Uttar Pradesh Government officials have ensured that two populist schemes announced on Chief Minister Mayawati's birthday on January 15 have been completed in a record time. Fixed deposits certificates,cheques and bicycles for the schemes - Mahamaya Garib Balika Ashirvad Yojna and Savitri Bai Phule Balika Shiksha Madad Yojna - were distributed by the Chief Minister to 10 lucky beneficiaries on Wednesday at her official residence. In the rest of the state,these were handed over to beneficiaries by district magistrates. The schemes announced and implemented in 20 days' time,just before the Lok Sabha elections,are going to cause an annual dent of over Rs 2,000 crore to the state exchequer. Under the first scheme,the Government will make a fixed deposit of Rs 22,000 in the form of National Savings Certificate (NSC) in the name of each girl born on or after January 15 in a family living below poverty line. The condition for the scheme is that the birth should be registered and parents should ensure her studies and not let her get married till the age of 18 years. In the other scheme,the Government will give Rs 25,000 and a bicycle each to girls from families living below poverty line for their education in classes 11 and 12. "The way Mayawati has become a minister I want my daughter to become a minister too" is how Malti Devi,a widow,expressed her gratitude towards the state Government when her daughter received the cheque along with a bicycle. Malti works as a housemaid and came to know about the scheme through her neighbour who is a contractor and associated with the ruling BSP. Most of the beneficiaries' parents,however,came to know about the scheme through schools where their daughters are studying and got the eligibility form filled through the schools. Mothers of newborn babies came to know about the scheme through Anganwadi workers. "My daughter was born on the night of January 21 and Anganwadi workers were in my house at 9 in the morning the following day," said Anita of Gosaiganj who was waiting with her 14-day-old daughter to receive the FD from the Chief Minister. Mayawati,while praising the officials for quick implementation of the scheme,came down heavily on the Congress-led UPA Government for not helping the state. She recalled how her demand for different financial packages (Rs 80,000-crore overall rehabilitation package,Rs 7,016-crore package for drought-hit areas,Rs 2,797-crore interest-free package for Bundelkhand and Rs 5,000-crore package for the revival of industries in Rae Bareli,Jagdishpur,Amethi and Sultanpur) was ignored by the Central Government. "The UPA Government has been creating obstructions in the development but we did not let that hinder development. So far,whatever we have done we have done from our own resources," she said.
