Kolkata, Sep 17 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said on Thursday that the registration of houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), henceforth, will be registered in the names of the women members of the families concerned and this will be a mark of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led state government's commitment towards empowerment of women in the state.
The Chief Minister announced this at an event of "Annapurna Day", which is being organised at Salt Lake in the northern outskirts of Kolkata on the occasion of the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.
"A list has been prepared for the construction of more than 50 lakh new houses in West Bengal. These houses will be registered in the names of women members of the families. All these houses will be owned by women. Agreements will be made in their names. We will make women the owners of the houses under the PMAY scheme. This will mark out commitment towards ensuring women empowerment in the state," he said.
He also added that the aim of the state government run by him, is not just to provide dole allowances to the women of the state but also ensure their development and empowerment.
"The first thing that we have done in these four months is to form a commission to investigate the atrocities committed against our mothers and sisters. Not a single event of crime against women will be taken lightly. This is our commitment," the Chief Minister said.
He also added that the state government is also strictly dealing with the events of child marriages and girls becoming pregnant below the age of 18.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister also announced the fourth instalment of the Annapurna Yojana scheme during the said event.
"Already money had been sent to the accounts of more than 1.5 crore women. The money will also reach the accounts of the remaining eligible applicants throughout the day. As much as Rs 3,000 will be transferred to the accounts of women every month," CM Adhikari said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also addressed the programme virtually and said that no "commission" or "cut-money" are required to be paid by the beneficiaries to receive the money in their bank accounts.
"The mothers and sisters of West Bengal played an important role in the transformation that took place in West Bengal on May 4 after the Assembly election results. So, the 'first test' of the new BJP government in this state was the development of women. Our motto is talk less and act more. The Annapurna Yojana started with that thought," the Prime Minister said.
--IANS
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