Income ceiling removed: CM

Kolkata: In a historic decision, the Mamata Banerjee government has decided to do away with the

ceiling of family income to bring more girls under the Kanyashree Prakalpa.

The Chief Minister said: "There was a criterion that only girls from families with annual income less than Rs 1.20 lakh used to get the benefits of Kanyashree Prakalpa. On the day of Kanyashree Divas, I would like to announce that the ceiling will no longer exist and more girls will get the scheme's benefits. There will be an additional expenditure of Rs 200 crore for the same."

Banerjee made the announcement while addressing a programme organised to celebrate successful completion of the fifth year of the project that had received the United Nations Public Service Award for Asia Pacific in Netherlands in 2017.

The state Finance minister Amit Mitra, state Youth Services and Sports minister Aroop Biswas, state Consumer Affairs minister Sadhan Pande and Sashi Panja, Minister of State for Women and Child Development and Social Welfare department, were also present in the programme held at Netaji Indoor Stadium on Tuesday.

Since its inception in 2013, the state government has brought more than 50 lakh girl students under the project. Under the K1 part of Kanyashree Prakalpa, students attaining the age of 13 years and studying in class VIII, get Rs 1,000 every year till class XII.

They also get a one time grant of Rs 25,000 under the K2 part of the scheme, once the beneficiaries turn 18 and continue their studies up to class XII. The K3 part is for the post-graduate students. Arts and commerce students get Rs 2,000 per year, while science students get Rs 2,500 per year.

To get the benefits of K1 and K2, a girl had to be from a family whose income is not more than Rs 1.20 lakh per year. But with the Chief Minister's announcement on Tuesday, girls from all strata of the society will be getting the benefit, once they get promoted to class VIII.

The Chief Minister also announced the setting up of a Kanyashree University, where the beneficiaries of the project will get admission without facing any problem.

Banerjee also said: "I wish to set up a Kanyashree University. The Women and Child development department will pursue the setting up of the same, so that Kanyashree girls can continue their higher studies with pride, without worrying about their admission."

At the same time, she directed to take initiatives for special training camp on skill development for the Kanyashree girls. Banerjee directed the Technical Education department to take initiatives in this regard, so that they become self-dependent.

"Let this be a dream project," Banerjee said, adding that she and Mitra will be extending all support for the same.

In the same breath, she urged the students to go ahead breaking all obstacles and to build up protest against oppression. "All of you have to protect the peace and harmony. At the same time, you have to protest against any attempt of creating situations like riots," she said, adding that Bengal always moves ahead instead of conceding defeat.