Shagun Yojana: Unfounded allegations, says HP minister

Kullu: Himachal Pradesh health, social justice and empowerment minister Dhani Ram Shandil said on Thursday that allegations levelled by leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur and other Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders that the state govt has stopped the Shagun Yojana were baseless.
In fact, the minister said, the govt has increased the budget provision for the Shagun Scheme to Rs 30.40 crore, for the current financial year, which is Rs 12 crore more than last year.
In a statement, Shandil said that the “unfounded allegations” have been made in an attempt to mislead the people of the state.
He said that the BJP leader has irresponsibly claimed that the state govt has stopped providing the financial assistance under the Shagun Yojana, leaving hundreds of applications pending in every district.
“This statement is not only false but also reflects the desperation and discomfort of the opposition,” the minister said.
Shandil said that the temporary delay in disbursing benefits was due to the implementation of the Model Code of Conduct in view of the Lok Sabha elections and assembly byelections.
He said that after the elections the state govt has promptly released an amount of approximately Rs. 20.17 crore to all district programme officers (DPOs) to ensure that the benefits reach the eligible beneficiaries without further delay.
He said that the state govt made a provision of Rs 18.95 crore under the Shagun Scheme in the financial year 2023-2024, “out of which, an amount of Rs 14.45 crore has already been spent”.
“Each eligible daughter has been given Rs 31,000 as Shagun for their marriage. During the financial year, a total of 4,662 daughters have benefited from this scheme,” said the minister.