The ruling Eknath Shinde government has officially launched a scheme to provide a free saree annually to women from economically disadvantaged families holding ‘Antyodaya’ ration cards. The textile department of the state government, in collaboration with the food and civil supplies department overseeing ration shops, issued an order on Friday outlining the details of this initiative, set to run from 2023 to 2028.
The scheme, aimed at distributing free sarees to women with Antyodaya ration cards during festivals, will commence this year and continue for the next five years. The sarees, costing ₹355 each for this year, will be supplied by the state government’s powerloom corporation,” stated the official order.The initiative targets the 24,58,747 families currently holding Antyodaya ration cards in the state. The sarees will be distributed on a festival determined by the state government, and all associated expenses, including the cost of the saree, transportation, loading-unloading, and scheme publicity, will be funded by the state government to support the powerloom corporation in executing the programme.