Minister Yashomati Thakur said Maharashtra will investigate alleged misuse of funds under the former BJP Government's Women Development Scheme

The gloves have come off in Maharashtra, with the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government announcing on Monday that it will investigate alleged irregularities and misappropriation of funds in the Prajwala women empowerment scheme, which was launched and implemented during the state's BJP-led government between 2014 and 2019. This comes as the MVA and the BJP trade accusations of corruption, as well as the deployment of federal and state inquiry agencies. State Women and Child Welfare Minister Yashomati Thakur announced the investigation into Prajwala.

 

The Prajwala scheme aims to raise awareness among members of women's self-help groups regarding legal, social, and financial issues (SHGs). The Maharashtra State Women's Commission was designated as the scheme's nodal agency by the government, and the scheme was executed by the Maharashtra Women's Commission. Vijaya Rahatkar of the BJP served as chairperson of the State Women's Commission from 2014 to 2019.

 

"The Maharashtra government would set up an inquiry committee to explore the alleged misuse and illegal utilisation of state funds under the Prajwala scheme," Yashomati Thakur said in response to a motion by Shiv Sena legislator Manisha Kayande. The head of the State Women's Commission at the time will also be called to testify before the commission."

 

The bills submitted by staff of the State Women's Commission, Kayande told the Council, were handwritten and not final. "The bills supplied were not in the right format as required by the requirements. The scheme was meant to be implemented in all 288 Assembly segments, but it was only done in 98," she explained. The Assembly segments were chosen in such a way that the strategy would solely favour the BJP, according to Kayande. "This is unethical in the extreme. She added, "There are several CAG reports that have passed strictures on the implementation of this system."

 

Many choices were made during the implementation of the Prajwala plan without the approval of the government and without following the proper procedures, according to Thakur. The project began in Nandurbar, a tribal-dominated district, and was eventually limited to constituencies such as Jalgaon and Nashik, where SHG workshops were held.

 

Thakur's statement came after the state energy minister, Nitin Raut, advised the legislature that a technical committee had been established to investigate tenders and agreement awarding in state endeavours such as MahaGenco, MahaVitaran, and MahaTransco during the tenure of his predecessor, BJP leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule.

 

 

Image Courtesy: Twitter @AdvYashomatiINC