Maharashtra govt to appoint 50,000 Yojana Doots to promote schemes

MUMBAI: With the Maha Yuti looking to head into the assembly polls on the back of their govt schemes and SOPs, the state govt will appoint 50,000 youth to publicise various welfare schemes run by the state and center. 50,000 of these 'Yojana Doots' will help citizens to get the benefits of govt schemes. The Opposition slammed the move saying this was nothing but engaging youth to campaign for the MahaYuti.
While replying to a question raised by LoP Ambadas Danve in the Legislative Council, BJP Minister Chandrakant Patil said that the govt has decided to appoint 50,000 youths for the publicity and awareness about central and state schemes. “The govt has sanctioned Rs 53.66 crores across 10 polytechnics to develop them as 'Centres for Excellence’. This will promote skill development in youth and self employment, entrepreneurship and 50,000 youth will be appointed as Yojana Doot” Patil said.
“I’m told the govt will appoint 50,000 youths for the publicity of govt schemes. The state govt already has a full-fledged publicity department. So what is the needs of Yojana Doots? This is nothing but an election campaign. What will be the recruitment process? Who will appoint them? I’m told 45,000 youth will be appointed in villages in ratio of one youth per village and in urban areas across the state total 50,000 youths will be appointed,” Danve said.
“The state govt will give skill based training to 10 lakh youths for six months and they will also get stipend. Of these 10 lakh youths 50,000 youths will be appointed for creating awareness about govt schemes. 'Yojana doot's will help beneficiaries make use of the schemes and enrol in them and take benefits. The common man struggles while applying for the various schemes. After we announced three free gas cylinders per year in all the districts women lined up in queues but most of them didn't know which documents were required for it. So Yojana doot's will help such beneficiaries,” Patil said.
After managing to win only 17 of 48 seats in the state in the Lok Sabha polls, the Eknath Shinde govt pulled out all stops in its last budget before the assembly polls. The populist budget showered an array of sops on groups including women, youth, farmers, marginalised groups and the poor, including a Rs 1,500 subsidy for eligible women aged 21 to 65 each month patterned on the Madhya Pradesh govt’s Ladli Behna Yojana which was key to its return to office.