₹34 lakh spent on publicity of scheme to boost income of poor

Under the Mukhya Mantri Antyodaya Parivar Utthan Yojana (MMAPUY) the objective of the state government is to increase the annual family income of the poorest families to at least ₹1.80 lakh and beyond

The Haryana government has spent over ₹34 lakh on advertising the Mukhya Mantri Antyodaya Parivar Utthan Yojana (MMAPUY) within and outside the state since its inception.

Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and deputy CM Dushyant Chautala during the question hour in the ongoing budget session at Haryana Vidhan Sabha in Chandigarh on Monday. (Keshav Singh/HT)

Under the MMAPUY, the objective of the state government is to increase the annual family income of the poorest families to at least ₹1.80 lakh and beyond. The state government has identified 3.35 lakh families whose annual family income is less than ₹1 lakh, as per official records.

In a written reply to a question from Congress MLA Varun Chaudhry (Mullana segment, the government on Monday said that currently the “mission” is not maintaining/collecting the number of beneficiaries who have defaulted in paying bank instalments.

The state government also said that the authorities are not currently maintaining/collecting the number of beneficiaries whose annual income has increased to ₹1.80 lakh (as a result of the steps taken under the MMAPUY).

Speaking during the zero hour, the Congress MLA referred to the reply to the question of the government and asked why the government was not giving information about beneficiaries whose annual income has increased to ₹1.80 lakh.

In another written reply to the question of the Congress MLA about the “Vajra Model”, one of the five developmental forces of which is the upliftment of the poorest of the poor, the government said for the upliftment of the poorest of the poor (family having an annual income of upto ₹1 lakh), a package of financial benefits under various schemes, customized to the requirement of each family, is being provided under MMAPUY to raise their family income to minimum ₹1.80 lakhs per annum.

During 2022-23, 36,993 families had been sanctioned loans through Antyodaya Melas organised under the yojana. In 2023-24, the government has proposed to fix a target to cover at least 2 lakh families in this income group and provide them access to funding from banks up to ₹1 lakh for which a sum of ₹ 2,000 crore will be set aside in consultation with banks, the government said.