Need all party meet for quota issue, says Ajit Pawar; hails Ladki Bahin Yojana, Jan Sanman response
Ajit Pawar on Thursday batted for an all-party meeting to discuss the Maratha quota issue. Talking to PTI during his Jan Sanman Yatra, Pawar said the opposition parties cannot be neglected since they too represent the people.
«Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange wants quota under OBC segment. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had called an all party meeting to discuss the quota issue but the opposition stayed away. I don't know if the boycott was deliberate. It has been decided to seek their (opposition) time again,» he said.
Hailing the Mukhyamnatri Ladki Bahin Yojana, under which women get Rs 1,500 per month as aid if their annual family income is less than Rs 2.5 lakh, Pawar said it will be launched on August 17 at an event in Balewadi here with beneficiaries getting money for July and August. The event will be attended by CM Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis. It is a transparent scheme in which money is transferred to accounts linked to the beneficiary's Aadhaar, leaving no room for any illegality, Pawar added. Slamming the opposition for calling it an election gimmick that would burden the exchequer, Pawar said he had presented 10 budgets and knew about finances.
On the issue of raising resources, Pawar said Maharashtra accounts for 16 per cent of the country's GST collections, with 50 per cent coming back to the state.
Moreover, the state also has revenue coming in from excise and other taxes, Pawar pointed out. Pawar said his Jan Sanman Yatra was getting a good response from women, adding that schemes
