Jharkhand government led by Champai Soren is eyeing women voters ahead of the Assembly polls scheduled in November-December this year.

On Thursday evening, Champai Soren informed media that financial assistance would be given to poor and needy women under the Mukhyamantri Behan Beti Swavalamban Protsahan Yojana from July.

“Under the scheme, poor and needy women of all classes residing in the state between 25 to 50 years of age will be given financial assistance of ₹1000 per month. The application process for the scheme will start from July 1,” said Soren.

Sources in the chief minister’s secretariat said that starting from July, the applications can be taken from the eligible beneficiaries by setting up camps all over Jharkhand and the amount can be distributed from August onwards.

“According to estimates of the state’s women, child development and social security department, around 38-40 lakh women of the state can come under the purview of the said scheme. While more than ₹4000 crore can be spent on the scheme annually. The scheme is a take from the much touted Lakshmir Bhandar scheme of West Bengal,” the source added.

On Thursday, Soren had reviewed the women, child development and social security department at the Jharkhand secretariat and directed for ensuring better education for the women of the state, continuous improvement in health and nutrition level, women empowerment, and decisive role for women in the family.

The chief minister also directed to prepare on a war footing in order to provide the benefit of Mukhyamantri Behan-Beti Swavalamban Protsahan Yojana to the poor and needy women of the state and also make wide publicity of the scheme in each panchayat of the state.

He also directed to keep the application process for the scheme simple and transparent keeping in view the low literacy rate of women in rural areas. The IT department was asked to prepare a special portal for the scheme.

Political analysts claim that Jharkhand wants to take a leaf out of the Bengal government book.

“We saw how the TMC surprised everyone in the recent Lok Sabha polls and experts have claimed that it was the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme which made women support the party at the rural pockets. The JMM-Congress-RJD coalition wants to do an encore in the Jharkhand Assembly polls with the scheme,” said senior political columnist named Sudhir Pal.

Notably, women outnumbered men voters in the recent Lok Sabha polls in Jharkhand. Of the 1.7 crore voters in the recent poll, 87.11 lakh were women and 83.85 lakh were men.