Prime Minister will also transfer stipends into the accounts of those engaged in doorstep financial services at the grassroots level (known as Business Correspondent-Sakhis) to assist them in stabilizing their job before they begin collecting commission on transactions.
PM Modi is also planning to transfer over 20 crore to over 1 lakh beneficiaries under the Mukhya Mantri Kanya Sumangala Scheme, which offers conditional cash transfers to girl child at various phases of their lives.
"The total amount transferred is $15,000 per recipient. The stages are as follows: at birth (Rs.2000), after one year of complete vaccination (Rs.1000), admission in class I (Rs.2000), admission in class VI (Rs.2000), admission in class IX (Rs.3000), admission in any degree/diploma course after passing class X or XII (Rs.5000), " statement stated
As the assembly elections approach in Uttar Pradesh, women-centric measures have gained prominence in the campaign this year.
The Congress, which has been reduced to a virtual non-player in the past few elections in the state, has been emphasizing on gender equality in a state where multiple crimes against women have been reported in recent years. Some of these cases, like as the gangrape of a Dalit woman in Hathras and the case in Unnao, made headlines and provoked outrage across the country.
The slogan 'Ladki Hoon Lad Sakti Hoon (I am a girl and I can fight)' was also given by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Congress General Secretary and in-charge of Uttar Pradesh.
The party has stated that in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections, it will reserve 40% of its tickets for women in order to help them "bring change and step forward" in society. It has also produced a manifesto for women, guaranteeing 40% of the party's projected 20 lakh new employment for women.
During the regimes of both Akhilesh Yadav and his father, party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, the Samajwadi Party attempted to showcase its initiatives for women. "Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) got toilets built for women, and he was also the first to provide them with gas cylinders, but never got his photographs clicked.
