Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar said that the state government has planned to retain 'Shiv Bhojan Thali' and 'Anandacha Sidha' schemes. In a written reply, he informed the Maharashtra Assembly about this decision of the state government, news agency ANI reported.
In the parliament, the Deputy CM said, “The media also highlighted the discontinuation of some schemes in this budget. Some respected members of this house have also mentioned this. All schemes are periodically reviewed, and those that become outdated are discontinued.”
He went on to say that efforts are being made to reimburse some of the vendors of these schemes as soon as possible because their payments are still pending to be cleared.
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The Anandacha Sidha plan was first implemented in 2022 around Diwali, offering families with saffron ration cards and four food items at a discounted price of Rs 100.
This is on top of the food grains that are regularly distributed. Antyodaya Anna Yojana and Priority households, as defined by the National Food Security Act of 2013, are among the kit's recipients.
The APL farmer (saffron) cardholders in fourteen areas that were determined to be suicide-prone districts—including the Wardha district from Nagpur Division and the districts of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Amravati Division—would also receive the kit.
Notably, the Maharashtra government launched the Shiv Bhojan Yojana in 2020 to give food at reduced prices to the state's needy and impoverished citizens.
Two chapatis and one dish of cooked rice, dal, and sabzi are included in the Shiv Bhojan Thali. The Shiv Bhojan Scheme is being implemented using the 'Shiv Bhojan Application'.
Presently the Shiv Bhojan Scheme has a goal to serve 2 lakh thalis per day. In Maharashtra 1,904 Shiv Bhojan centres are working to accomplish this goal. The government, with the help of CCTV cameras installed at the centres and the geo-fencing facility, is trying to maintain the quality of food being prepared under this scheme.